Call to Repent

13 Now on that very occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood (A)Pilate had [a]mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus responded and said to them, (B)Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans just because they have suffered this fate? No, I tell you, but unless you [b]repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you think that those eighteen on whom the tower in (C)Siloam fell and killed them were worse [c](D)offenders than all the other people who live in Jerusalem? No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

And He began telling this parable: “A man had (E)a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Look! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree [d]without finding any. (F)Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, leave it alone for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 13:1 I.e., shed along with
  2. Luke 13:3 Or are repentant
  3. Luke 13:4 Lit debtors
  4. Luke 13:7 Lit and I do not find

Unless You Turn to God

13 1-5 About that time some people came up and told him about the Galileans Pilate had killed while they were at worship, mixing their blood with the blood of the sacrifices on the altar. Jesus responded, “Do you think those murdered Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans? Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die. And those eighteen in Jerusalem the other day, the ones crushed and killed when the Tower of Siloam collapsed and fell on them, do you think they were worse citizens than all other Jerusalemites? Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die.”

6-7 Then he told them a story: “A man had an apple tree planted in his front yard. He came to it expecting to find apples, but there weren’t any. He said to his gardener, ‘What’s going on here? For three years now I’ve come to this tree expecting apples and not one apple have I found. Chop it down! Why waste good ground with it any longer?’

8-9 “The gardener said, ‘Let’s give it another year. I’ll dig around it and fertilize, and maybe it will produce next year; if it doesn’t, then chop it down.’”

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