The Fertility of Zion

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. ² 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? ³ No, I tell you, but unless you ^[b]repent, you will all likewise perish. ⁴ 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? ⁵ No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

⁶ 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. ⁷ 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?’ ⁸ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, leave it alone for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; ⁹ and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’”

Healing on the Sabbath

¹⁰ Now Jesus was ^(G)teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. ¹¹ And ^[e]there was a woman who for eighteen years had had ^(H)a ^[f]sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent over double, and could not straighten up at all. ¹² When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” ¹³ And He ^(I)laid His hands on her; and immediately she stood up straight again, and began ^(J)glorifying God. ¹⁴ But ^(K)the synagogue leader, indignant because Jesus ^(L)had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, “^(M)There are six days during which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” ¹⁵ But ^(N)the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, ^(O)does each of you on the Sabbath not untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it away to water it? ¹⁶ And this woman, ^(P)a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom ^(Q)Satan has bound for ^[g]eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this restraint on the Sabbath day?” ¹⁷ And as He said this, all His opponents were being ^[h]humiliated; and ^(R)the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.

Parable of the Good Shepherd

10 “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is ^(A)a thief and a robber. ² But the one who enters by the door is ^(B)a shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep listen to ^(C)his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and ^(D)leads them out. ⁴ When he puts all his own sheep outside, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know ^(E)his voice. ⁵ However, a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know ^(F)the voice of strangers.” ⁶ Jesus told them this ^(G)figure of speech, but they did not understand what the things which He was saying to them ^[a]meant.

⁷ So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly I say to you, I am ^(H)the door of the sheep. ⁸ All those who came before Me are ^(I)thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ^9 (J)I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they ^(K)would have life, and ^[b]have it abundantly.

¹¹ “^(L)I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd ^(M)lays down His life for the sheep. ¹² He who is a hired hand, and not a ^(N)shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters the flock. ¹³ He flees because he is a hired hand and does not care about the sheep. ^14 (O)I am the good shepherd, and ^(P)I know My own, and My own know Me, ¹⁵ just as ^(Q)the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and ^(R)I lay down My life for the sheep. ¹⁶ And I have ^(S)other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become ^(T)one flock, with ^(U)one shepherd. ¹⁷ For this reason the Father loves Me, because I ^(V)lay down My life so that I may take it back. ^18 (W)No one has taken it away from Me, but I ^(X)lay it down on My own. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it back. ^(Y)This commandment I received from My Father.”