Turn Back to God

13 About this same time Jesus was told that Pilate had given orders for some people from Galilee to be killed while they were offering sacrifices. ² Jesus replied:

Do you think that these people were worse sinners than everyone else in Galilee just because of what happened to them? ³ Not at all! But you can be sure that if you don't turn back to God, every one of you will also be killed. ⁴ What about those 18 people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were worse than everyone else in Jerusalem? ⁵ Not at all! But you can be sure that if you don't turn back to God, every one of you will also die.

A Story about a Fig Tree

⁶ Jesus then told them this story:

A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. One day he went out to pick some figs, but he didn't find any. ⁷ So he said to the gardener, “For three years I have come looking for figs on this tree, and I haven't found any yet. Chop it down! Why should it take up space?”

⁸ The gardener answered, “Master, leave it for another year. I'll dig around it and put some manure on it to make it grow. ⁹ Maybe it will have figs on it next year. If it doesn't, you can have it cut down.”

Healing a Woman on the Sabbath

¹⁰ One Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, ¹¹ and a woman was there who had been crippled by an evil spirit for 18 years. She was completely bent over and could not straighten up. ¹² When Jesus saw the woman, he called her over and said, “You are now well.” ¹³ He placed his hands on her, and at once she stood up straight and praised God.

^14 (A) The man in charge of the synagogue was angry because Jesus had healed someone on the Sabbath. So he said to the people, “Each week has six days when we can work. Come and be healed on one of those days, but not on the Sabbath.”

¹⁵ The Lord replied, “Are you trying to fool someone? Won't any one of you untie your ox or donkey and lead it out to drink on a Sabbath? ¹⁶ This woman belongs to the family of Abraham, but Satan has kept her bound for 18 years. Isn't it right to set her free on the Sabbath?” ¹⁷ Jesus' words made his enemies ashamed. But everyone else in the crowd was happy about the wonderful things he was doing.

Sarah's Death and Burial

23 ^1-2 When Sarah was 127 years old, she died in Kiriath-Arba, better known as Hebron, in the land of Canaan. After Abraham had mourned for her, ³ he went to the Hittites and said, ^4 (A) “I live as a foreigner in your land, and I don't own any property where I can bury my wife. Please let me buy a piece of land.”

^5-6 “Sir,” they answered, “you are an important man. Choose the best place to bury your wife. None of us would refuse you a resting place for your dead.”

⁷ Abraham bowed down ⁸ and replied, “If you are willing to let me bury my wife here, please ask Zohar's son Ephron ⁹ to sell me Machpelah Cave at the end of his field. I'll pay what it's worth, and all of you can be witnesses.”

¹⁰ Ephron was sitting there near the city gate, when Abraham made this request, and he answered, ¹¹ “Sir, the whole field, including the cave, is yours. With my own people as witnesses, I freely give it to you as a burial place for your dead.”

¹² Once again, Abraham bowed down ¹³ and said to Ephron, “In front of these witnesses, I offer you the full price, so I can bury my wife. Please accept my offer.”

^14-15 “But sir,” the man replied, “the property is worth only 400 pieces of silver. Why should we haggle over such a small amount? Take the land. It's yours.”

^16-18 Abraham accepted Ephron's offer and paid him the 400 pieces of silver in front of everyone at the city gate. That's how Abraham came to own Ephron's property east of Mamre,^[a] which included the field with all of its trees, as well as Machpelah Cave at the end of the field. ¹⁹ So Abraham buried his wife Sarah in Machpelah Cave that was in the field ²⁰ he had bought from the Hittites.

(A special psalm by David.)

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