Luke 13
13
Unless You Turn to God
1-5About 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.”
6-7Then 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.’”
Healing on the Sabbath
10-13He was teaching in one of the meeting places on the Sabbath. There was a woman present, so twisted and bent over with arthritis that she couldn’t even look up. She had been afflicted with this for eighteen years. When Jesus saw her, he called her over. “Woman, you’re free!” He laid hands on her and suddenly she was standing straight and tall, giving glory to God.
14The meeting-place president, furious because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the congregation, “Six days have been defined as work days. Come on one of the six if you want to be healed, but not on the seventh, the Sabbath.”
15-16But Jesus shot back, “You frauds! Each Sabbath every one of you regularly unties your cow or donkey from its stall, leads it out for water, and thinks nothing of it. So why isn’t it all right for me to untie this daughter of Abraham and lead her from the stall where Satan has had her tied these eighteen years?”
17When he put it that way, his critics were left looking quite silly and red-faced. The congregation was delighted and cheered him on.
The Way to God
18-19Then he said, “How can I picture God’s kingdom for you? What kind of story can I use? It’s like an acorn that a man plants in his front yard. It grows into a huge oak tree with thick branches, and eagles build nests in it.”
20-21He tried again. “How can I picture God’s kingdom? It’s like yeast that a woman works into enough dough for three loaves of bread—and waits while the dough rises.”
22He went on teaching from town to village, village to town, but keeping on a steady course toward Jerusalem.
23-25A bystander said, “Master, will only a few be saved?”
He said, “Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you’ll sit down to God’s salvation banquet just because you’ve been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives. Well, one day you’re going to be banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you’ll find the door locked and the Master saying, ‘Sorry, you’re not on my guest list.’
26-27“You’ll protest, ‘But we’ve known you all our lives!’ only to be interrupted with his abrupt, ‘Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You don’t know the first thing about me.’
28-30“That’s when you’ll find yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace. You’ll watch Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets march into God’s kingdom. You’ll watch outsiders stream in from east, west, north, and south and sit down at the table of God’s kingdom. And all the time you’ll be outside looking in—and wondering what happened. This is the Great Reversal: the last in line put at the head of the line, and the so-called first ending up last.”
* * *
31Just then some Pharisees came up and said, “Run for your life! Herod’s got your number. He’s out to kill you!”
32-35Jesus said, “Tell that fox that I’ve no time for him right now. Today and tomorrow I’m busy clearing out the demons and healing the sick; the third day I’m wrapping things up. Besides, it’s not proper for a prophet to come to a bad end outside Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killer of prophets,
abuser of the messengers of God!
How often I’ve longed to gather your children,
gather your children like a hen,
Her brood safe under her wings—
but you refused and turned away!
And now it’s too late: You won’t see me again
until the day you say,
‘Blessed is he
who comes in
the name of God.’”
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Luke 13: MSG
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Luke 13
13
Luke 13
1¶ There were present at the same time some that told him of the Galilaeans whose blood Pilate had mingled with his sacrifices.
2And Jesus, answering, said unto them, Think ye that these Galilaeans suffered such things because they were greater sinners than all the other Galilaeans?
3I tell you, No; but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
4Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and slew them, think ye that they were greater debtors than all the other men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
5I tell you, No; but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
6¶ And He spoke this parable: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came and sought fruit upon it and found none.
7Then he said unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none; cut it down; why does it cumber the ground?
8And he, answering, said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also until I shall dig about it and dung it,
9and if it bears fruit, well; and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
10¶ And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.
11And, behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years and was bowed together and could in no wise lift herself up.
12And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
13And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight and glorified God.
14And the prince of the synagogue answered with indignation because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, and said unto the people, There are six days in which it behooves men to work; in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.
15The Lord then answered him and said, Thou hypocrite, does not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall and lead it away to drink?
16And regarding this daughter of Abraham, who, behold, Satan had bound eighteen years, does it not behoove us to release her from this bond on the Sabbath day?
17And as he said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed, but all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
18¶ Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and unto what shall I compare it?
19It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and cast into his garden; and it grew and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the heaven lodged in the branches of it.
20And again he said, Unto what shall I compare the kingdom of God?
21It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until the whole was leavened.
22And he went through the cities and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.
23¶ Then someone said unto him, Lord, are there few that are saved? And he said unto them,
24Strive to enter in at the narrow gate; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able.
25When once the husband of the house is risen up and shall have shut the door, and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not from where ye are,
26then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
27But he shall say unto you, I know you not from where ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
28In that place shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
29And others shall come from the east and from the west and from the north and from the south and shall sit at the table in the kingdom of God.
30And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.
31¶ The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Go out and depart from here, for Herod will kill thee.
32And he said unto them, Go ye and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out demons, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.
33Nevertheless I must walk today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
34O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kills the prophets and stones those that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
35Behold, your house is left unto you desolate; and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me until the time comes when ye shall say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.
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The Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) by Ransom Press International