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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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
Repent or Perish
1 Now at the same time some had come to tell him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2And he answered and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb said to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were sinners worse than all the Galileans, because they suffered these things? 3No, I tell you, but unless you repent you will all perish as well! 4Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them—do you think that they were sinners worse than all the people who live in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all perish as well!”
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6And he told this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any.#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation 7So he said to the gardener, ‘Behold, for three years#Literally “three years from which” I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and did not find any.#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation Cut it down!#Some manuscripts have “Therefore cut it down!” Why should it even exhaust the soil?’ 8But he answered and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb said to him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put manure on it.#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation 9And if indeed it produces fruit in the coming year, so much the better,#*The phrase “so much the better” is not in the Greek text but is implied but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”
A Woman with a Disabling Spirit Healed
10Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11And behold, a woman was there#*The phrase “was there” is not in the Greek text but is supplied in keeping with English style who had a spirit that had disabled her#Literally “of weakness” for eighteen years, and she was bent over and not able to straighten herself up completely.#Or “at all” 12And when he#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal saw her, Jesus summoned her#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability!” 13And he placed his#Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and glorified God. 14But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, answered and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb said to the crowd, “There are six days on which it is necessary to work. Therefore come and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“come”) has been translated as a finite verb be healed on them, and not on the day of the Sabbath!” 15But the Lord answered and said to him, “Hypocrites! Does not each one of you untie his ox or his#*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun donkey from the feeding trough on the Sabbath and lead it#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation away to water it?#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation 16And this woman, who is a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound eighteen#Literally “ten and eight” long years—is it not necessary that she be released from this bond on the day of the Sabbath?” 17And when#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“said”) he said these things, all those who opposed him were humiliated, and the whole crowd was rejoicing at all the splendid things that were being done by him.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
18Therefore he said, “What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? 19It is like a mustard seed that a man took and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“took”) has been translated as a finite verb sowed in his own garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the sky nested in its branches.”
The Parable of the Yeast
20And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21It is like yeast that a woman took and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“took”) has been translated as a finite verb hid in#Some manuscripts have “put into” three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”
The Narrow Door
22And he was going throughout towns and villages, teaching and making his journey toward Jerusalem. 23And someone said to him, “Lord, are there only#Literally “if” a few who are saved?” And he said to them, 24“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able to, 25when once the master of the house has gotten up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open the door#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation for us!’ And he will answer and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answer”) has been translated as a finite verb say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from!’ 26Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets!’ 27And he will reply, saying to you, ‘I do not know where you are from! Go away from me, all you evildoers!’#Literally “workers of unrighteousness” 28In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves thrown outside! 29And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. 30And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
The Lament over Jerusalem
31At that same hour some Pharisees came up and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came up”) has been translated as a finite verb said to him, “Go out and depart from here, because Herod wants to kill you!” 32And he said to them, “Go and#*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“go”) has been translated as a finite verb tell that fox, ‘Behold, I am expelling demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will complete my work.’#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation 33Nevertheless, it is necessary for me to be on the way today and tomorrow and on the next day, because it is not possible for a prophet to perish outside Jerusalem.
34“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How many times I wanted to gather your children together the way#Literally “in the manner in which” a hen gathers#*Here the term “gathers” is not in the Greek text but is implied her own brood under her#Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun wings, and you were not willing! 35Behold, your house has been left to you! And I tell you, you will never see me until the time#*The words “the time” are not in the Greek text but are implied will come when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”#A quotation from Ps 118:26
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