Luke 13:1-9: Repent!

Presented to Swift Current Community Lenten Lunch on 11 March 2010
and the Swift Current Corps on 14 March 2010
and CKSW Radio on 28 March 2010
by Captain Michael Ramsay

My wife, Captain Susan Ramsay, preached on this pericope (passage) last Sunday at The Salvation Army and I think it is a very interesting passage in that it addresses both questions of eschatology (the ‘end times’) and theodicy (God is good even when bad things happen). She began her sermon quoting this story by the famous homilitician, the Reverend Tom Long:

In the little Georgia country church of my childhood, there was a story the older folks loved to tell again and again, laughing over it and savoring it and embellishing it. The tale involved a certain Sunday night in October 1938. Evening prayer services were in full swing when a man named Sam, a member of the congregation who lived down the road from the church, charged into the prayer meeting trembling with fear and excitement. Finally gaining the breath to speak, he shouted, "Martians are attacking the earth in spaceships! Some of ‘em have already landed in New Jersey!" The preacher halted in mid-sentence; the congregation stared at Sam blankly. "I s-s-swear," he stammered, now a little unsure of his footing. "I h-h-heard it on the radio."
What Sam had heard, of course, was Orson Welles’s now infamous Mercury Theatre radio production of ‘War of the Worlds’, but no one in the congregation was aware of that at the moment. For all they knew, the world outside was coming to a flaming end. The little flock looked apprehensively at the preacher, but he was mute and indecisive, never having had a sermon disrupted by interplanetary invasion. Finally one of the oldest members of the congregation, a red-clay farmer of modest education, stood up, gripped the pew in front of him with his large, callused hands, and said, "I ‘speck what Sam says ain’t completely true, but if it is true, we’re in the right place here in church. Let’s go on with the meetin’." And so they did.
Spaceships landing in New Jersey? Signs of the end of the world? The old farmer sized it all up, measured it against his rough-hewn view of providence, and decided it was better to be in church praising God than running around the cow pasture shooting buckshot into the night sky[1]

How true. What should we think, what should we do when things are happening in our world today that don’t necessarily make a lot of sense to us? In our scripture passage here people are asking Jesus about significant things going on all around them and they have some questions about what they should do in response – Luke 13:1-5:

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

Some of the questions that naturally arise in times of trouble like, why do things like this happen? Why do people have to suffer? Is it because they are sinners? In our pericope today people ask Jesus about some people from Galilee; remember that this is where Jesus and his disciples have spent a fair amount of time in ministry to this point in Luke’s narrative. You remember who Pilate was, of course, as well: he was the Super Power of the day’s (Rome’s) representative in the occupied territories of Judah and Israel in Palestine. These people from Galilee, Luke 13:1 tells us, had their blood mingled with their sacrifices. We don’t know a lot about this event historically. But we do know that social tension at this time made frequent revolutionary activity possible in (what is now called) the Middle East. Pilate’s position as the governor of these occupied territories so far distant from Rome was precarious at best. Josephus (Life, 92 [17]) tells us that the Galileans were especially susceptible to revolt.[2] Much like in that same area of Israel-Palestine today, terrorists, freedom fighters, many people were in a constant state of resistance to the military occupation. It appears from 13:1, that the Super Power of Jesus’ day quite severely put down this one particular challenge to its authority in the area, killing the aforementioned Galileans and desecrating their remains in this way. Now this would be very serious to the Galileans. It would be much the same the way various contemporary US actions have been interpreted around Abu Ghraib or Guatanamo Bay. It is not good and the text today is asking if these people deserve this horrible fate.

Luke 13:4 refers to another tragic event – a different one: this one in and around Jerusalem. There was this tower that came crumbling down in Israel’s historic capital city and this is a very significant event. When the tower came down people died and when the people died some had questions about why all of this happens including did the people who died, deserve it? This and the other event caused people to question, ‘why did God permit these people to die?’[3]

This is reminiscent of a tower or a pair of towers that came crumbling down in recent history on our own continent isn’t it? The Salvation Army was right on ground zero helping out with the relief effort immediately following 9/11. The person who has responsibility for TSA in all of Canada now was right there on the site with the other relief workers handing out food and water and offering emotional and spiritual care along with many others in the immediate wake of 9/ll. I have a friend of mine as well who served the Lord through The Salvation Army at Ground Zero. This event, 9/11, however did serve to raise a lot of the same questions about God, eschatology and theodicy that I think are still being asked being asked today both about the horrors of the terrorist attack on 9/11 and the response/reprisal too of the Super Power is still carrying on even today, almost a decade later.

Now remember the Americans churchmen, Pat Robinson and Jerry Falwell and the resultant scandal that followed their not so well thought out comments at the time? Falwell could very well have been asking the questions that the people around our text today are asking of Jesus and the conclusions they were implying about the Galileans and or the tower of Siloam seem very similar. Of 9/11, Jerry Falwell said God might have given the American nation what it deserved because of their moral decay. Falwell specifically listed a number of groups in that country (such as the ACLU, abortionists, feminists, gays, and others) as sharing in the blame. Pat Robertson responded in agreement. Much has been made of these comments. Some have even suggested that these men meant that those in the Towers may have even brought this event on themselves (They former later apologized and the latter distanced himself from the comments).[4]

These two Christian leaders in America distanced themselves from these remarks and/or actually repented of their comments and where people turn and repent there is forgiveness. I have no reason not to believe the sincerity of either man in either their comments or their repentance - but I do think that the sentiment surrounding their comments is not entirely dissimilar from that that is reflected in our text today and certainly the faulty extension that the individuals in the towers deserved to die is a stretch that Jesus addresses in his reply to the comments about the tragic events of his day.

Jesus rhetorically responds to the similar questions and accusations represented here in Luke: Did the people who died deserve it? First specifically referring to the Galilean victims of the Super Power’s military action, “Jesus answered [them, verses 2 and 3], "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! ...” Secondly referring to those who died when the tower came tumbling down, Jesus rhetorically asks, “do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in [the city]? I tell you, no!”

Likewise today those who died in the towers on 9/11 were no worse than those that were spared because they did not go into work that day; neither are the Afghan civilians who are added daily to the ‘collateral damage’ toll any worse or better than those who escape with their lives.

One of the many things that this passage quickly addresses is the prosperity heresy or ‘prosperity gospel’ as it is sometimes called, that is becoming more common in our affluent and materialistic society – loosely summed up it is this: that people with money and power and blessed by God and people without money and power are cursed. Anyone who has read the Bible cover-to-cover even once realizes that this is not true: one of the most prevalent themes in the scriptures is that we should take care of the poor, the widow, the immigrant, the marginalized in society (Exodus 23:6,11, Lev. 19:10,15, 23:22, 27:8, Deut. 15:7, 15:11, 24:12-15, 1 Samuel 2:8, Psalms 22:26, 34:6, 35:10, 82:3, Ezekiel 16:49, 18:12, 22:29, Amos 2:7, 4:1, 5:11-12, 8:4-6, Isaiah 3:14, 15, 10:2, 11:4, 26:6, 32:7, 41:17, 58:7, 61:1; Zechariah 7:10). How we take care of these marginalized members of our society in reality is an indicator of our own very salvation[5] (Matthew 25:31ff) and the story of Job in the Bible underlines the sovereignty of a loving God in the midst of suffering. We cannot think that we are better than anyone else because God has spared us from calamity or poverty or difficulty of circumstance (cf. Luke 10:25-27, 18:22-25; Matthew 19:21-24; Mark 10:21-25).[6] We too will meet our Maker one day and Jesus says, verses 3 and 5, that unless we – even we who have been spared this calamity – unless we repent we will likewise perish.

Now this passage is about judgement and look at the parable that Jesus tells in relation to all this these questions that the people are asking, it is interesting, verses 6-9:

“…A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'
" 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' ”

This is neat. This is God. Look in the midst of judgement here there is grace. He gives the tree another chance. Look at this…the fruit tree now if it fails to bear fruit it will be cut down and presumably thrown into the fire but he gives it more time to bear fruit. Jesus defeated sin and death between the cross and the empty tomb but even today 2000 years later, while we each still have breath in our bodies, we still have the opportunity to repent and turn to God and be saved.

In 21st Century Canada, Saskatchewan and Swift Current we still have the opportunity to return to the Lord, love God and love our neighbour, so that we will not be cut down (and thrown into the fire, see John 15:1-7). This parable is specifically speaking about the nation of Israel but I think it equally applies to us today. If we deny God and if we do not love our neighbour the gospel of Matthew tells us that even among those of us who do call Jesus Lord, we be left on the outside looking in (Matthew 7:21-22). Matthew records that Jesus tells us that whatever we do not do for the least in our society we do not do for Christ (Matthew 25:40) and if we do not actively serve Christ, he will send us off to eternal punishment we deserve (Matthew 7:22, 25:40).[7] But remember the Good News…

This tree in Jesus’ parable that deserved judgement because it does not bear fruit, it is given grace first. Jesus said of this tree that deserves to be cast into eternal judgement, Jesus says, verse 8, to “'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it.” God not only extends this tree one more year of grace but in so doing he does everything He can to bring this tree into bearing fruit. He loves that tree.

This is good news and it is the same with us. As a society Canada is ceasing to bear fruit. Crime is way up. Income disparity is more extreme than ever before in this country. Our federal government has recently stopped saying the Lord’s Prayer in the House of Commons; Atheism is the largest and fastest growing religion in more than one province in this country including my home province of BC. Recently too I heard that only 3% of people in Vancouver, Canada’s 3rd largest city attend Christian churches on a regular basis. People in various places in Ontario are calling the police if civic politicians dare to pray in their meetings. How many of our children and grandchildren here – even in this apparently Christian community of Swift Current – how many of our very own young people are attending church? …How many are coming to Christ? We here are like the fig tree that is no longer bearing fruit in this country but God is a gardener that loves us and he has given us that extra time. God is giving us the extra time and He loves us and He is digging around us and fertilizing us right now. He loves us. He is extending us grace.

And this brings us back to the voiced question of the text: what about the person in our society who has a tower collapse on them or who runs afoul of the authorities or who is struggling with addiction or who is in need of food or shelter or is suffering from extreme poverty? What about the person in our society who is in a tough spot is that because they are any more or less evil than you or I? No! Jesus tells us in our text today that it is not because a person is a sinner that this hardship befalls him and he tells us by implication then that those of us who have an extra measure of security it is not because we are saints. We are all in need of our Lord’s salvation – no matter what our station in life. And the joys of salvation are available to us all – no matter who we are. I am reminded of a story…

At the end of the last century there was a revolution in one of the North Western African countries. As it became obvious that the government was going to fall, the wealthy North Americans had to flee. They really were spared the vengeance of the population only by the skin of their teeth. They boarded the last plane just in time before the rebels liberated their country.A disappointing thing happened on the plane. You see it was a commercial airline that had a first class section with so much more comfortable seating than the rest of the plane. Now on this plane were all rich, famous and important people. One of them first got it in their mind that because of who they were they deserved the good seats. Then someone else; then the next; soon everyone on the plane was fighting. They were so busy fighting that they did not notice that the plane was going down...in a sad irony while those who were fighting were the most important in this life – the plane crashed and then they all wound up faced with the next life – where none of the things of this world matter anymore. They were delivered from the revolution but still they perished.Our lives are like this plane going down it is not a sign of divine favour; if we have the best seat on the plane. It really is doesn’t change anything. The plane is still going to crash.
What matters is what will happen when Jesus returns to look at his fig tree. What matters is our AND OTHERS’ eternal salvation. No matter who we are, our life here is going to end and there will be judgement – regardless of who we are; regardless of our wealth and status – what really matters is what happens afterwards and afterwards though all may be eligible for heaven, some will choose to crash and burn but others - others will choose to be saved and – Luke 13:5 – unless we repent we will likewise perish.I am reminded of the 'Empress of Ireland' and a story that we like to tell in The Salvation Army. The 'Empress of Ireland' was a ship that sank in 1914:

“[It]went down with a hundred and thirty Canadian Salvation Army officers on board [29th May 1914], one hundred and nine officers were drowned, and not one [TSA] body that was picked up had on a life-belt. The few survivors told how the Salvationists, finding there were not enough life-preservers for all, took off their own belts and strapped them upon even strong men, saying, "I can die better than you can;" and from the deck of that sinking boat they flung their battle-cry around the world – Others!”[8]

They gave their lives up for others just like Christ gave his life up for all of us on the cross. The boat of our lives is sinking. No man knows the time or the hour when it will end (Matthew 24:26, 25:13; Mark 13:32; Luke 12:39-40, 46) so I ask us today do we forget that the end is coming? Are we spending our time here complaining about things like whether so and so deserved this or that of do we look for brothers and sisters who are perishing without their life jackets of Salvation, handing them the everlasting life-preservers?

It is my prayer today that each of us today as we are experiencing the same grace of the fig tree – as we are all on the same flight, the same borrowed time - that we will take advantage of whatever time we have left and instead of pointing the finger at others, we ourselves will indeed repent, put on the eternal life-preservers and assist our neighbours in doing the same.

Let us pray.

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[1] Thomas G. Long, ‘Breaking and Entering’ (Luke 13:1-9), available on-line at http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2165
[2] Walter L. Leifeld, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Luke/Exposition of Luke/V. Teaching and Travels Toward Jerusalem (9:51-19:44)/D. Teachings on Times of Crisis and Judgment (12:1-13:35)/7. A call to repentance (13:1-9), Book Version: 4.0.2
[3] Cf. Fred B. Craddock, Luke (Interpretation: a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: John Knox Press: Louisville, Ken., 1990), 167-168.
[4] Transcript of the interview and the retraction are available on line (10 Mar 2010): http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/f/falwell-robertson-wtc.htm
[5] God has always had a concern for the vulnerable even as is recorded in the OT: Deut 15:4 says, “However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you,”
[6] Luke records Jesus as teaching us that one’s neighbour is one who risks one’s life and spends her time and resources on another (Luke 10:25-27). He tells one man that if he wants to obtain his treasure in heaven he must sell his possessions and give to the poor (Luke 18:22; cf. Matt 19:21, Mark 10:21). He also teaches that it is harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than for a camel in enter the eye of a needle (Luke 18:25; cf. Matt 19:24, Mark 10:25).
[7] Cf. Joel B Green. ‘The Gospel of Luke’. NICNT. Vol. 3. (Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997) 25. Luke’s gospel has been called the gospel for the poor; it is interested in the oppressed and a significant theme contained within is that “Salvation embraces the totality of embodied life, including its social, economic, and political concerns:”
[8] The Salvation Army International Heritage Centre (10 Mar 10) Available on-line: http://www1.salvationarmy.org/heritage.nsf/36c107e27b0ba7a98025692e0032abaa/df2ca83194d5599b802568cd00377023!OpenDocument