Repent or Perish!

Scripture Reading

Luke 13:1–9 NIV84

1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 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? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” 6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7 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?’ 8 “ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ”

Introduction

We considered last week in some detail the importance of the fact that Christ the Saviour had appeared in Israel, and He was calling all of his listeners to respond appropriately to who He was. In one sense, Christ had been urging His hearers to carefully consider all that He had been doing and saying in their presence, and to respond appropriately in light of who He had clearly demonstrated himself to be… God’s chosen Messiah.

Last time we were in Luke, we considered the parable that Christ spoke concerning the importance of settling accounts with the judge before you reach the court. If someone is taking you to court, because you are guilty of some crime, try to settle before you get before the judge.

He used this picture / parable within the context of the present times. He had spoken to them about being able to interpret the physical conditions, like the weather patterns. But his point was that they were failing to interpret the more important spiritual realities that were unfolding around them.

And So Christ followed that observation and “rebuke” up with the parable of the judge in order to emphasize the fact that a time was coming for judgment. They would be brought before a judge. It was essential that they do what was necessary, everything within their strength and power, to make things right with their adversary before they would be brought before the judge.

Our present passage fits well into that context, and has Luke recording for us some interactions between Jesus and certain members of the crowd that brought some devastating news to Jesus. And this news was not merely news for the sake of news, but they were drawing conclusions from the events that had unfolded. And Christ addresses these crowds particularly in light of the conclusions that they are drawing.

Notice the very clear link between the preceding passage and our present passage.... Luke begins with the words in verse 1, “Now there were some present at that time...”

In other words, Luke is making a direct connection from the previous account to this present discourse.

As we come to consider this text, notice firstly with me...

1. The Need for Repentance (v.1-5)

In verse 1, we read of a particular group of people bringing this terrible account to Jesus…

Luke 13:1 NIV84

1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.

Luke records in this verse some particular details on an event that we have no other information on apart from this passage of Scripture. The account of Pilate mixing the blood of Galileans with the sacrifices being offered up is found nowhere else in the historical literature that we have available, and so this is really all the information we have on hand.

Keep in mind, however, that Luke is a phenomenal historian - and he is regarded as such by both Biblical scholars and secular scholars. And so we can certainly take this account is an actual event in history.

What is clear from the description that Luke gives in terms of what was reported to JEsus is that this man Pilate, who was very well known for his exceeding rage and cruel behaviour, gave orders and instructions for a group of people who were offering up sacrifices to be put to death. The victims of this act of rage by Pilate were Galileans.

Given that they were offering sacrifices on the altar, it is likely that these were Jewish people that lived in Galilee and had made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, probably for one of the Jewish festivals, and were in the process of offering sacrifices when the order came for them to be put to death, evidenly in a gruesome manner.

It may have been that these were zealots, opposed to the Roman rule, which then led Pilate to act as he did. But the fact is, and what is clear from this text before us, is that as they were put to death for whatever acts that had committed, their own blood flowed out and was mingled with the blood of the animals that were being sacrificed on the altar at that time.

The very thought of this is gruesome! But it happened in front of other groups of people, and these people started to speculate about what possibly these Galileans must have done in order to have this treatment come their way.

What had these Galileans done in order to earn such disfavour from God Almighty that their own blood was sacrificed on the altar!? That is the question!!

The people that were bringing this account to Jesus and talking to him about it were viewing this incidient not merely as a reflection of Pilates instability and callousness, or perhaps a kind of sad but typical eventuality of life in a fallen and sin-cursed world, but rather as an evidence that these people’s lives had been lost due to some grievious sin or guilt on their side.

They were viewing what had happened to these Galileans as an act of Divine disfavour. They saw these Galileans as those who must have been far more evil than all others around them.

There are some important things that we need to consider in this regard. Firstly, we must acknowledge and confess that sometimes these kinds of thoughts run through our own minds when we see evil, harm, or misfortune coming upon the lives of others. We can tend to have these same ideas in our minds.

I will come in due course to looking at this in a more detailed manner from the Scriptures. It is something that we must give further consideration to.

But before we do that, I want us to keep in mind that part of the reason that these people were bringing this report to Jesus was because of their own sense of self-righteousness. This is really what Jesus had come into the world in order to address. And Christ had come to the Jewish people, and he was confronting them as the Jewish people, those who claimed to know God, about their own sin and need for repentance.

The problem in this instance was a sense of pride and self-righteousness. That was most extremely evidenced by the Pharisees and the other religious leaders of the day. They certainly saw themselves as holy and righteous, and were very proud of their righteous lives.

But even the people from the crowd were now in some measure comparing themselves to those that had perished in this event, and were feeling quite vindicated and glad that they had not perished, and thus thought themselves to be okay.

They were jumping to wrong conclusions. They were failing to recognise their own need for the Gospel. They were thus in danger of this judgment before the judge, if they did not respond appropriately.

And so Jesus responds to their thinking.

Luke 13:2 NIV84

2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?

Immediately Jesus perceived that this was their manner of thinking in their hearts, and he confronts them on this.

Do you think that they were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because of this that happened?

This is a question we need to ask ourselves. I’ve heard people in my life, those who profess to be Christians, suggesting that because of some bad happening to a person or to their business, or something to that effect, that they are worse people. God is judging them.

But notice Jesus’ response over here.

Luke 13:3 NIV84

3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

Jesus responds with an emphatic no!!

His point is simple. The blood of these Galileans that was spilled was most certainly not spilled in this way because they were in some way more evil than others. The reasoning and the motivation behind this kind of sad situation was not because God was bringing His judgment on them for sin.

What Jesus is countering in terms of their thinking (within this particular context) is the fact that the extent of the pain / severity of the punishment that came upon them necessarily was linked to the extent of their own sinfulness.

That was the thinking, and that is what Jesus contradicts.

It’s very important that we see this… that Jesus was really confronting an issue of pride in their own hearts. He was immediately confronting what he knew to be a self-righteous disposition within them.

As Jewish people, they ought to have known this to be the case. They would have been familiar with that man named Job, that was recorded for them in their Scriptures. He was a righteous man in the eyes of God, and yet he was very severely afflicted in his life. This had nothing to do with his lack of rigteousness, but was in fact on account of his righteousness that he endured that suffering.

But this crowd was not paying attention to that. They were seeking to justify themselves through a comparison with others.

As they do this, Jesus immediately uses this as an opportunity to call those very people to repentance. He essentially says to them, you think that you’re okay? Simply by comparing yourselves with others, whose situation you’re actually misunderstanding?

No, says Christ.... “Unless you repent, you too will all perish...”

When Christ says here that “you too will all perish,” some have thought that to refer to a specific event where a similar kind of destruction would come upon them. Some have thought that this may refer to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD.

But that’s not the point of what Jesus is saying in this case. He’s simply making the argument that unless each person repents of their own sin before God, they too will perish. God’s judgment will come upon them.

Keep in mind the preceding text from Luke’s Gospel.

With this in mind, Jesus now points their attention to another incident that had unfolded in order to re-emphasize the point that he’s making.

Luke 13:4 NIV84

4 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?

Christ now brings another example by referring to the tower of Siloam that had collapsed on a certain number of people. Siloam was a place that was within walled city of Jerusalem.

There was a pool in Siloam. Recall from John 9 that there was a man born blind, and JEsus told this man to go and wash in the pool of Siloam in order to have his sight restored, which then happened.

And so this was the place. A place in Jerusalem with a pool, or some kind of bath, and a tower that stood there at that place.

In Nehemiah, when Nehemiah was repairing the walls of Jerusalem, we read....

Nehemiah 3:26 NASB95

26 The temple servants living in Ophel made repairs as far as the front of the Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower.

So this is the place where this happened. But the tower that had been built them had collapsed at a particular point in time, and 18 people had died in the collapse of this tower.

I really appreciate the realness of this example.

This was a real life event… probably that had happened quite recently within the lives of these very people. This was an event that as Christ mentioned it, would have touched a sensitive spot within them as they called to their minds the destruction and devastation.

Something like if you mention 9/11 to people who have very vivid memories of that event of September 11th… even for us who only viewed the events through TV....

But Jesus makes the same point about those who had died in that tower collapsing. If the question had arisen in their minds at all… were they guilty of something extreme, something particular? Jesus was now telling them that they were jumping to the wrong conclusions.

In fact, Jesus makes it explicitly clear that they are incorrect in their thinking in the next verse. Were they guilty before God, more so than any other person? Had the done extensive evil, more so than anyone else around them?

Luke 13:5 NIV84

5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Again, Christ is emphatic! The reason for the tower falling on those 18 people had nothing to do with them being less righteous before God, or more guilty before God, or being under some condemnation from God.

That was not the case.

But once again, Jesus uses this as an important opportunity to call those before Him to repentance!

“Unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Here was the simple call for repentance. Such an important word in terms of the true Gospel message.

Mark 1:15 (NASB95)

15 ...“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Matthew 3:2 NASB95

2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 4:17 NASB95

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Acts 20:20–21 (NASB95)

20 ... I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,

21 solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, we must once again consider the problem that was being faced here, and the thinking of the people.

They were comparing themselves to those that had appeared to suffer under the judgment of God due to severe consequences in their lives.

They ought to have been considering their own sinful state before God, and repenting of their sin, and placing their faith in Christ as their only hope for salvation.

They were too busy, and too easily consumed with, evaluating others, and in a sense casting their own judgments upon others.

Now, before we go on in this passage, I do think that there are some very important points that deserve our careful consideration.

The first thing that I want to say in this regard is that what Jesus is conveying here is not a blanket statement concerning mishaps and bad situations in life. He is not saying that God never ever brings bad situations into a persons life, or into a group of people’s lives, as a form of punishment or judgment.

The Scriptures clearly teach that there are times in life where God brings such situations as a consequence of sin.

The history of the Israelites is a prime example of this. Because of their sin and rebellion against God, their disobedience, the curses that God had stipulated in His covenant relationship with them came to pass. They were attacked by invading forces, and many of them were put to death.

Another example is in Joshua 7, where Israel was horribly defeated by Ai, a small city that should easily have been conquered, because of the sin of Achan, who had take some of the plunder for himself, against the command of God. So the punishment was indeed a consequence of sin in their midst.

This is also found in the New Testament. In the context of participating in the Lord’s Supper, there were those who were doing so in an unworthy manner. They were not considering others, and there were consequences.

1 Corinthians 11:29–31 NIV84

29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.

The point that I’m making is that God does, at times, bring certain consequences to pass, even calamities upon people, as a result of their sin.

However, there are many times that these eventualities in life are not a consequence of personal sin and guilt at all. They are certainly events under the control of God. He could choose to withhold them, restrain them if he wished. But in his providential working, he allows these things to happen.

Christ is certainly the supreme example of this.

He was put to death in a most horific manner, despite his perfections.

We also know that this is the example that has been set for us.

So, what do we see?

Sometimes, calamities come as a consequence of personal guilt and sin.

Sometimes, calamities come even when there is personal innocense.

We must learn from this as Christians that we are simply not in a position to make assumptions on people’s spiritual condition, or thir standing before God, based on the events of their lives, whether good or bad!!

We actually really don’t know. And when we start assuming that things are happening for this reason or that, good or bad, what we’re actually doing is putting ourselves in the place of God.

Again, this does not mean that we cannot help thosee around us by asking questions, and seeking to help them see if perhaps there is sin in their lives, and that God may be using trying and difficult circumstances to train them and guide them. But we are not judges in these matters. We don’t have perfect insight. We are not God.

We do want to learn the important lesson that Christ teaches the disciples at this point, and that is that each and every person is called to repent of their sin, and to repent of their efforts at self-righteousness, and to turn to Jesus Christ in order to be saved.

I must personally repent.

This leads us to consider the second main point, and that is...

2. The Time for Repentance (vv.6-9)

Jesus goes on at this particular point to tell a parable to the people around him. There are two things in particular that come through in terms of these verses / this parable.

The first main point that we must consider from this section is that repentance is a matter of urgency.

The second main thing that we must consider from the section is the fact that repentance must be demonstrated by the Bering of fruit.

​In verse six we read,

Luke 13:6 NIV84

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.

Christ now turns his attention to a parable and uses the picture of a fig tree planted in a vineyard.

Before we go any further, we must not miss the significance of the picture that Jesus is using as he conveys this parable to his hearers. Both the fig tree and the vineyard very important pictures that were often used in the context of Israel and the Israelites. Fig trees were a common occurrence in those regions that they lived. Vineyards were also very common in the land of Israel.

Because of this, God very often used the picture of a fig tree or a vineyard in order to convey truths concerning Israel themselves.

Micah 7:1 NIV84

1 What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave.

Such is the case in this present context. When Jesus is speaking to these people, he really is referring most of what he is saying here primarily to the Israelites as a people.

Notice the emphasis that Jesus places of year as he speaks these words, pointing out the fact that the fig tree that he was looking at was not producing any fruit. The owner of this vineyard which had this fig tree in it had specifically gone in order to determine and see whether or not the fig tree had produced any fruit. Jesus says in this case, that when he got there, there was no fruit to be found.​

He then goes on in verse seven with these words.

Luke 13:7 NIV84

7 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?’

As we consider this parable that Jesus is telling, my intention is not going to be to try and precisely link every detail of the parable to a particular meaning. What is important in the context of this is not what each particular thing or person or object represents and thus describe her meaning to it, but rather to understand what Jesus is saying to the people that are around him.

In light of that, we see over here that the concern is raised by the owner of the vineyard that there is no fruit, and thus the tree ought to be cut down. This tree is taking nutrients out of the soil, is being fed, and yet there is no fruit coming forth out of the tree, and thus it is a waste of the natural resources.

Now, as I’ve already said we don’t want to attribute detailed meanings to every little nuance in the passage. But I do think that the emphasis of a here is the fact that Jesus Christ had been ministering to Israel and to these people for a number of years, probably approaching three years, and yet there was still no fruit being born among these people.

If you go back in your Bibles to the time that John was busy preparing the way for Jesus to begin his ministry, as it was recorded in Luke’s gospel, we find that John issued a very stern warning to the people that were coming out to be baptized. You may recall at the time that I said that this was most likely more directed at the religious leaders. However, in Luke’s gospel it was directed at the crowds themselves. But the fact was that John gave a warning that these people ought to bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

Turn with me brief in your Bibles to Luke 3:7-9.

7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

I’m sure that you can see the link to what John said in that passage to what Jesus is now saying in terms of his parable. The warning by John was that they needed to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Notice in verse nine the statement by John that the ax is already at the root of the trees.

In this case, Jesus is saying that the fig tree is failing to bear fruit and thus is in danger of being cut down. Clearly, even after the many years of Jesus ministering to the Jewish people, there was still not fruit that was being born which was in keeping with a proclamation of repentance.

As we go on in this passage, we read in verse 8-9…

Luke 13:8–9 NASB95

8 “And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, 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.’ ”

In the present context, Jesus says to this crowd that is the answer of the person attending to the fig tree suggested that it be left alone for a period of time and that if it did not bear fruit in due course, then by all means have that tree cut down.

Now at this point that I don’t want us to get lost in the details of trying to discern who the person is that is tending this place, and who it is that is coming to inspect the tree.

The most probable interpretation of this text is that this is an interaction between the Father and the son. The father is watching and looking at his chosen people, and He finds that they are not bearing fruit. The son is there, and he says to his father yes there is no fruit, but give it some time, and then if no fruit is forthcoming in the time period allotted, then cut the fig tree down.

But the precise details are not the most important things to see here. The emphasis an thrust of the words of Christ here is the fat that there was no fruit, and that there was a limited time before appropriate action would be taken as a consequence of the lack of fruit.

And this points to the heart of what I said are the two main things that we need to see from these few verses.

The first is the fact that repentance is a matter of urgency. God has put his times and the seasons into place. And while we know that God really is very gracious and long-suffering, and he allows extended periods of time to work out his plans and purposes, and while He allows long periods in order for people to repent, this does not mean that there is an indefinite amount of time to repent.

The time for repentance is now.

Let me just briefly apply this. The time for each and every individual to repent of their sin and to place the faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior is now. Do not think that you can continue indefinitely in life, living a life according to your own will, refusing to humble yourself before God in repentance and faith. God has extended his grace and his bountiful mercy to mankind. He has called upon mankind to come and to delight in fellowship with him. He’s provided the means for man to come and enjoy that fellowship with him. He has given his very own son to pay the penalty that was DU which caused the separation between man and God. And with that call having gone out to repent of your sin and to trust in Jesus Christ, how is it that you would continue to live a selfish life and refuse to bow your knee?

I would urge each and every person sitting here today to consider their own lives, and to ask if you have confessed your sin before God, repented of that sin, and humbled yourself and placed your trust for salvation in Jesus Christ alone.

Beyond this, I do believe that there is an element in which where there is being a straying away from God and his ways, that there is a need to remain firmly connected to the gospel roots that define us as Christians. If you look through the course of church history, you will find that the church did not always remain faithful to the true gospel and to what is revealed by God to us in Scripture.

The greatest demonstration of that was during the Reformation where the Protestant church was birthed, because of all kinds of unbiblical teachings that come into the church and had moved the church away from the true Gospel as found in Scripture. There was a need for repentance at that time, and a turning to the truth of the gospel as found in Jesus Christ.

Now, in our present day, there might not be such a radical change needed. But we ought always to be evaluating the church, our lives as a church, and our practices as a church, and to ask ourselves if we are living in accordance with God’s revealed will. Whenever there is a need for repentance, that ought to take place as soon as we recognize our shortcomings or failures or our sin.

The second main thing that I said we should keep in mind in this section is the fact that this repentance ought to be demonstrated through the producing of fruit that is in keeping with this repentance. In other words, there ought not to be a statement to the effect that we have repented of our sin and yet at the same time we find a continuation of a life of sin.

It ought not to be said that we have repented of our sin, and yet we continue to find that very sin present in our lives as an ongoing pattern.

This was the message that John preached as he prepared the way for Jesus Christ. There ought to be repentance from sin evidenced through fruit.

This is the life of the born again believer. They have forsaken a life of sin, and because of the supernatural working of the Spirit with in their hearts by the grace of God there is this newness of life that is flowing out of them. Their lives have been transformed by God’s grace because of their repentance and faith in him

Dear friends this is the life of freedom for the Christian. When Christ works this in us, we begin to see his work in and through us. Our love for sin dissipates. The ease and contentment with which we sin disappears. We become extremely grieved over our sin. We start to fight against that sin. Even this is the evidence of the spirit working within us.

In place of those old ways and practices, the old ways of living our lives in self-centeredness, we see that we are changed and transformed as our hearts are renewed by the work of the spirit within us. We begin to bring forth this fruit of gentleness and kindness and love and patience and long-suffering. We begin to live a life of joy in the Lord Jesus Christ because we can see what is rescued us out of and what is doing in us as he begins to transform our lives.

This is the gospel that Christ came to proclaim.

Application / Conclusion

As we close, I just want to discuss the question this morning, are these things evident in our own lives as Christians.

Are these things evident in your life?

Has there been repentance?

Is the fruit growing?

Even as those who are Christians, and have been Christians for an extended period of time, we need to keep asking ourselves these questions and keep looking to see if we are living out the gospel.

Our tendency, our natural tendency, is to rely on ourselves and our own strength, and to rely on our own good works. This is the danger that even we as Christians must be wary of.

I would suggest you that one of the best evidences of our reliance on the gospel is the peace of heart that we have, the joyfulness that we have in life as we are trusting in Christ, the waning desire for control over things in our lives, and the increase in the peaceable fruit of righteousness.

I want to encourage and urge all of us here today to live lives of repentance bearing this, fruit.

Further than this, and flowing out of the context of this text that we’ve looked at today, I want to urge you to evaluate your manner of life and your patterns of thinking.

Do you spend a lot of time seeing the faults and failures of others around you?

Do you often and easily become exasperated or disgusted or shocked at what other people do, what they get up to, and just how sinful they are as people?

Now, let us be sure that they are indeed sinful… as are you and I

Let me ask this.... when you see this sin in others, or their failures and weakenesses.... do you sometimes think to yourself, I’m glad I’m not like them.... I’ve never been so sinful or so evil...

When you see this in their lives, is your response along the lines of, that person really has a struggle on their hands, I hope I can be an encouragement and help to them....

Or is your response.... they’re such sinners.... God’s wrath is going to come upon them! They’d better repent!! Or else they’re going to see.

The reason for me asking these questions is that the way in which we approach other people and their sin is often a good indicator of our own hearts, without us realising it.

You see, we are all those in need of repentance. We are all those who have a very deep need of the grace and mercy of God.

None of us is righteous....

If our disposition is to find fault with others, and to highlight / elevate their faults / epxress how terrible they are / how bad they are / how desperately they need God’s grace.... it is oftn an indicator of the pride of our own hearts. We’ve forgotten our own need of God’s grace.

We’ve forgotten our own weakness.

Think of the account of the publican and the pharisee praying in the temple.... the one says… I thank you God that I’m not like this man..... the sinner cries out, have mercy on me....

Apply this to marriage....

Apply this to raising children....

Apply this to workplace relationships...

My prayer is that God would work with the new such a transformation that you see the folly of that sin and how fleeting that kind of pleasure is. My prayer is that you would see that joy and peace of heart is found in Jesus Christ and in serving God and worshiping him as he has revealed himself. My prayer is that you would repent of that sin that you would repent of your self-righteousness, and that you would submit yourself to this savior whose burden and yoke is exceedingly light. My prayer is that you would be bearing fruit in your life as you do this.