Luke 13:1-9
1 Now on the same occasion there were
some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had
mixed with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you
suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than
all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? 3 “I
tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 “Or
do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed
them were worse culprits than all the men who live in
Jerusalem? 5 “I tell you, no, but unless you
repent, you will all likewise perish.” 6 And
He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had
been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not
find any. 7 “And he said to the
vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this
fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the
ground?’ 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.’”
When tragedy strikes, we tend to ask “why?”. In reality, the question we should be asking
is: “for what purpose?”. God is an all-knowing
judge. He is never confused about what
is going on in our lives. His judgments
may not seem logical to us because we can only see history from one
perspective. We can all rest assured
that once we have a glimpse at history from His perspective, everything will
appear much clearer. When it comes do
God’s judgment, it is important for us to remember that all of us are deserving
of God’s judgment. The fact that any of
us are still alive is pure grace from God.
There are important lessons for us to learn from both tragedy and being
spared from tragedy.
CURRENT JUDGMENTS ARE CALLS TO REPENTANCE: When we see
judgments fall on people or even nations, but we are not a part of that
judgment, it is wrong to assume we are somehow better than they were. Those who are judged certainly are deserving
of any judgment they receive. However, those
who escape the judgment, for the time being, are also worthy of the same
judgment. In summary, judgment is not
proof of greater guilt and escape from judgment is not proof of less
guilt. The true purpose of God’s partial
judgment is as a graphic warning to all the rest that His judgment is swift and
severe. This should lead us to evaluate
our lives and repent of sin as a means of escaping God’s wrath.
CURRENT REPRIEVES ARE CALLS TO REPRODUCTION: The fig tree
represents those who are worthy of judgment but are not immediately judged. They are not productive and are simply taking
up space in a very valuable garden. The
farmer requests an opportunity to help the tree grown through fertilization, pruning
and care. This is simply an attempt to
give the tree more time to reproduce. If
this attempt fails, the tree will be cut down.
This is a warning to those who escape initial judgment. They should not feel proud or justified. As long as we have the opportunity, we must
seek to be productive for the kingdom of God.
APPLICATION: Be careful not to be to critical of those who
are passing through a time of discipline or judgment. Learn from their mistakes and repent of our
sin before we face the same plight. As
long as we are here, we must do all we can to be as productive as we can and not
just take up space in the Body of Christ.
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