Week of October 6

Despite the great length of time between Christ’s ministry on earth and His imminent return, we all must be aware that we live within the boundaries of His mercy. Upon His return, those who have not received His forgiveness will face judgment. His teaching in this passage helps us to recognize the moral urgency when we encounter evil and suffering (13:1).

We should notice immediately that He embodies the truth, love, and mercy of God as He warns people then (and now) to repent while the time of grace is upon us. Luke, of course, wants his readers to recognize the love of God in Jesus’ actions but also His divine authority. Notice that he does not ever dismiss the sinfulness of all humanity—even the “innocent” worshipers who suffer dreadful harm. Let’s examine carefully Christ’s message for our hearts today.  

Luke introduces two units of thought in chapter 13 that follow the theme of repentance that Jesus raised in 12:57-59. The first is what one Bible scholar terms a “controversy story” (13:1-5) and the second is a parable (13:6-9; NAC). The two incidents in verses 1-5 are frightening stories that occur in our generation as well. Elements of retribution (judgment) and mystery (Why do such things happen?) automatically surface whenever one ponders the evidence of evil and suffering in such events. The crowd around Jesus had dull moral senses because they appear to believe that living free from such tragedy indicated God’s tacit approval of their lives. However, Jesus interprets the events quite differently. He places both circumstances beneath the rubric of God’s mercy, not His approval, and calls for repentance. This sets the stage for the parable that He shared.

It is interesting that the parable in our focal passage features a fig tree in a vineyard. That appears to be odd, but it helps our understanding to recognize that the vineyard may represent Israel, and the fig tree symbolizes Jerusalem. Jesus may have been using physical events to illustrate a spiritual reality. Either way the point is clear, we all need to repent while there is time (cf. Romans 3:23; 6:23). We live in an evil world, and we do not know the day and time when our lives will end. Therefore, we must be prepared to face God’s certain judgment. Well, this devotional would be a real downer were it not for the fact that we are living right now, as I have written above, in the interim period of God’s mercy. Let me explain.

Moral talk but no clear standard. We have entered a period nationally that I would describe politely as moral upheaval. Sins from the deep past and present of people are broadcast across all media platforms and judged instantly by a “jury of jeers.” Pardon my play on words, but there is no accepted national standard for moral judgment, and mercy and forgiveness are quite often in short supply! 

God’s mercy is available today. Enter the Savior. We are in desperate need of His High Priest-ly calm, firm, and merciful counsel on how we are to deal with the moral brokenness that pervades our society. He would simply tell all of us, “Unless you repent, you likewise will all perish” (13:5). This declaration would be extended from a heart filled with love (John 3:16-17; esp. verse 17). He will return as Universal Judge who will settle all accounts, so we do well to heed His call to receive mercy and forgiveness now.  

We have plants at our home that do not blossom, or flourish as expected. I am no Neil Sperry (famous horticulturalist and garden guru), so I will ask at times what is causing one plant to wither and a similar one to thrive. The reply is that the houseplant simply needs more water, while at other times the response is, “It needs to be re-potted.” There are extreme occasions when the re-potting has not worked so the plant goes into a refuse bag to be thrown away. Our delay in discarding the plant was not approval, but merciful, since we both know that the plant was created to grow and thrive.

Here is the spiritual application: Make no mistake, the goal for our lives is to worship and serve the Lord with our whole being. Heaven may seem silent, but we must never conclude that by His silence God approves of our moral laxity. It means He is demonstrating mercy until the time of God’s salvation ends and His judgment begins.

1. Take time today to consider where your spiritual roots are truly planted (read Psalm 1). Then look at your life and consider if you are really flourishing as God created you to thrive. The remedy to spiritual dryness is to receive living water from Jesus Christ (read John 3:1-17 and John 4). Christ stands ready to give you a life that flourishes by God’s design.

2. For Families: It is a challenge to get children to awaken, gather their school assignments and belongings, and be ready when the carpool or school bus arrives. I, Larry Ashlock, recall a number of times that one of my children hurried out the door a few minutes late to catch their ride to school because of a delay in preparing to leave on time. The driver showed mercy by waiting! I also recall a time or two when the school bus arrived then departed because a child was not ready to step on board. In a lighthearted way, that was judgment! This simple life lesson helps to remind children that Jesus is returning, but until then He shows mercy by calling us to prepare for His arrival by repenting of our sins. He waits for us to turn to Him and seek His forgiveness (2 Peter 3:8-10). We all must be ready for His return.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock