Luke 13
Luke 13 is a chapter containing Jesus’ teachings, parables, warnings, and sorrow for Jerusalem. Jesus emphasizes the need for repentance and salvation, and shares lessons about how the kingdom of God comes. It also unfolds various themes that stress personal choices and responsibility, as well as the authenticity of one’s faith.
1verseNow there were some present at the same time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
2verseJesus answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things?
3verseI tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.
4verseOr those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the men who dwell in Jerusalem?
5verseI tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.”
6verseHe spoke this parable. “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.
7verseHe said to the vine dresser, ‘Behold, these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and found none. Cut it down! Why does it waste the soil?’
8verseHe answered, ‘Lord, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.
9verseIf it bears fruit, fine; but if not, after that, you can cut it down.’”
10verseHe was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day.
11verseBehold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years. She was bent over and could in no way straighten herself up.
12verseWhen Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.”
13verseHe laid his hands on her, and immediately she stood up straight and glorified God.
14verseThe ruler of the synagogue, being indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the multitude, “There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day!”
15verseTherefore the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each one of you free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath and lead him away to water?
16verseOught not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan had bound eighteen long years, be freed from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”
17verseAs he said these things, all his adversaries were disappointed; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
18verseHe said, “What is God’s Kingdom like? To what shall I compare it?
19verseIt is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and put in his own garden. It grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky live in its branches.”
20verseAgain he said, “To what shall I compare God’s Kingdom?
21verseIt is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
22verseHe went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and traveling on to Jerusalem.
23verseOne said to him, “Lord, are they few who are saved?” He said to them,
24verse“Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in and will not be able.
25verseWhen once the master of the house has risen up and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ then he will answer and tell you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
26verseThen you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’
27verseHe will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.’
28verseThere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God’s Kingdom, and yourselves being thrown outside.
29verseThey will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in God’s Kingdom.
30verseBehold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last.”
31verseOn that same day, some Pharisees came, saying to him, “Get out of here and go away, for Herod wants to kill you.”
32verseHe said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I complete my mission.
33verseNevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, for it can’t be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.’
34verse“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, like a hen gathers her own brood under her wings, and you refused!
35verseBehold, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
Verses 1-9: A Call to Repentance and the Parable of the Fig Tree
As Jesus mentions the deaths of the people of Galilee and the accident at the Siloam tower, he emphasizes that disasters caused by injustice are not due to the sins of a specific group but that everyone must repent. In the following parable of the fig tree,
Verses 10-17: A Woman Healed on the Sabbath
Jesus heals a woman who has been sick for eighteen years on the Sabbath. As a result, the ruler of the synagogue, who values the law highly, criticizes him, but Jesus teaches that mercy and love come before the law. This is a scene that shows the kingdom of God as a place that saves and restores people.
Verses 18-21: The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
Jesus explains, through the parable of the mustard seed and yeast, that the kingdom of God grows gradually from a very small beginning into something much larger, and that it has an amazing power that transforms this world. The parable illustrates how a small beginning of faith, over time, changes everyone.
Verses 22-30: The Parable of the Narrow Door and the Authenticity of Salvation
Jesus urges people to enter the narrow door in order to obtain salvation. This emphasizes that the path of faith is not easy, and that not everyone will be saved simply because they know Jesus and follow him. He says that it is those who form an honest relationship with themselves and with God who will enter the kingdom of God.
Verses 31-35: Sorrow for Jerusalem
Some Pharisees tell Jesus about Herod’s threat, but Jesus declares that he will carry out his mission and laments Jerusalem. As he looks at Jerusalem, which has continually rejected God’s message of salvation, this is a passage that reveals God’s pain and love.
Points for Reflection
- You can check for yourself whether fruit is being produced in my faith life.
- It reminds you that repentance and change are not a one-time decision, but something that must continue to happen.
- You can also take time to reflect on how the kingdom of God is expanding for both the community and individuals.
Try Applying It to Me
- In everyday life, take a moment to look back on your life in the presence of God, and cherish opportunities for change and repentance.
- Even if it starts as a small beginning of faith, try to adopt an attitude of growing with patience without giving up.
- Think about whether practice of love and mercy—not law or custom—is taking its place at the center of my faith.