Bible Text

Luke 13:1–9 (ESV)

¹ There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? ³ No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? ⁵ No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

⁶ And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. ⁷ And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ ⁸ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. ⁹ Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

• What false notion was Jesus addressing by asking two rhetorical questions about the victims of these tragic events?
• “Unless you repent…”  With these words repeated twice, Jesus emphasizes that the issue of ultimate importance is that they repent.  In what ways do I need to heed this warning?

Luke 13:6-9

• Why was the owner’s reaction to the fruitlessness of the fig tree appropriate?
• The gardener represents Jesus, whose intervention helps us avoid judgment. The gardener says that he’ll dig around and fertilize the tree.  What would it look like for me to respond to these efforts of the gardener?