Luke 13:1-9

Ephesians 4:7-16

Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5

Luke 13:1-9

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans

whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.

He said to them in reply, 

“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way 

they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?

By no means!

But I tell you, if you do not repent,

you will all perish as they did!

Or those eighteen people who were killed 

when the tower at Siloam fell on them–

do you think they were more guilty 

than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?

By no means!

But I tell you, if you do not repent,

you will all perish as they did!”

And he told them this parable: 

“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, 

and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,

he said to the gardener,

‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree 

but have found none.

So cut it down.

Why should it exhaust the soil?’

He said to him in reply,

‘Sir, leave it for this year also, 

and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;

it may bear fruit in the future.

If not you can cut it down.’”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are kind and patient with me. Help me respond to your loving care and produce the good fruits of repentance and charity. Do not let me be discouraged by evil in the world. I trust in you and hope that you will bring me to dwell in your house all the days of my life.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Urgency of Repentance: The Gospel offers us a glimpse of how Jesus viewed the news of his day. When the people told Jesus about Pilate’s brutality, they likely wanted him to speak and comment about the unjust Roman occupation of their land. But Jesus uses the news about Pilate and the Galileans to teach two things. First, the sufferings of those murdered by Pilate were not a sign that they had sinned. As the Book of Job teaches, at times, the innocent and righteous suffer because God mysteriously permits it. Second, the person the people should truly fear offending is not Pilate but God. Instead of wasting their time thinking about how others might have sinned, they need urgently to repent from their own sins. Jesus drives home the teaching by referring to another event – the eighteen people who perished when a tower near the pool of Siloam fell. Yes, they died tragically and unexpectedly. But this was not because they were guilty of some sin. God knows how and when we will suffer. He also knows how and when we will die. We are ignorant of both things, and because of this, we must strive to be always ready to meet our Creator. And this preparation includes repentance from sin. 

2. The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree: On the one hand, Jesus teaches us through examples of unexpected tragedy that we need to repent and be ready to meet God. On the other, he teaches us in the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree that God is patient and will work with us to help us produce good fruit. The parable invites us to compare the fig tree to Israel and the gardener to Jesus. The owner of the orchard, the Lord God, speaks of a period of three years. This lines up with the time of Jesus’ public ministry. During Jesus’ three years of ministry, God has looked for spiritual fruit from Israel and found none. The parable ends with the gardener pleading for more time, for one more year, hopeful that in the coming year, the tree will bear fruit. This means that while there is still hope for repentance, the time for repentance is running out. Just as the tree cannot fertilize itself, repentance is not something we accomplish by our own strength. We have the gardener working with us, cultivating the soil of our hearts to bring about true repentance and spiritual fruit.

3. Ministry in the Church and Christian Maturity: The Church of Christ is one. It is united but also characterized by a diversity of gifts, spiritualities, and ministries. As members of the Church, we have received God’s grace through Baptism. Certain members of the Church have been given other gifts of grace for the benefit of the Church. Christ has ascended to the right hand of the Father and poured out the Spirit as he bestows gifts and blessings on his people. The list of gifts Paul gives in Ephesians 4:11 focuses on those who speak the word of God and those who fulfill major leadership roles (Williamson, Ephesians, 116). Some, like bishops, are called to be apostles and exercise special authority in the Church. Others are prophets or evangelists. Still others are pastors or teachers. The purpose of these leadership roles is to equip the members of the church, particularly the laity, to accomplish all that ministry entails: service such as hospitality, caring for the poor, sick, and elderly among us, and preaching and teaching the Word of God. The work of ministry is not confined to those with leadership roles and gifts; rather, it is carried out by all the “holy ones,” the baptized believers, whom the leaders have “equipped” (Williamson, Ephesians, 117-118).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I am a member of your Body, the Church. Help me to know my role in the Church and the gifts you have bestowed upon me. I promise to spend quality time with you so that I may truly know you and be able to be sent out by you to care for the sheep of your flock.

Living the Word of God: When I read or listen to the news, how can I do this in a more Christian way? Do I need to pray more for the politicians on both sides of the aisle? How can I align my judgments better with the Church’s social teaching? If I have a leadership role in the Church, how am I equipping the laity in my care to carry out their ministries? If I am a lay person, how am I preparing myself to serve others and preach the Word of God?