False Self-Assurance

Luke 13: 1 - 9 (March 7, 2010)

1) The Text

13At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”

6Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ 8He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

2) The Context

The passage refers to two events that were probably familiar to ancient audiences. The details have been lost to time, for Luke is our only source of information about these tragedies.

The grisly mention of Pilate's mingling the blood of Galileans with their sacrifices appears to refer to a massacre of a group of Galilean pilgrims in Jerusalem. The narrative does not reveal why Pilate slaughtered these people, but the deed nevertheless corresponds with what other historical writings tell about Pilate's penchant for brutality. The verse offers an ominous characterization of the Roman governor in advance of his appearance in Jesus' trial (see the Gospel text for Passion/Palm Sunday, Luke 22:14-23:56).

Jesus refers to a tower in the wall around Jerusalem when he speaks of "the tower of Siloam." Apparently a structure collapsed without warning and crushed eighteen hapless Jerusalemites. In both cases, Jesus says, there is no link between early death and sin; however, these deaths do show the fate of those who fail to “repent” (vv. 3, 5), to turn to God.

In the parable (vv. 6-9), Jesus elaborates on his call for repentance. The fig tree symbolizes some Jews, possibly the religious leaders. Jesus expects those who hear him to bear fruit (v. 9), to do his will. If they do not do so immediately, God in his mercy gives them some extra time (“one more year”, v. 8) to do so. If they still fail to do so, they will be destroyed.

3) Interpretation

Jesus seizes on two calamities that may have been subjects of recent conversation around the local watering hole—one an instance of state-sanctioned terror, one a random accident. Both saw people snuffed out with little warning and for no clearly apparent reason. Both kinds of events lead the rest of us to realize how precarious our existence is. Jesus implies that the victims did nothing wrong, nothing that caused their demise. He indicates that we must not equate tragedy with divine punishment. Sin does not make atrocities come. They just come.

Life's fragility gives it urgency. Jesus turns attention away from disasters, victims, and "why?" questions to address those of us who thus far have survived the hazards of the universe and human society. We should not mistake our good fortune as evidence of God's special blessing.

Jesus wants to talk about repentance. The need for repentance is a universal condition, shared by random victims and finger-crossing survivors. When Jesus says, twice, "unless you repent you will all perish" like the others did, he does not promise that the godless will be struck by an asteroid. He refers to death in an eschatological sense, a destruction of one's soul. Just as Pilate's and the tower's victims did not enjoy the luxury of choosing the time of their demise, likewise the unrepentant will suddenly find they have delayed too long and lost themselves.

Although it looks like Jesus capitalizes on the memory of recent horrors to stress the unpredictability of life, He does not promise freedom from calamity. Rather, He urges against false self-assurances. If life's fragility demands urgency, that urgency shows that life has carved out opportunity for us to seize God's graciousness, as the parable of the fig tree suggests.

Jesus' parable about a fig tree speaks of imminent judgment. A cultivated yet unproductive tree may continue to live even without bearing fruit, only because it has been granted additional time to do what it is supposed to do. Unless it begins to bear fruit, the result will be its just and swift destruction. The parable warns against false reassurance. Just because you have not been cut down, do not presume that you are bearing fruit.

The tone of the parable emphasizes that patience and mercy temporarily keep judgment at bay. The role of the gardener offers a crucial characterization of this patience and mercy. The tree has not been left to its own devices. Everything possible is being done to get it to act as it should. Similarly, God does not leave people to their own resources but encourages their repentance.

Repentance becomes less interesting when people mistake it to mean moral uprightness, expressions of regret, or a "180-degree turnaround." Rather it refers to a changed mind, to a new way of seeing things, to being persuaded to adopt a different perspective. In this passage the need for repentance is assumed and so it takes a backseat in emphasis to the urgency of Jesus' call. Tragedy and hardship have their ways of nudging people toward God, but these verses suggest that tragedy and hardship come so suddenly that they often mark the end, not the beginning, of our opportunities to live lives inclined toward God.

Jesus' words about judgment and repentance are scary, yet they depict human life as a gift, albeit a fragile one. Vulnerable creatures that we are, we can presume little and do little to preserve ourselves. But the Christian outlook on repentance arcs toward joy. And it finds grace experienced within the awful precariousness and strange beauty of our fleeting existence.

4) Thought Exercise

What opportunities do we have to live lives inclined toward God?

How can we best take advantage of these opportunities?