Luke 13:1-22 Bible Teaching

The Teachings in Luke 13

WELCOME PRAYER SONG SILENCE

So, we left off last week with a chapter 12 wrap-up and that brings us to 13. Let’s read picking it up at verse 1:

Events and Teachings in Luke 13:1-22

Luke 13:1-22
Meat
January 19th 2020

Luke 13:1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. 7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? 8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. 12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. 15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? 16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? 17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.

Understanding Parables and Miracles

Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of GodGod’s spiritual reign—fulfilled and present, not political or future. like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. 20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. 22 And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.

Alright, back to verse 1 as the chapter starts off with some unique things.

Luke 13:1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

In other words, there appears to have been some people that were present in all probability with the large group that was being addressed by Jesus in chapter 12. And it seems that one or more of them decided to use this time to bring up an event that certainly caused some ruckus among the Jews in that day – when Pilate mingled the blood of some Galileans with the sacrificial blood. This may have been a recent event and perhaps Jesus was not aware of it. And we aren’t really sure the reason they shared it with him or why Luke chose to include it in the account (other than he was lead to by the Holy Spirit). In any case, it seems to be both unseemly and political in nature and perhaps they wanted Jesus to make a statement about it.

From what Jesus says, it appears that those who brought the situation up seemed to believe that the Galileans deserved this and in what appears to be a moment of gossipy judgment they decided to share it with him.

Where Luke writes, speaking of the

Pilate and the Galileans

Galileans that Pilate had mingled their blood with that of the sacrifices (which were animal) most scholars believe that Pilate came upon them in the temple when they were offering up sacrifice and killed them, which caused their blood to mingle with the animals, and NOT that Pilate took Galilean blood and mixed it in with the animals and then offered it up to God – that would have caused a real riot among the people. This event is not recorded by Josephus and nothing more is known of it than what is written here. What we do know from Josephus is that in the days of Jesus the Galileans were considered extremely wicked (hence the fact that to be from Galilee was a real slap in the face) and that they were prone as a people to rising up and causing sedition.

Most believe that Pilate and Herod (who according to Luke 23:12 had a quarrel with each other and that Pilate had it out for his subjects who were rowdy to begin with and so when Pilate saw an opportunity to give them what for, he did. That opportunity is thought to have been some trouble that they caused in the Temple and so Pilate fell upon them and spilled their blood. Remember this about the situation here – that they were in the temple and they lost their lives in a way where their blood was spilled by a representative of Roman power.

Jesus' Response

So, in response to this, Jesus says (verse 2 and 3)

2 Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but, unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish.

Again, from Jesus response it would appear that they believed that those who were killed deserved it as sinners. Jesus says, “I tell you, no.” And I love this. It is our human nature, our suspicious human superstitious nature that causes us to look at the unfortunate circumstances of others and believe that it happened to them because they deserved it more than we do. There is a horrific book called, The Painted Bird which speaks to this superstitious way we possess. The book of Job has three of Job’s friends maintain a similar opinion. But Jesus straight up puts it to bed – but He does not do this by saying that the slain Galileans were innocent – what he does is tell them that they were not more sinful than their counterparts citizens – and then he drops yet another eschatological warning on them, saying:

“but, unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish.”

Unless you repent, forsake your ways, turn to God and receive me as His solution, you all will likewise perish. Now, I don’t know if the phrase, “You will likewise perish” means you will also die or you will also be killed in a similar manner. Because of the setting of their deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God., who did it, and that their blood was spilled I tend to think he is telling them that unless they repented they too would die in a similar fashion. And of course this was fulfilled as many of the Jews were slain in the temple -even while offering sacrifice with thousands dying in a way very similar to the Galileans.

The Tower in Siloam

Jesus continues forward, however and presents another situation of a similar theme, saying:

4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

Of course this is another situation that Jesus adds as a means to teach and warn them – when it occurred we don’t know. But apparently there was a tower in Siloam that fell and killed eighteen souls. The name Siloah or Siloam is found only three times in the Bible – once in Isaiah 8:6, who speaks of it as “running water”; once in Nehemiah 3:15 as “a pool near” to the king's garden, and once as “a pool,” where the Lord healed the man born blind, (which is in John 9:7-11). Josephus mentions the fountain of Siloam too which was located at the mouth of the Valley of Tyropoeon (or the Valley of Cheese-mongers). It is on the south side of Mount Moriah and between that and the Valley of Jehoshaphat and in all probability there was a tower there that collapsed and took lives.

So Jesus asks the same question – do you think those eighteen souls were…

Superstition and Sin

Are some people bigger sinners than others? And he replies:

5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Again, Jesus clears the myth up – NO! Don’t believe it. They were not bigger sinners and therefore did not die because they were, but notice He does not say that they were without sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace.. The point being none of us are exempt from catastrophe in this life but we cannot succumb to thinking that those who experience it were more evil than anyone else and therefore purposely deserving of death. In fact, some of the most wicked people live long, long lives – and even prosper in it, while some of the most righteous endure great suffering.

The Paradoxical Prosperity of the Wicked

This very paradoxical situation caused the Psalmist to write in Psalm 73:

“Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.
2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.
5 They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
7 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
8 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.
9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.
10 Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.
11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.
13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.”

Jesus is attempted to remind them that their superstitions are not always correct, but more importantly and to the point, he adds:

“but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

The Call to Repentance

Now, this statement could ONLY have been talking about the coming judgment on Israel. Here’s why. Jesus has just told them that the eighteen who died did not die because they were greater sinners than others. However, he tells them that if they DON’T repent of their sin they would all likewise perish. So he seems to be suggesting that their sin WOULD be the cause of their demise, right?

We also know that whether a person repents or not, we all die or perish. So Jesus was speaking to a specific type of death that his audience would experience IF they did not repent. And it would be one where they would either have their blood shed (even in the temple) or it would be a death caused by a falling tower or falling from a tower – “likewise perish.” So we know that Jesus was warning them to repent of their former lives and ways, receive Him as a Messiah, and escape such deaths.

And at this point, Jesus launches directly into a parable which speaks directly to this warning and says at verse six:

6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.
7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

So, a certain man (God) had a fig tree (either the Nation of Israel or an individual from the Nation of Israel) planted in his vineyard (which was a common practice among vintners). And he came and sought fruit thereon and found none. (The Nation or an individual was lacking fruit worthy of repentance, as John the Baptist said).

7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard (perhaps Jesus), Behold, these three years (The same amount of time that Jesus' ministry was or the number of days a person was laid in the grave to prove they were really dead).

The Fig Tree and the Woman with a Spirit of Infirmity

come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? The word cumber here means to render barren or sterile. By taking up the nutrients of the earth, this useless tree rendered the ground sterile and prevented the growth of the neighboring vines. It was not merely useless, but was causing trouble to the surrounding land.

8 And he (the dresser) answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

To me, that fourth year the dresser requests of the owner is the span of time between Jesus death and 70 AD – give it a little more time and if it fails to yield fruit then after that thou shalt cut it down. So we can see that in these first nine verses of chapter 13 Jesus is speaking directly to them about the coming wrath and their need to repent and receive Him as Messiah.

Healing on the Sabbath

At verse ten Luke takes us to another situation saying:

10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. We automatically notice that the woman had what Luke calls, a “spirit of infirmity,” And from this description we know that this was a product of Satan in that age.

Some spirits affected the mind and mentality of souls – this spirit affected the womans body – crippling her to the point that she could not walk or lift herself up for some eighteen years, being bowed together. The mention of the eighteen years is both interesting and purposeful – interesting because it is a factoid that lends to authenticity of the record – purposeful because it shows that her condition was valid and firmly in place.

However, even though she was afflicted for this long she appears to have been a regular in attending the synagogue – which seems to evidence that she was a woman of faith despite her condition – which I think lends something to the way she is about to be healed. So remember, she is in the synagogue and going there evidenced her faith in God but did nothing to get her healed.

The Miracle of Healing

Verse 12

12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

We notice that the woman does not appear to have appealed to Jesus at all for healing – Luke writes that when He saw her. We also remember that Jesus came and bound the strongman first (Satan) and then had the capacity to loose or unbind whatever He wished. The woman’s condition was a form of bondage but Satan could not longer hold her captive – the Lord broke those chains without solicitation.

This was clear proof that He was the promised Messiah – especially to that group, right? Then after speaking the words, which seem to have removed Satan’s hold, Jesus gets to work on healing her frame from the effects of her imprisonment (verse 13)

13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

The word for glorified is doxadzo and it is where we get the word doxology, which is a set phraseology often set to music, aimed at the praising of God. Here, she gave thanks to him for healing her. He was the power in the Christ and He was the one to receive the praise and glory. What a wonderful story, huh? Results in the life of a woman in misery for eighteen years. No price. No cost. No imposition of guilt or beatings – just healing from a loving God through His Son.

VERSE 14

14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, “There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.”

This was the leader, the ruler of the synagogue – a man who ought to have been overwhelmingly merciful, and kind knowing that God loves mercy over sacrifice. But not so here. He considered the healing a violation of the Sabbath which means he saw

Religious Prejudices in Healing

It is a work that was contrary to the fourth commandment. And we witness yet another religious prejudice we all bear – We accept good things from God so long as they are done in the form and fashion we agree with – step outside of that and we are prone to assign it to something evil or bad. In this case, the ruler suggested that the healing was improper because it was done on the sabbath day.

I’ve had this attitude myself in the past when I hear of LDS people talking about being healed, or a non-believers being blessed by God in a wonderful way – I often assigned the good to some other source or ridiculed the good fortune by categorizing it in some bin that was outside of the purview of God. Its our religious nature popping its head up again. In reality, the response is usually the product of envy. Here, this ruler could not see beyond his own envy and used the Sabbath as a means to discount the wonderful event that had just happened in this woman’s life. We see this often throughout the New Testament narrative when it comes to the Pharisees and scribes. The interesting thing is that such piety can often sway other people to side with the attitude – and that is what amazes me.

God's Goodness

God is GOOD. He loved the world so much he gave us His only begotten Son – who was also GOOD. They do GOOD. They love GOOD. Healing, comfort, improvement in the hearts and lives of others. So while it may seem better to stand on religious principle and downgrade things that happen to others which are outside the pale of what we think is doctrinally sound – give God the praise and be happy for the recipient – we can never tell what Box God is operating out of in this world.

Jesus Addresses Hypocrisy

We are about to see that Jesus was not a very big fan of this ruler's little speech (verse 15).

15 The Lord then answered him, and said, “You hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?

The pejorative term hypocrite was leveled at the man because he condemned the actions of Jesus while doing the very same thing himself – but in a lesser important manner – watering animals. Do they justify doing good to animals on the Sabbath and condemn Jesus for doing good to a human being who has suffered for eighteen years.

This event ties back directly to the way the people when we opened today assumed that the Galileans killed by Pilate or the eighteen who died through some connection to a tower deserved it because they were thought to be bigger sinners than others.

There is a program on Netflix about a demented killer who begins his evil by killing cats, then a puppy, and then a human being. I mention this in connection to our teaching today because in the program on a couple of occasions, the people involved in solving the crime shed tears over the animals that were killed but not the human being. Anyone I know who has watched this series has remarked on this but it plays right into what we are reading here about the woman and the callous heart the ruler and those who follow him in sentiments bore toward her. Undoubtedly, they thought she deserved her affliction, that she was more evil than them, to the point that the ruler suggested it was no big deal for her to struggle with her affliction until the Sabbath had passed.

At the same time, Jesus shows that they hypocritically showed favor to their beasts. I talked with Mary and Cassidy about this peculiar response we humans have toward others of our species and both of them said that in their mind, the animals are helpless and without guilt, but when human beings have something happen, it's somehow their own fault, and so the compassion is thin. I get it because it is a human trait – but Jesus shuts it down in three instances here in chapter 13. Remarkable. And condemning to many of us.

He proves my point further in verse 16 saying:

16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

So many factors in this single verse:

First,

Hypocrisy and Healing

In verse 15, he points out that the ruler and those who listened to his views were hypocrites. Then he points out that this is a WOMAN – (a human being,) who was also, “a daughter of Abraham,” (or a descendant of Abraham) and therefore a Jewess, so she was also favored of the Living God. Here Jesus was distinguishing her from a common beast of burden, and I would guess that these words were directed especially to the ruler of the synagogue whose Job was to have a peculiar regard for the Jewish people. And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

Here we have it confirmed that Satan was the cause of her affliction or disease. Did God allow it. It seems. But God put an end to it through His Son – and that was the miracle and sign that He was among them.

The Reaction

(Verse 17) 17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him. The term adversaries seems to refer to both the ruler of the synagogue, and those who felt as he did, and then all the people – those who were in the synagogue and had both witnessed the miracle and heard Jesus respond to the Ruler, rejoiced.

Parable of the Mustard Seed

Luke then has Jesus enter into a teaching, right there in the synagogue – perhaps he did, but it is a teaching found in Matthew 13 which he gives while sitting sea-side. Perhaps He delivered the message several times. (So at verse 18 he transitions away from the healed woman (that certainly got their attention, didn’t it? And now he was ready to teach them about the Kingdom of God or heaven – they are synonymous.) 18 Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it?

And then he provides his own answer, saying:

19 It (the Kingdom of God) is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.

Of course, the mustard seed is super small and it takes years to grow but it does grow into a hearty plant – so hearty that men can sit in its branches. It also take years for the plant to actually produce seeds used to make mustard. But the point is that the kingdom – which was being established by Christ in his earthly walk – would start off super small. But in time would grow big enough to hold a lot of birds.

If I were to use the general imagery of birds as it is given in scripture in the majority, and apply it the interpretation of how Jesus describes the Kingdom of God, I would have to believe that this illustration is negative – because birds are often used as negative images in scripture – from the baker in the dream interpretations from Joseph, to the prophets speaking of them pecking the flesh off others, to desolate lands being full of them, to the parable of the Sower and Satan being represented as one.

But because the Kingdom of God is good and not full of evil beings, I take the biblical definition of most birds, and say that Jesus purposefully used birds because the Kingdom of God is full of those who were once vile and predatory but have been cleansed by the blood of Christ.

The Parable of the Leaven

20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?

21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

Again, this is Jesus using a product that is not scripturally seen as good – leaven – which of course is used as a product that putrifies, invades, corrupts and puffs up. But as typical with Jesus, we are presented with paradox and thinking outside the box, and challenges to traditional thought. So again, speaking of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Growth of the Kingdom of Heaven

Which is nothing but a good thing, and applying the properties of leaven to it in his description, he seems to be saying that the growth would begin secretly (because the woman hid the three measures of it) but in time the whole thing was or affected. The other parable about the birds declared the fact that the gospel would grow over time to be giant; this one seems to tell us the way this would happen – secretly, silently and then pervading into everything.

The Parable of Leaven and Its Significance

There is the idea here with the leaven that Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven within us, that the principles of it are initially hid within the human heart only to ultimately invade the mind, will, and emotions of the person containing it.

Jesus' Journey Toward Jerusalem

And our final verse for today:

22 And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.

These seem to have been the cities and villages of Galilee, and those which were between Galilee and Jerusalem. Here in Luke this depicts the Lord's second journey to Jerusalem of three that he will make.

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