But he replied to him, ‘Sir, leave it this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.’

Luke 13:8

We could use some spiritual fertilizer in our day. So often we are weak and unable to bear the fruit that should be expected. We tend to see people working to tear each other down, rather than to dig about and fertilize. Encouragement within the body of Christ can bring back a tree, a person, from near death.

Heavenly father, thank you for your pity upon us! You are just, and holy, and pure. But you work with compassion upon your people. You have worked in our hearts by the power of the sacrifice of your Son. We will never cease to wonder at your amazing plan for our Redemption! Thank you! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

He told the vineyard worker, ‘Listen, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it even waste the soil? ‘ (Lk. 13:7 CSB)

Luke 13:7

The fig tree took up room in a space otherwise meant for grapes. Figs are sometimes grown with grapes because the birds will eat the figs before they eat the grapes. But, if this tree had no fruit, it was just using up needed ground.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your interactions with us. You are glorious, marvelous, wondrous, and holy. As we face the darkness of this present world, we know Your light is powerful beyond all that we might imagine. You use Your people to show a lost world the tenderness of Your care. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

And He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none.’

Luke 13:6

Jesus here gives this parable about the nation of Israel. Jesus came looking for fruit. Though there were many in Israel who listened to Christ, there were many, many more who would not.

Leviticus 19:23-25 is the law concerning fruit trees. The fig tree would not bear fruit for the first three years. The fruit of the fourth year would belong to the Lord, and the fruit of the fifth year would belong to the owner. The owner in the parable was ignorant of the details, and Jewish law. The owner came on the fourth year, having checked ‘for three years’ already. The next year would legally be the first year that the owner could expect fruit.

The vineyard worker, understanding these things, buys some time because he knows it could take five years to get a good crop. Possibly Jewish vineyard keepers had learned to intentionally let the tree grow weak so that an appreciable crop wouldn’t come until the fifth year, when the fruit would legally belong to the owner.

This is meant to parallel the nation of Israel. Being spiritually weak, they had not produced during the fourth year, when the Lord would expect fruit. And, being dishonest, they had taken advantage of their Gentile overlords. Upon seeing no fruit the fifth year, the Romans put an end to the fig tree in AD 70.

Heavenly Father, thank You for using humans in spite of ourselves. You brought the world Your truth by the Jews, and you are using the Gentiles to reach the world with the gospel. Your ways are best. We will look to You for wisdom. Our ways and thoughts are so limited! You lead us in the right way for our lives. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well.

Luke 13:5

Though mercy is offered, God is not mocked. Judgement is not postponed forever. And God doesn’t play favorites.

Heavenly Father, You are glorious, powerful, just, and righteous! Your judgement is perfect. We cannot fault You. All that You have determined You will do. Thank You for Your faithfulness! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Or those eighteen that the tower in Siloam fell on and killed—do you think they were more sinful than all the other people who live in Jerusalem?

Luke 13:4

Jesus brings up yet another example of instant death. Why does He emphasize His point in this way? In hopes that His hearers would take the situation seriously.

He knew the nation of Israel would reject Him. So why try to warn them? Why hope that they might listen if He knew they wouldn’t? Because it is consistent with His character. He offers mercy, regardless of the response.

Heavenly Father, thank You for mercy, grace, and truth in the Person of Christ. Your character is abundantly clear. And, Your judgement is just. Thank You for giving us Your Word! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well!

Luke 13:3

This isn’t one of the things we like to hear from Jesus. But Jesus tells the truth. The message He is giving them here is a national one. The Jewish nation was preparing to reject their Messiah.

The awful events of the near future were as yet unknown to everyone but the Lord Jesus. As a result, His words were meant as a merciful warning.

Heavenly Father, I have learned to be so thankful for Christ’s honesty. Life would be so much worse without the truth. I don’t have life to waste. You are so merciful to even make Yourself known to us. Your way, over and over, proves Your glory, holiness, power, and love. I want to do what I do out of love for You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

And He responded to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all Galileans because they suffered these things?

Luke 13:2

The questions Jesus asked present to us a fascinating study. The question He asks here is quite a revealing one. This may have been a subject that He and His disciples discussed on other occasions. The Jewish elites seemed to be very interested in establishing who was guilty of sin, so as to make themselves look better.

Heavenly Father, thank You for making our lives so much more than what they would otherwise be. We are often content with beggarly things in our minds and hearts while wanting riches in our hands. But you are the One Who has the riches for the inner man. We will look to You for all that we need. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

At that time, some people came and reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.

Luke 13:1

Though I do not know of this particular event being recorded elsewhere, it is entirely consistent with the tenor of Pilate’s ‘relationship’ with the Jews, and Herod.

Of course, those who reported this probably wanted Jesus to respond with force. Though we often fail to see it, Jesus was surely asked to use violence against the Romans on more than one occasion. His peaceful message frustrated some, confused others, and helped many more.

Heavenly Father, Your ways don’t always make sense to us. But we always end up seeing that Your ways are for the best. We don’t always understand what You are doing at the moment. But we stand in awe of Your plan and purpose for the ages. You are truly glorious! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny.

Luke 12:59

Greed never pays. It is always better to be sensible, not selfish, with money.

Heavenly Father, You are the Beneficent One. You could choose to never give anything to anyone. But You have blessed Your creatures. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

As you are going with your adversary to the ruler, make an effort to settle with him on the way. Then he won’t drag you before the judge, the judge hand you over to the bailiff, and the bailiff throw you into prison.

Luke 12:58

Jesus is speaking of situations in which a person legitimately owes a debt, but is trying to avoid it by allowing the matter to be taken to court. In such cases, it is better to compromise and pay the dept through agreed terms than to wait and let the court decide.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your mercy upon us. You are Great and Wonderful! You are the Only True and Living God, and we will praise You forever. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?

Luke 12:57

Jesus is changing the subject, and yet this flows from what He had been saying. Even those who are supposedly godly people will try to get away with things that they know are wrong.

We tend to use our judgment for our neighbor, or our friend, but fail to use it on ourselves. Judgment is a a good internal tool, but a poor external one.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love for us. Sometimes we feel so inadequate, but really we know very little of our true need. You alone can show us the way that we must go. Give us a heart of love for You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why don’t you know how to interpret this time?

Luke 12:56

This is one of the consistent messages of Scripture. Humanity spends a lot of time predicting for ourselves what we think might happen next. We spend a lot of our resources trying to determine what the future holds.

Weather tracking systems are a perfect example of this. They can help us avoid loss of life and possessions. But we very often fail to even think about the cosmic timetable. Predicting this new 2022 is important to us. Yet knowing what eternity holds for us is not considered nearly as much.

Because of the message of the prophets, there was a lot of material from which to make a determination concerning the timetable of God. Only God knows exactly what will happen. And yet, He has chosen to reveal a lot of things to us in His Word.

Heavenly Father, You are the God of this new year we have before us. It is Yours in every way. Every day of it is meant to be lived for You. And the story of this year is about You. Each day in it is new because of You. And each day is a gift. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

And when the south wind is blowing, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is.

Luke 12:55

Obviously a good strong wind from the south will usually bring warmer temperatures with it.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your provision. You know everything ahead of time. You know what we need and when we need it. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, right away you say, ‘A storm is coming,’ and so it does.”

A cloud from the west would be from the sea, and so would be likely to be a storm headed inland. Weather patterns in many parts of the world are fairly predictable.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your faithfulness. You are always in control. Your ways are constant. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

They will be divided, father against son,
son against father,
mother against daughter,
daughter against mother,
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law,
and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.

Luke 12:53

This is a quote from Micah chapter 7. Micah speaks of the decline of Israel spiritually. Jesus connects to it here to show why so many would reject Him.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your love, your compassion, and your grace. So many have failed to accept the gospel, and yet you have offered it freely. You are perfectly wonderful! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

From now on, five in one household will be divided: three against two, and two against three.

Luke 12:52

For almost all of the modern Jewish households I have known about this is the reality. Jesus causes this division because to submit to him requires a genuine change of heart. But the gospel also has a powerful pull that is not easily resisted.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the power of the gospel! The truth is really worth living for. It changes everything! Your grace, your mercy, and your love, bring undescribable joy to our hearts. Can we ever thank you enough? In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Do you think that I came here to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.

Luke 12:51

Though the message of Christ is a message of peace, it brings peace with God, not always peace with man. As Christians we desire peace with all people.

But people divide over Christ. Oh the enemy will accept a lot of truth. Our foe will not run from anything, until Jesus is brought to bear upon it. The old serpent has decived hoards of good moral, kind, and friendly people. And they will divide more quickly with true followers of Christ than anyone.

Heavenly Father, without You we would be so confused, so lost in the maze of the enemy’s lies. You bring The Truth and Hope into our lives. Thank You! Only by Your guidance can we live lives that truly matter. Your grace upholds us daily! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

But I have a baptism to undergo, and how it consumes me until it is finished!

Luke 12:50

Jesus is of course not referring to water baptism at all here. Instead, He is talking about His upcoming death, burial, and resurrection. He Who had been for all eternity was to experience death, and be baptized into new life.

It is easy for us to forget that upon His ascension Jesus did not cease to have a human form. The first advent, the first Christmas, we see the incarnation, which is a permanent condition. But, through the baptism into life, Jesus, though actually human, is as eternal as He ever was.

Jesus was looking forward to this event. He anticipated the victory. The plan of the Godhead would in many ways consumate in the cross and resurrection. He constantly thought of it during His time here on earth.

Heavenly Father, You are The One this is all about. All glory to You by Christ through the Spirit! Your plan, Almighty God, is so perfect! We look forward to the future in which Christ will complete the plan by the power of what He has already finished. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

“I came to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already set ablaze!

Luke 12:49

The ministry of Christ had a very profound and far reaching impact upon this world. Christ’s zeal here is a small glimpse into His desire to see this world filled with righteousness.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your great work! You have chosen this world, this universe, as the testing ground. You have allowed evil, but only to show Your goodness, mercy, and love. You are wise beyond all measure. I will sing in my heart to the glory of Your plan all of my life here and in eternity! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

But the one who did not know and did what deserved punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be expected.

Luke 12:48

This is a standard throughout Scripture. We find it over and over again. Willful ignorance is no excuse. But those who are, through no fault of their own, ignorant, will suffer lighter consequences. On the other hand, those who understand more, will have more expected of them.

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this day to serve you. Thank you for your graciousness, goodness, and holiness! You are truly amazing! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.