There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way?
No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
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?
No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
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.
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?’
And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure.
Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”

Luke 13:1-9

Did you notice how when some Jews wanted to talk current events with Jesus, Jesus somehow made the whole conversation about spiritual matters (Lk. 13:1-5)?

When was the last time we did that, Christians?

Think about it.   Think about the last time someone came up to you and said, “Hey, did you hear about what Biden or Trump did?”  With any time something like that has happened, have we ever even thought to direct the conversation towards something spiritual, particularly something spiritual that we — both us and the person we’re talking to — need to do?

We’re told to set our minds on things above, not on the things of the earth (Col. 3:1-2).  Do we really do that?

It also strikes me that all the Jews wanted to do was talk about Pilate’s sins.  They were focused on the sins of other people…but Jesus told them to focus on their own sins (cf. Matt. 7:3-5).  

We should think about that the next time someone wants to talk to us (read: gossip or complain) about someone else and the wrongs they did.  

“Unless you repent, you will likewise perish.”  “Likewise”…that probably is a comparison to Pilate’s massacre of the Galileans about which the Jews wanted Christ’s thoughts.  It’s almost certain that Jesus had in mind the similar calamity coming upon the Jews a few decades down the line when Roman general Titus would besiege Jerusalem, destroy the temple, and massacre them all (cf. Matt. 24:1-34).  His point is this:  You think what Pilate did to those Galileans was bad?  Unless you repent, something very similar is going to happen to you!

The main point being, the Jews needed to repent.  To really bring it home, Jesus gave a parable (literally, comparison) about a man who had a fig tree in his vineyard that never gave any fruit.  After three years of no fruit from this tree, he told his vinedresser to cut it down.  The vinedresser persuaded him to give it one more year while the vinedresser tried some fertilizer with it.  If after one year it bore fruit, great.  If not, cut it down.

Christ’s point to the Jews was this:  You need to repent, and you need to repent RIGHT NOW.

The fig tree was probably meant to be Israel.  The owner of the vineyard likely symbolized God (cf. (Is. 5:1-7).  The vinedresser probably symbolized Christ.

God had been wanting Israel to repent for a while now.  Perhaps all throughout Jesus’ ministry.  Perhaps all throughout the time period of the Old Testament up until then.  It’s hard to say for certain.

Regardless, their time was running out.  They had only a little time left…probably the generation from the church’s beginning at Pentecost in AD 33 up to Jerusalem’s destruction in AD 70.  Sadly, biblical and secular history show that they did not use that time wisely.  They rejected the Messiah and paid the price.

There’s a lesson in this for us today.  It might do us good, Christians, for us to realize that God has made an investment in us, an investment in which he expects returns (cf. John 15:8).  If we do not bear fruit like he wants, we will be cut off and cast into hell for all eternity (cf. John 15:2a; Heb. 6:1-8; Rom. 11:19-23).

Yes, God is very patient…but his patience does not last forever (Matt. 21:43; cf. 2 Pet. 3:9, 15).  The warning given to the Jews applies to us in an eternal sense:

“Unless you repent, you will likewise perish.”

God offers us eternal life (Rom. 6:23b)…but never forget that our sins deserve death in hell (Rom. 6:23a; Rev. 21:8).  Paul’s warning is therefore very relevant:

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?  But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.  He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.  There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.  For God shows no partiality.

 

(Romans 2:4-11)