God Won't Delay Forever
People want to get Jesus's thoughts on some atrocity that Pontius Pilate ordered:
"Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices."
Luke 13:1
As usual, Jesus flips around the question by first offering another tragic example from current events, and then putting the question back to the questioners:
2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Luke 13:2-5
The little parable he then tells about the fig tree makes the point that it's not too late to repent, but that God's judgment won't be put off forever.
A good message for all of us today.
Today’s Scripture:
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The Fig Tree
A fruitless fig tree was an Old Testament symbol of God's judgment on Israel's idolatry and corruption. For example:
“‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
There will be no grapes on the vine.
There will be no figs on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.
What I have given them
will be taken from them.'”
So, the episode with the cursed fig tree is a living parable Jesus is acting out in front of the disciples. He is showing them the consequences for the hard-heartedness of the religious leaders.
Can prayer really cause a mountain to be thrown into the sea? I don't really know.
What I do know is that prayer changes things.
Scripture Passage:
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