Introductory remarks:
This chapter is probably connected with chapter twelve, by the first verse expressing at the same time etc. This chapter may be outlined as follows: repent or perish vv. 1-5; the parable of the barren fig tree vv. 6-9; the healing of a crippled woman on the Sabbath vv. 10-17; the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven vv. 18-21; the narrow door vv. 22-30; the lament over Jerusalem vv. 31-35.
Repent or Perish
Verse 1, "There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices."
LGT "And there present some at the same time telling Him about the Galileans, of whom the blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices."
While Jesus was teaching the crowds, certain ones stepped up to His side and brought Him some outrageous news, they thought, concerning the Galileans and Pilate. These were rejecters who were trying to trap Him with their story. "The incident of Pilate mixing the blood of the Galileans with their sacrifices is recorded nowhere else, but is in entire harmony with Pilate's record for outrages. These Galileans at a feast in Jerusalem may have been involved in some insurrection against the Roman government, the leaders of whom Pilate had slain right in the temple courts where the sacrifices were going on. Jesus comments on the incident, but not as the reporters had expected. Instead of denunciation of Pilate he turned it into a parable for their own conduct in the uncertainty of life" (Robertson).
Verse 2, "And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things?"
LGT "And answering Jesus said to them, Do you think that these Galileans were sinners beyond all the Galileans, because they have suffered these things?"
The plot had been set against Christ, but He knew how to deal with those who did not believe. Josephus in his Wars of the Jews relates many incidents of the Jews in Jerusalem being slaughtered for their insurrections.
Pentecost notes:
"Recognizing that Jesus came from Galilee and presuming that His sympathies would be with the Galileans, they told Him about certain Galileans whom Pilate had put to death. They expected that Christ's patriotism would lead Him to speak a word of condemnation against Pilate. This would give them a basis for accusing Him before Pilate in hopes that Pilate would put Him to death as a seditionist against Rome. An alternative would be for Jesus to express sympathy for the Galileans since, according to Jewish thought; any unusual calamity was viewed as divine judgment from God on an individual because of some grievous sin. To express sympathy for these Galileans would be to speak a word against God, who had brought the calamity; and this would be to accuse Him of hardness or lack of sympathy. Thus they supposed that if Christ responded in any way to their statements, they would have a basis for accusing Him. In reply, Christ dismissed the idea that these who had died were guilty of some sin that brought a special divine judgment."
William Barclay writes:
"First, there is the reference to the Galileans whom Pilate murdered in the middle of their sacrifices. As we have seen Galileans were always liable to get involved in political trouble because they were a highly inflammable people. Just about this time, Pilate had been involved in serious trouble. He had decided rightly that Jerusalem needed a new and improved water supply. He proposed to build it and to finance it with certain Temple monies. It was a laudable object and a more than justifiable expenditure. But at the very idea of spending Temple monies like that, the Jews were up in arms. When the mobs gathered, Pilate instructed his soldiers to mingle with them, wearing cloaks over their battle dress for disguise. They were instructed to carry cudgels [clubs] rather than swords. At a given signal they were to fall on the mob and disperse them. This was done, but the soldiers dealt with the mob with a violence far beyond their instructions and a considerable number of people lost their lives. Almost certainly Galileans would be involved in that. We know that Pilate and Herod were at enmity, and only became reconciled after Pilate had sent Jesus to Herod for trial (Luke 23:6-12). It may well be that it was this very incident which provoked that enmity."
Verse 3, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all like wise perish."
LGT "No, I say to you, but unless you repent, you will all in like manner perish."
Jesus begins this verse with I tell you followed by an emphatic No! He tells them that Israel will meet with the same manner of judgment, that is, Jerusalem "falling down around their ears" (TEGT). "The victims of Pilate were not judged of God. God does nothing in spite. But Christ was telling the religious crowd of His day that unless they repented, they would also perish" (McGee).
Verse 4, "Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwell in Jerusalem?"
LGT "Or those eighteen on whom fell the tower of Siloam and killed them, you think that they were offenders beyond all those men, the ones who dwelt in Jerusalem?"
This event of the tower falling on eighteen must have occurred in the somewhat recent past, and was still in the minds of these hearers. "Eighteen people had died in the construction of a tower in Siloam. This may well have been one of Herod's building projects. The Jews likewise would have deemed these men worthy of death because of some grievous sin" (Pentecost).
Verse 5, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
LGT "No! I say to you, but except you repent, ye shall all in the same manner perish."
Jesus repeats this truth that they would perish the same as those whom these religious rulers had passed judgment on those who had died.
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
Verse 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."
LGT "And He spoke this parable: A certain [man] had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and did not find [any]."
This man had a fig tree already in his vineyard, and when he came to get fruit there was none.
Verse 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?"
LGT "And he said to the vinedresser, Behold, three years since I come seeking fruit in this fig tree, and do not find [any]: [therefore] cut it down, why even the ground does it render useless?"
The man came three years in a row to find fruit, and it has not yielded any fruit; he asks the question, why should it render the ground useless? Cut it down. "Not only is it unfruitful, but it draws away the juices which the vines would extract from the earth, intercepts the sun, and occupies room" (Bengel).
Verse 8, "And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:"
LGT "But he answering says to him, Lord, let it alone also this year, until I shall dig about it, and manure [it],"
The vine-dresser responded with great patience; he answered the owner of the vineyard, let me have one more year to do everything I can, by digging around it, loosening the soil, so it may receive sufficient water, and put manure on it to give it sufficient nutrients, and see if it may bear fruit.
Verse 9, "And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down."
LGT "And if indeed it should bear fruit hereafter: but if not, indeed, thou shall cut it down."
The vinedresser begs one year for the tree; then if it does not bear fruit, cut it down; notice, the vinedresser does not cut it down, but defers this to the owner of the vineyard.
Shepherd comments:
"The story was such an apt illustration of the longsuffering patience of God with the Jews, His favored people, who occupied the place of His chosen people, but did not bring forth the fruits He sought in the national life, that it must have sunk deeply into the conscience of the multitude. The whole nation was guilty of fruitlessness. It took three years for a fig tree to attain maturity. The nation had been the object of God's special providence for centuries, when it should have reached maturity, and of other centuries of longsuffering and patience from Him, when it should have been producing fruit. Still, Christ, the vinedresser, even now asking for another period when the nation might repent and bring forth fruit. Israel was on probation. Would the Jews repent? When God puts a nation into a most favored position, He expects exceptional results. To occupy such a place entails extraordinary responsibility and, in case of failure, the greatest consequences and severest punishment. This was a clarion note calling Israel to repentance in an opportune time. The Jews heeded not the warning, with the direct results, in a judgment spread over centuries of national dispersion and punishment."
Pentecost notes on this important parable:
"God, the owner of the vineyard, had planted Israel as His fruitful tree. Jesus Christ was the vinedresser. For three years He had been calling Israel to repentance, but Israel had not repented to bring the fruit of righteousness. Therefore, Israel was to be cut off, that is, brought under national judgment, and this judgment would fall in A.D. 70, when Titus would destroy the city of Jerusalem and the temple. This did not mean the termination of God's program for Israel, but indicated that Israel would be set aside. Through a new program God would produce fruit for His glory. Christ revealed this new program in Matthew 16:18 when He was in Caesarea Philippi. Later when in Jerusalem He spoke again of the setting aside of Israel to institute a new program through which God would work in the present age (Matt. 21:43)."
McGee notes:
"It is interesting to note that Israel cannot live in her land today and have peace while she continues to reject God. It is not Russia or the Arabs that are giving Israel so much trouble; it is God. Israel is God's chosen people. He is going to bring them back to their land someday in faith and belief. They are returning to the land today in unbelief, and they do not have peace. This is the evidence of the hand of God in the affairs of the world."
The Healing of a Crippled Woman of the Sabbath
Verse 10, "And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath."
LGT "And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbaths."
This is the last recorded occasion that Jesus taught in a synagogue; by this time the religious authorities were watching His every move and were ready to pounce upon Him for the slightest infraction of their law. It must be noticed that it was their interpretation of the Law of Moses that Christ would be accused of breaking, because He would never break the True Law.
Verse 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."
LGT "And behold, a woman having a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent together and unable to lift herself up at all."
While teaching, Jesus noticed a woman with a spirit of infirmity as Robertson notes, "the same as the spirit of bondage (Rom. 8:15), a curvature of the spine, unable to bend back and forth; the poor woman came in all bent over." This woman had this infirmity eighteen years, of which Barnes notes:
"This shows that the miracle was real; that the disease was not feigned. Though thus afflicted, yet it seems she was regular in attending the worship of God in the synagogue. There in the sanctuary, is the place where the afflicted find consolation; and there it was that the Savior met her and restored her to health. It is in the sanctuary and on the Sabbath, also, that He commonly meets His people, and gives them the joys of His salvation."
Verse 12, "And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity."
LGT "And Jesus seeing her, He called her to come to Him, and said to her, Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."
Jesus called her to Himself. There was no indication that she sought healing, but the compassion of Jesus is always working.
Verse 13, "And He laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God."
LGT "And He laid upon her [His] hands: and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God."
Christ healed her immediately so she could stand erect. This should have been enough for all to see that He was their long-waited Messiah, but we know it only divided the believers from the unbelievers, as God's Word always does. She did what they all should have done; she glorified God, that is, she began it and kept it up.
Verse 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."
LGT "But the ruler of the synagogue answering, [became] indignant because Jesus healed on the Sabbath, he said to the crowd, Six days there are in which it is necessary [men] to work: in these [six-days] coming be healed, and not on the Sabbath day."
Jesus healing the woman and the woman praising God really annoyed the ruler of the synagogue.
"No one had spoken to him, but he felt his importance as the ruler of the synagogue and was indignant. His words have a ludicrous sound as if all the people had to do to get their backs straightened out was to come round to his synagogue during the week. He forgot (ignored) that this poor old woman had been coming for eighteen years with no result. He was angry with Jesus, but he spoke to the multitude. Really, must, necessary, a direct hit at Jesus who had worked on the Sabbath in healing the old woman" (Robertson).
Verse 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?"
LGT "But the Lord answered him and said, Hypocrites, each one of you on the Sabbath does he not loose his ox or ass from the manger, and having led [it] away, give [it] drink?"
The word "hypocrite" in the KJV is plural in the Greek NT so it means the ruler of the synagogue and all who agree with him. These hypocrites cared more for their cattle than the healing of this woman.
Verse 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?"
LGT "And this [woman] being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, lo, eighteen years, ought not to be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath Day?"
They deemed caring for their donkeys not work on the Sabbath, but Christ healing a daughter of Abraham from the grips of Satan, work. As I said earlier, the rulers interpretation of the Law was far from what God had intended.
Verse 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."
LGT "And on His saying these things, all who were opposed to Him were put to shame: and all the crowd were rejoicing at all the glorious things which were being done by Him."
The ruler of the synagogue, and all those who agreed with him, were put to shame, that is, His words shamed them because they were in error; they did not feel the shame, but they were put down by the righteous words of our Lord. The ones who believe on Christ rejoiced at the works he had done, and continue to do.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven
(Matt. 13:31-33; Mark 4:30-32)
Verse 18, "Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? And whereunto shall I resemble it?"
LGT "Therefore He said, To what is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I liken it?"
Jesus, still speaking in the synagogue, maybe, at the response of the minority who were praising Him, begins to explain the gospel of the kingdom by a parable of the mustard seed.
Verse 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."
LGT "It is like to a grain of mustard, which a man having cast into his own garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the heaven roosted into its branches."
"This is an illustration which Jesus used more than once, and for different purposes. In the Middle East mustard is not a garden herb but a field plant. It does literally grow to be a tree. A height of seven or eight feet is common, and a traveler tells how once he came across a mustard plant which was twelve feet high, and which was higher than a horse and its rider. It is common to see a cloud of birds around such trees, for they love the little black mustard seeds" (William Barclay).
Verse 20, "And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?"
LGT "And again He said, To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?"
This question seems to substantiate the point that He was addressing the small group of believers in the synagogue: remember that a parable was a story of comparison or a contrasts, and that to the ones who would believe, it was revealed, but to the unbeliever, the truth of it was hidden.
Verse 21, "It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened."
LGT "It is like to leaven, which a woman, having taken, hid in three seahs, until all was leavened."
Christ told these parable as an encouragement to the few believers who were there.
Pentecost notes:
"Luke detailed the process of the rejection of Christ by the Pharisees through many incidents which he recorded. While Matthew climaxed the rejection by the extended list of parables recorded in Matthew 13, Luke here recorded two of the parables to reveal some features that the new form the kingdom would take following the nation's rejection. He recorded the parable of the mustard seed and the leaven. It was obvious that the opponents of Christ far outnumbered those who in faith had received Jesus as Messiah. This caused some to ask what Christ could do with so few followers. The mustard plant in one summer could grow from a planted seed into a plant sufficiently large for birds to come and lodge in its branches. A growth of twenty-five or thirty feet in one season was not uncommon. Christ's hearers were familiar with the large growth of the mustard plant from a small beginning. By this parable He taught that from the small number that had put faith in Him there would come a large growth in the time allotted for the development of the new form of the kingdom in the present age. Next Christ told the parable of the yeast hidden in the meal. He revealed that as yeast works quietly, pervasively (all encompassing), and irreversibly when introduced into flour, so when the new form of the kingdom was introduced, it would work in like manner. Christ told these parables to offset any possible discouragement His followers may have experienced because of the widespread rejection of His message and His Person."
The Narrow Door
(Matt. 7:13-14, 21-23)
Verse 22, "And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem."
LGT "And He went through by cities and villages teaching, and making progress toward Jerusalem."
Jesus is focused on Jerusalem where He will be put to death; this will be His last journey. He went on teaching in these cities and villages of Galilee as He headed to the cross.
Verse 23, "Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,"
LGT "And one said unto Him, Lord, [are] the ones being saved few? And He said to them,"
In light of the fact that only a few were believing on Him, one stood out to ask the question, are there only a few being saved. Now in the context of this age, the question is, are only a few going to enter Your kingdom? The one asking the question was a representative of the group of Pharisees.
Verse 24, "Strive to enter in at the straight gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able."
LGT "Strive earnestly to enter through the narrow gate, because many, I say to you, will seek to enter in, will not be able."
The Greek word for "strive" is agonia from which we get our English word agony. It is the same word Paul used in striving for the prize, an illustration of the Greek games, and the same word Christ used in the Garden of Gethsemane. The point in this part of the parable is the earnestness of the seeker.
Verse 25, "When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:"
LGT "From the time the master of the house shall have risen up, and shall have shut the door, and you begin to stand without and knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us, and he answering will say to you, I do not know you whence you are."
There is a proper time to seek the kingdom of God, but after death will be too late. In verse twenty-four "earnestness" was stressed, and here we have the issue of being on time, that is, not too put it off till it be too late. The door of the Kingdom is shut, and only those who by faith accepted Christ are able to enter the Kingdom.
Verse 26, "Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets."
LGT "Then will you begin to say, We ate in thy presence and drank, and in our streets you did teach."
Those who stand outside the door after it has been shut, will claim familiarity with the host, but not relationship with him; they claim that they ate and drank with him, (in the house of the Pharisee) and listened to him teach, but it is too late, the door has been closed on them forever.
Verse 27, "But he shall say, I tell you, I know not whence you are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity."
LGT "And he will say to you, I do not know [you] whence you are: depart from me all ye workers of unrighteousness."
"Acquaintance with Christ in the flesh, does not open the door"; as Robertson states it "This blunt statement depart from Me ye workers of iniquity, cuts the matter short and sweeps away the flimsy cobwebs." This sentence seems to go outside the parameters [limits] of the parable into the spiritual realm. He cannot open the door because they did not identify with Him when the opportunity was there's.
Verse 28, "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out."
LGT "There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you being cast out."
What a graphic picture of the lost Jew, viewing the kingdom, after being cast out; they will see their father Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and this will also cause them to weep and grind their teeth, all the more, because they feel they belong there by their being part of the chosen race; and to add insult to injury, they will see Gentiles in the kingdom, enjoying the company, and feasting with their fellow Jews.
Verse 29, "And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God."
LGT "And they shall come from east, and west, and north, and south, and shall recline in the kingdom of God."
The saved from the four quarters of the earth will recline at the banquet in the kingdom of God, from every nation and peoples of the earth.
Verse 30, "And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last."
LGT "And lo, there are last who shall be first, and first who shall be last."
This saying has been repeated many times (Matt. 19:30; Mark 10:31; Matt. 20:16). "As it stands here it refers to Jews as the first who become last, and to Gentiles as the last who become first, and the distinction between first and last is not one of degree, but absolute = within and without" (TEGT).
The Lament over Jerusalem
(Matt. 23:37-39)
Verse 31, "The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out and depart hence; for Herod will kill thee."
LGT "On the same hour, certain Pharisees came saying to Him, Go out and proceed from here, because Herod desires to kill Thee."
A certain Pharisee comes to warn Jesus that Herod was out to get Him in order to have Him put to death.
Barnes notes:
"Their coming to Him in this manner would have the appearance of friendship, as if they had conjectured or secretly learned that it was Herod's intention to kill Him. Their suggestion had much appearance of probability. Herod had killed John. He knew that Jesus made many disciples, and was drawing away many of the people. He was a wicked man, and he might be supposed to fear the presence of one who had so strong a resemblance to John, whom he had slain. It might seem probable, therefore, that he intended to take the life of Jesus, and this might appear as a friendly hint to escape him. Yet it is more than possible that Herod might have sent these Pharisees to Jesus. Jesus was eminently popular, and Herod might not dare openly to put Him to death; yet he desired His removal, and for this purpose he sent these men, as if in a friendly way, to advise Him to retire. This was probably the reason why Jesus called him a fox. Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great. He ruled over Galilee and Perea, and wished Jesus to retire beyond these regions."
Verse 32, "And he said unto them, Go ye and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected."
LGT "And He said to them, having gone, say to that fox, Lo, I cast out demons and cures, completed today and tomorrow, and the third [day] I Am perfected."
Jesus answers by calling Herod a fox, a symbol of cunning slyness. Jesus says that He is unconcerned about Herod, for he would be powerless against Him, until the Father's time; Jesus says He will continue His miraculous ministry until that time comes. His reference to the third day is that it would be a short time until He would finish His mission. He was already perfect, so it is referring to His going to the cross.
Verse 33, "Nevertheless, I must walk today, and tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem."
LGT "But it is necessary [for] Me, today and tomorrow and the [day] following to proceed, because it is not possible [for] a prophet to perish out of Jerusalem."
The shadow of the cross has reached Perea, where Jesus now is, and He says that He is on His way to Jerusalem, because that is where He will die. It is a proverb that infers that Jerusalem is the city that killed the prophets. "Israel had killed the prophets and stoned those whom God had sent. God in grace had sent His Son, who desired to gather the people of Jerusalem into the security and safety that He could provide" (Pentecost).
Verse 34, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!"
LGT "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who killed the prophets, stoned the ones who have been sent to her, how often would I have gathered your children in the way a hen [gathers] her brood under [her] wings, and you would not."
Jesus laments over Jerusalem's refusal to accept Him as her Messiah. He uses this example of the way a hen scurries to gather her young under her wings when danger lurks.
Verse 35, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the lord."
LGT "Behold, your house is left to you desolate. [And] I say to you, in no way will you see Me until [the time come when] you say, Blessed [is] the One who comes in [the] name of [the] Lord."
It is the twenty-first century, and the Jews still have not blessed His name. Only a remnant of Jews will welcome Jesus Christ when He comes to earth the second time to set up His kingdom.
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