Luke 13 (Part 3)

Luke 13

Luke 13:1-9

The Lord Jesus taught men that unless they repent they shall perish. People told him about a tragedy where people died. The idea was that those people must have been terrible sinners to die in such a horrific manner. However, the Lord made it clear that those who died in that manner were no more sinners than those who related the story to him.

Unless men repent they will all perish. Repent! What do we repent of? Ask the Lord, and he will show you. The Lord will put his finger on whatever there is in your life that you need to repent of. When a man came to the Lord Jesus and asked him for eternal life the Lord Jesus told him to sell everything and follow him. The man would not do it because he was rich. The Lord will tell you what you need to repent of. In my life he has been faithful to correct me. I did not always listen to the Lord, and I am thankful he had mercy on me, until I got to the point where I was humble enough to truly repent.

Anyone who refused to listen to the Lord will perish in their sins. The only hope we have is to hear the word of the Lord, repent, and believe the gospel. Believe the gospel! Christ died for our sins, he was buried, and he rose again on the third day. Why will you die in your sins? It is not God's will for any one to die in their sins and perish in hellfire. It is God's will for everyone to come to repentance and be saved.

Acts 17:30-31, "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."

Jesus Christ is coming back. He will judge this world in righteousness. Humble yourselves now, repent, believe the gospel. Prepare to meet thy God! He will return, as sure as day follows night, the Lord is coming back to this earth.

Psalms 50:1-4, "The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. 2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. 3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. 4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people."

Repent or perish. The choice is yours.

Luke 13:10-17

The Lord Jesus taught in a synagogue on the Sabbath day. There was a woman bound by a spirit of infirmity eighteen years. The spirit of infirmity caused her to be "bowed together". The Lord Jesus laid his hands on the woman and immediately she was made straight. The Lord Jesus commanded her to be healed with his word "thou art loosed from thine infirmity".

The ruler of the synagogue condemned the Lord Jesus for healing the woman on a Sabbath day. The Lord pointed out that people will take care of their farm animals on a Sabbath day. They feed and water their farm animals on a Sabbath day. How much more valuable is this woman than a farm animal? He silenced his enemies in shame. They could not stand against his logic.

It is clear the devil can physically afflict people with sickness. I don't know how often we consider this when we suffer in our bodies. How often do we pray when we are sick? Is it possible that we might be suffering physically because of a spiritual problem in our life? We need to ask the Lord to shine his light on us. We need to pray that the Lord will show us any sin in our life. We need to pray and ask the Lord to expose any devils which might be causing us to suffer in our physical bodies. We know that the devil was able to cause boils upon the body of God's prophet Job. If this is possible, should we not consider this when we are sick? Should we not pray and take authority in the name of Jesus against any unclean spirits which might be trying to make us sick?

The Lord Jesus exposed hypocrisy. When we care more about religion than we do about people there is a real problem. These people were more concerned for church decorum than the suffering of people in the church. Are we more focused on church programs than on the people within the church who are suffering? How much do we care about the people around us? Do we know their names? Do we pray for them? Do you love the people in the church?

The Lord Jesus healed them from sickness and disease. Let us pray and ask the Lord to heal our bodies and our souls. He is able to heal the sick and to set us free from the power of darkness.

Luke 13:18-21

When the Lord Jesus described the kingdom of God we might assume he described something positive or uplifting. In both these descriptions of the kingdom the meaning was not positive and it was not uplifting.

The Lord Jesus said the kingdom of God was like a mustard seed which was planted and grew into a huge tree and the fowls of the air came and lodged in the branches. These birds do not represent something good. Instead, the birds in the branches represent evil which infiltrated Israel, the church, and the nations. These birds were not a good sign. Birds were invited to feast upon the dead. Birds were not a good sign in the Bible usually.

In the next illustration he compared the kingdom to three measures of meal that had leaven mixed in. Leaven was a symbol of sin in the Bible. We are admonished to get leaven out of our lives. Leaven is a picture of how sin starts out small but when it is mixed into your life it corrupts you from the inside out. It completely changes who you are.

This second illustration confirms that the birds in the first illustration were not good. Both of these examples of what the kingdom of God was like showed how the kingdom of God on earth is vulnerable to infiltration. The forces of Satan came into Israel, they came into the church, and they will infest the nations. Sin, the devil, self, and the world system corrupt what is good in the kingdom of God on earth.

Why did the Lord Jesus teach us this? So we would not be surprised when we find people full of the devil in church? Don't be surprised to find hypocrites. Don't be surprised to find tares among the wheat. This is how things are right now. This is how it will be until the Lord returns and sends his angels to separate the wheat from the tares. The Lord will remove the leaven one day. The Lord will remove the evil birds roosting in the branches one day.

Meanwhile, we are to occupy until he comes. Continue to preach the gospel. Continue to witness, testify, and lift up the name of Jesus Christ. Don't be discouraged by the leaven and the birds. Make sure you have no leaven or birds in your life. Make sure you are living before God with clean hands and a pure heart.

Let us pray with David, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24)

Luke 13:22-30

Someone asked the Lord Jesus the question would there be few people saved? The Lord Jesus said that many people would try to enter in and would not be able. Then he described the master of the house rising up and closing his door. There were people standing outside the house when he closed the door. Those people now try to gain entrance by saying they knew the master of the house. But he said to them that he did not know them. They were not in his house when the door was closed. This reminds me of Noah and the ark. A lot of people heard the message Noah preached. But how many people were in the ark when the door was closed? Very few indeed. How many people of the original group of Israel who left Egypt actually made it into the promised land? Of all the original group who left Egypt, out of hundreds of thousands of people, only two men made it into the promised land, Joshua and Caleb. What does this tell us?

We should tremble in our shoes. We should take God's word serious and obey what the Lord says. Strive to enter in at the strait gate. Jesus Christ is the strait gate. There is no other way to the Father. Jesus is the only way to the Father. To get into God's house you have to enter in by the only door which God has made. That door is Jesus Christ himself.

Notice that the Lord Jesus also pointed out that many people from different parts of the world would be saved. He looked forward to the future when the gospel would be preached to every nation under heaven. God saves people from every nation, tongue, and language.

It doesn't matter if you think you know the Lord. Does the Lord know you? Does the Lord know your name? Is your name written in the Lamb's books of life?

There is only one way to be saved.

Acts 4:12, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

How can I be saved today?

Acts 16:30-31, "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

Romans 10:9-10, 13, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Be saved today!

2 Corinthians 6:2, "For he saith, I have thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation"

Luke 13:31-35

The Pharisees tried to warn the Lord Jesus that Herod wanted to kill him. We know this is a lie because later on when Herod had a chance to kill the Lord Jesus he did not but sent him back to Pilate. Why did the Pharisees tell Jesus this lie? Perhaps it was the same reason why people tried to intimidate Nehemiah from rebuilding the walls? They thought they could scare Jesus and make him run away?

The Lord Jesus was not afraid. He knew exactly what his purpose was. He went to Jerusalem and he knew he would be turned over to the Romans by the Jewish religious leaders. He knew he would be condemned and executed at Calvary. He prophesied what would happen to himself. He said a prophet could not die outside of Jerusalem. He prophesied what would happen to Jerusalem. It would be left desolate.

The Lord Jesus was not afraid of religious or political leaders. He stood his ground and set himself to walk in obedience to his heavenly Father. Sooner or later the enemy will threaten us and try to turn us aside from obeying the Lord. We must continue to be steadfast and unmovable. We must abound in the work of the Lord because we know our labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Notice the Lord Jesus injected the "third day" into his reply. This shows that Jesus knew he would rise from the dead on the third day. He repeated this again when he said "I must walk today, and tomorrow, and the day following". There is a pattern in the Bible with three days.

God is three in one. Prophet, priest, and king. Israel, church, and the nations. Three days and all will be complete in the New Jerusalem.

Everything in creation gives glory to God. It reflects who he is. Three days is a reflection of who God is. He is three in one.

Luke Chapter 13 KJV

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

Luke 13:2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?

Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Luke 13:4 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?

Luke 13:5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Luke 13:6 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.

Luke 13:7 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?

Luke 13:8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

Luke 13:9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

Luke 13:10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

Luke 13:11 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.

Luke 13:12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

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

Luke 13:14 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.

Luke 13:15 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?

Luke 13:16 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?

Luke 13:17 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.

Luke 13:18 Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it?

Luke 13:19 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.

Luke 13:20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?

Luke 13:21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

Luke 13:22 And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.

Luke 13:23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,

Luke 13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

Luke 13:25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to 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:

Luke 13:26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.

Luke 13:27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

Luke 13:28 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.

Luke 13:29 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.

Luke 13:30 And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.

Luke 13:31 The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.

Luke 13:32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

Luke 13:33 Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.

Luke 13:34 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!

Luke 13:35 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.