First Lutheran Church Gospel Reading

Luke Chapter 13, verses 1 to 9:

At that time, some people who were there told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. He asked them, "Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all the other Galileans because they suffered like this? Absolutely not, I tell you! But if you don't repent, then you, too, will all die. What about those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were worse offenders than all the other people living in Jerusalem? Absolutely not, I tell you! But if you don't repent, then you, too, will all die."

Then Jesus told them this parable: "A man had a fig tree that had been planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it but didn't find any. So he said to the gardener, 'Look here! For three years I have been coming to look for fruit on this tree but haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it waste the soil?' But the gardener replied, 'Sir, leave it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and fertilize it. Maybe next year it'll bear fruit. If not, then cut it down.'"

Each of today's Scripture readings is an invitation to repent. The Lord tells Israel that it is a matter of life or death. St. Paul promises that God will provide a way out of each temptation. And Jesus tells a parable about a fruitless tree being given a second chance. God's grace is always the impetus for turning our lives around; and we see it most clearly in our Lord's journey to the cross and tomb for us.