REPENT OR PERISH
Text: Luke 13:1-9
Luke 13:1- 9 At that time, some people who were there told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. (2) He asked them, "Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all the other Galileans because they suffered like this? (3) Absolutely not, I tell you! But if you don't repent, then you, too, will all die. (4) 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? (5) Absolutely not, I tell you! But if you don't repent, then you, too, will all die." (6) 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. (7) So he told 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?' (8) But the gardener replied, 'Sir, leave it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and fertilize it. (9) Maybe next year it'll bear fruit. If not, then cut it down.'" (NRSV).
I read a story about how Charles II, King of England’s son, once paid a visit to the well known blind English poet John Milton (author of the literature classic, “Paradise Lost” ). As the story goes… “Charles II was rather direct and to the point when he said, “Your blindness is a judgment from God for the part you took against my father. Boldly, Milton responded to King Charles II by saying, “If I lost my sight through God’s judgment, what can you say of your father who lost his head?” The Puritans had Charles I, beheaded”. (Warren Wiersbe. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Volume 1. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1989, p. 224). We might not literally lose our heads, but it we are experiencing God’s judgment. In fact, we are being shaken!
Although this passage of scripture does not mention being “shaken”, it does indicate judgment which is synonymous with “shaking”. God is shaking us with His voice: Hebrews 12:26 - 28 describes how God has shaken things once before. It also tells us that God will shake things again in both heaven and earth removing all that is not of His kingdom.
What is Jesus’s teaching about “repent or perish” telling us? Is it not the same as saying choose life or choose death? Today we will talk about tragedy and repentance.
TRAGEDY
What was the backstory of the tragedies Jesus spoke of in Luke 13:1 -6?
1) Injustice: Jesus spoke about the blood of Galileans that was shed. Historically, it is believed that Pilate had wanted to build a new water system in Jerusalem and embezzled money from the temple treasury to fund the project. It would seem natural, that there would be some who would protest against that injustice, especially these Galilean Jews whom someone (Barclay) has called a “ ... highly inflammable people”. Pilate sent some of his weapon-concealing soldiers dressed like civilians into the crowd to disperse the protesting crowd. Intimidation was the goal but the end result was violence that led to bloodshed. (paraphrased from the following resource: William Barclay. The Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel Of Luke. Revised Edition. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975, pp. 172 – 173). How could anyone in that crowd have known that was going to be their last day on earth?
2) Punishment: Were these eighteen killed because the tower fell on them while constructing the aqueduct as some have proposed? (paraphrased from the following resource: George A. Buttrick. ed. The interpreter’s Bible. “Luke: Exposition ,” (Walter Ruseel Bowie; John Knox; Goerge A Buttrick; Paul Scherer). Nashville:Abingdon Press, 1988 [thirty-seventh printing] , p. 239). . Was this event of the tower falling on eighteen people God’s judgement on the construction workers or was it a freak accident an act of nature?
How much borrowed time do we have to live on?
1) A tragedy: Years ago, I was watching the news one morning when a tragedy was being reported. It happened at a coliseum in Charleston SC. A man was killed when an electronic scoreboard fell on him. He went to work, thinking it was just another day. He had no idea that there would be an accident that would cost him his life. This man was not being punished by God. He died because of an accident. Was a he a believer? I hope that he was.
2) Litany of tragedies: Think about the tsunami of late 2003, Hurricane Katrina, Columbine, 9/11, Sandy Hook, Fort Hood, Benghazi, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, diseases, political unrest, persecutions and the list goes on and on. We could go on forever filling in the blanks for many other tragedies.
3) Appointed time: Hebrews 9:27 tells us “And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment” (NRSV). Yes, we all live on borrowed time but we also have an appointed time because none of us know when our appointed time is.
Tragic things happen every day. Tragic things happen everyday and not all tragic things that happen are fatal. It certainly does not mean that life is fair. When all is well we say “Life is good.” When all is not so well, we say life is okay. When bad things happen that just do not make sense or serve a purpose, we say “Life is just not fair!” Does that excuse us from repenting? Of course not!
REPENTANCE
Doesn’t God call all of us to repent?
1) Repentance: The Greek word for repentance is (????????) “metanoia” which means to make a turn----an about face----a 180 degree turn, to completely reorient our whole lives to God and to godly living. (Common English Bible Dictionary. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2011, p. 319). Have we completely oriented our lives to God?
2) God’s will: It is God’s will to save us ---all of us (John 3:16) and it is also God’s will for us all to repent and receive the gift of salivation because of the price that Jesus paid for us on the cross! It is also God’s will for all of us to repent. 2 Peter 3:9 says “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance” (NRSV).
Can someone who is penitent still be a sinner? “A Sunday School teacher asked a class what the word “repentance” means. It is being sorry for your sins.” A little girl also raised her hand up and said: “It is being sorry enough to quit.” (Roy B. Zuck. The Speaker’s Quote Book.. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1997, p. 325). Wait a minute because that still doesn’t answer the question completely.
1) Sinners: We all sinners who fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). There is a difference between fugitive-- a run away sinner or a wayward sinner and penitent sinners.
2) Repentance: The difference is that penitent sinners confess and repent of their sin. I John 1:9 says If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (NRSV). We know that we are called to not only repent but also to seek to produce fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8).
Have you ever had regrets? There are some things in life that we wish we had the chance to do over again. Have you ever had one of those kinds of wishes for an experience in your life? “Someone tells the story about Lou Gehrig who one day during his famed baseball career came to bat. He swung at two balls and missed. The third ball passed and the umpire called him out. Gehrig threw down the bat in disgust, and muttered something to the umpire, all of which was totally out character for Gehrig. News reporters afterward asked him what he was complaining about. “I didn’t complain, said Gehrig. “I simply said to the umpire, ‘I’d give a thousand dollars for a chance at that last ball again!” (Ernest A. Fitzgerald. Keeping Pace: Inspirations In The Air. Greensboro: Pace Communications, Inc. 1988, p. 61). The thing about life is that when never know when the next time will be the last time!
What about God’s shaking---God’s judgment right now?
Again, Hebrews 12:26 - 28 describes how God has shaken things once before. It also tells us that God will shake things again in both heaven and earth removing all that is not of His kingdom. Messianic Rabbi Jonathon Cahn and others have mentioned how God is shaking the world right now in order to get people to repent. God had given the children of Israel chance after chance. God sent prophet after prophet. Their behavior was always the same. Sin, repent and repeat. Do we take God’s grace for granted putting off repentance till another day?
God was shaking things up when Jesus came the first time. God shook the earth when Jesus died on the cross (Matthew 27:51). God is shaking us now while we have time to repent as a nation as well as individuals. When Jesus comes back, only God’s unshakable kingdom will remain (Hebrews 12:26- 28).
What about the point Jesus was making with the fig tree? Borrowing from another parable in Luke--- The parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31), we can see how the point of that parable runs parallel to the parable of the fig tree (Luke 13:6-9). The point is that repentance has time, opportunity and a season.
1) Opportunity: The rich man had an opportunity to live right and be fruitful in sharing what he had people like Lazarus. Instead, the rich man chose to live for himself and neglect his God-given opportunities to do the right things. The appointed time came for both Lazarus and the rich man to die (Hebrews 9:27).
2) Eternity: Once death happened the fate of both were sealed. Then there was the judgment. Lazarus went to heaven and the rich man to hell. The same point is true in the parable of the fig tree (Luke 13:6-9).
3) Season: The season of repentance only lasts so long. None of us know the day or the hour that Jesus is coming back. Nor, do we know the day or hour of our appointed time to die (Hebrews 9:27). Revelation 3:19 says that God … “reprove[s] and discipline[s] those whom [He] love[s]. Be earnest, therefore, and repent (NRSV).
My father and I were talking about this text just the other day. He said when he was a boy my grandfather told him to go and get a switch when he had misbehaved. He even went with my father to pick out the switch. He said he learned not to run from the discipline with the switch, because the next option was the razor strap.
4) Last time: We never know when the next time is the last time! Once the tree is cut down, the opportunity for bearing fruit is gone. Once someone has died, he or she cannot go back seeking more opportunities to repent.
It is God’s will for us to succeed and be fruitful in Christ because no branch can bear fruit by itself (John 15:4). Jesus is both our only hope and our last hope. Are we being fruitful? Are we producing fruit? Being fruitful for the kingdom of God in making other disciples is not something that happens by default! Are we worth our salt (Matthew 5:13? Do we let our light shine before others so that others will thank God because of the difference we make (Matthew 5:16)? Do we strive to live at peace with one another (Romans 12:18) ? Do we forgive others as God forgives us? Do we live our lives in a way that produces fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8)?
In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
