A Call to Repentance
(Joel 1:13-20; Amos 5:4-15; Zephaniah 2:1-3)
1There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4Or 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? 5I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
(Isaiah 5:1-7)
6He 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. 7Then 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? 8And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
Jesus Heals a Woman on the Sabbath
10And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11And, 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. 12And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 13And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 14And 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. 15The 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? 16And 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? 17And 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.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-34)
18Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? 19It 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.
The Parable of the Leaven
(Judges 20:18-23; 2 Samuel 2:12-32; 2 Chronicles 13:4-19; Matthew 13:33-33)
20And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? 21It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
The Narrow Gate
(Matthew 7:13-14)
22And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, 24Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 25When 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: 26Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 28There 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. 29And 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. 30And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.
Lament over Jerusalem
(Matthew 23:37-39)
31The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. 32And 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. 33Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. 34O 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! 35Behold, 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.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
A Call to Repentance
(Joel 1:13–20; Amos 5:4–15; Zephaniah 2:1–3)
1 Now there were some present at the same time who told him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way. 4 Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them; do you think that they were worse offenders than all the men who dwell in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.”
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
(Isaiah 5:1–7)
6 He spoke this parable. “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none. 7 He said to the vine dresser, ‘Behold, these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and found none. Cut it down. Why does it waste the soil?’ 8 He answered, ‘Lord, leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it, and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit, fine; but if not, after that, you can cut it down.’”
Jesus Heals a Disabled Woman
10 He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. 11 Behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and she was bent over, and could in no way straighten herself up. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” 13 He laid his hands on her, and immediately she stood up straight, and glorified God. 14 The ruler of the synagogue, being indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the multitude, “There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day!” 15 Therefore the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each one of you free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the Sabbath, and lead him away to water? 16 Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound eighteen long years, be freed from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” 17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were disappointed, and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Matthew 13:31–32; Mark 4:30–34)
18 He said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? To what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky lodged in its branches.”
The Parable of the Leaven
(Matthew 13:33)
20 Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? 21 It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
The Narrow Door
(Matthew 7:13–14)
22 He went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and traveling on to Jerusalem. 23 One said to him, “Lord, are they few who are saved?” He said to them,
24 “Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in, and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen up, and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside, and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ then he will answer and tell you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 He will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.’ 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets, in the Kingdom of God, and yourselves being thrown outside. 29 They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in the Kingdom of God. 30 Behold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last.”
Lament over Jerusalem
(Matthew 23:37–39)
31 On that same day, some Pharisees came, saying to him, “Get out of here, and go away, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32 He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I complete my mission. 33 Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, for it can’t be that a prophet perish outside of Jerusalem.’ 34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, like a hen gathers her own brood under her wings, and you refused! 35 Behold, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
A Call to Repentance
(Joel 1:13–20; Amos 5:4–15; Zephaniah 2:1–3)
1 At that time some of those present told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 To this He replied, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered this fate? 3 No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed on them: Do you think that they were more sinful than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
(Isaiah 5:1–7)
6 Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7 So he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for the past three years I have come to search for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore cut it down! a Why should it use up the soil?’
8 ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone again this year, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine. But if not, you can cut it down.’ ”
Jesus Heals a Disabled Woman
10 One Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman there had been disabled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was hunched over and could not stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your disability.” 13 Then He placed His hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and began to glorify God.
14 But the synagogue leader was indignant that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. “There are six days for work,” he told the crowd. “So come and be healed on those days and not on the Sabbath.”
15 “You hypocrites!” the Lord replied. “Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it to water? 16 Then should not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be released from her bondage on the Sabbath day?”
17 When Jesus said this, all His adversaries were humiliated. And the whole crowd rejoiced at all the glorious things He was doing.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Matthew 13:31–32; Mark 4:30–34)
18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed that a man tossed into his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”
The Parable of the Leaven
(Matthew 13:33)
20 Again He asked, “To what can I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”
The Narrow Door
(Matthew 7:13–14)
22 Then Jesus traveled throughout the towns and villages, teaching as He made His way toward Jerusalem. 23 “Lord,” someone asked Him, “will only a few people be saved?”
Jesus answered, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. 25 After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’
But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’
26 Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
27 And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’
28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves are thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. 30 And indeed, some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”
Lament over Jerusalem
(Matthew 23:37–39)
31 At that very hour, some Pharisees came to Jesus and told Him, “Leave this place and get away, because Herod wants to kill You.”
32 But Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look, I will keep driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.’ 33 Nevertheless, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not admissible for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem.
34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. And I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’ b”
Footnotes:
7 a SBL, NE, WH Cut it down!
35 b Psalm 118:26
A Call to Repentance
(Joel 1:13-20; Amos 5:4-15; Zephaniah 2:1-3)
1And there were present certain at that time, telling him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate did mingle with their sacrifices; 2and Jesus answering said to them, 'Think ye that these Galileans became sinners beyond all the Galileans, because they have suffered such things? 3No -- I say to you, but, if ye may not reform, all ye even so shall perish. 4'Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them; think ye that these became debtors beyond all men who are dwelling in Jerusalem? 5No -- I say to you, but, if ye may not reform, all ye in like manner shall perish.'
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
(Isaiah 5:1-7)
6And he spake this simile: 'A certain one had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit in it, and he did not find; 7and he said unto the vine-dresser, Lo, three years I come seeking fruit in this fig-tree, and do not find, cut it off, why also the ground doth it render useless? 8'And he answering saith to him, Sir, suffer it also this year, till that I may dig about it, and cast in dung; 9and if indeed it may bear fruit -- ;and if not so, thereafter thou shalt cut it off.'
Jesus Heals a Woman on the Sabbath
10And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath, 11and lo, there was a woman having a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and she was bowed together, and not able to bend back at all, 12and Jesus having seen her, did call her near, and said to her, 'Woman, thou hast been loosed from thy infirmity;' 13and he laid on her his hands, and presently she was set upright, and was glorifying God. 14And the chief of the synagogue answering -- much displeased that on the sabbath Jesus healed -- said to the multitude, 'Six days there are in which it behoveth us to be working; in these, then, coming, be healed, and not on the sabbath-day.' 15Then the Lord answered him and said, 'Hypocrite, doth not each of you on the sabbath loose his ox or ass from the stall, and having led away, doth water it? 16and this one, being a daughter of Abraham, whom the Adversary bound, lo, eighteen years, did it not behove to be loosed from this bond on the sabbath-day?' 17And he saying these things, all who were opposed to him were being ashamed, and all the multitude were rejoicing over all the glorious things that are being done by him.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-34)
18And he said, 'To what is the reign of God like? and to what shall I liken it? 19It is like to a grain of mustard, which a man having taken, did cast into his garden, and it increased, and came to a great tree, and the fowls of the heavens did rest in its branches.'
The Parable of the Leaven
(Judges 20:18-23; 2 Samuel 2:12-32; 2 Chronicles 13:4-19; Matthew 13:33-33)
20And again he said, 'To what shall I liken the reign of God? 21It is like leaven, which a woman, having taken, did hide in three measures of meal, till that all was leavened.'
The Narrow Gate
(Matthew 7:13-14)
22And he was going through cities and villages, teaching, and making progress toward Jerusalem; 23and a certain one said to him, 'Sir, are those saved few?' and he said unto them, 24'Be striving to go in through the straight gate, because many, I say to you, will seek to go in, and shall not be able; 25from the time the master of the house may have risen up, and may have shut the door, and ye may begin without to stand, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, lord, open to us, and he answering shall say to you, I have not known you whence ye are, 26then ye may begin to say, We did eat before thee, and did drink, and in our broad places thou didst teach; 27and he shall say, I say to you, I have not known you whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of the unrighteousness. 28'There shall be there the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth, when ye may see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the reign of God, and yourselves being cast out without; 29and they shall come from east and west, and from north and south, and shall recline in the reign of God, 30and lo, there are last who shall be first, and there are first who shall be last.'
Lament over Jerusalem
(Matthew 23:37-39)
31On that day there came near certain Pharisees, saying to him, 'Go forth, and be going on hence, for Herod doth wish to kill thee;' 32and he said to them, 'Having gone, say to this fox, Lo, I cast forth demons, and perfect cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I am being perfected; 33but it behoveth me to-day, and to-morrow, and the day following, to go on, because it is not possible for a prophet to perish out of Jerusalem. 34'Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that is killing the prophets, and stoning those sent unto her, how often did I will to gather together thy children, as a hen her brood under the wings, and ye did not will. 35Lo, your house is being left to you desolate, and verily I say to you -- ye may not see me, till it may come, when ye may say, Blessed is he who is coming in the name of the Lord.'
The Favor of God Message paraphrase
Repent or Perish
¹ Some people came to Jesus and told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 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.”
The Parable of the Fig Tree
⁶ Then He told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. ⁷ So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ⁸ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath
¹⁰ On a Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, ¹¹ and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. ¹² When Jesus saw her, He called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity!” ¹³ Then He put His hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. ¹⁴ Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” ¹⁵ The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? ¹⁶ Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” ¹⁷ When He said this, all His opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things He was doing.
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
¹⁸ Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? ¹⁹ It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.” ²⁰ Again He asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? ²¹ It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
The Narrow Door
²² Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as He made His way to Jerusalem. ²³ Someone asked Him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, ²⁴ “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. ²⁵ Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But He will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ ²⁶ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ But He will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from Me, all you evildoers!’ ²⁸ “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. ²⁹ People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”
Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem
³¹ At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to Him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.” ³² He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.’ ³³ In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! ³⁴ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. ³⁵ Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Footnotes:
13:4: Siloam was an area in Jerusalem with a famous pool; the collapse of the tower was a recent tragedy.
13:7: The fig tree symbolizes Israel’s lack of spiritual fruit, and the call to repentance is urgent.
13:16: Jesus exposes the hypocrisy of the leaders for caring more about rules than people in need.
13:19: The mustard seed illustrates how God’s kingdom begins small but grows large and impactful.
13:24: The “narrow door” is a metaphor for the challenge and urgency of entering God’s kingdom.
13:29: The image of a feast is a common metaphor for salvation and participation in God’s eternal kingdom.
13:35: This verse references a future recognition of Jesus as Messiah when He returns.
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