A sermon based upon Isaiah 55:1–9 and Luke 13:1–9
In the name of Jesus; amen.
Jesus was surrounded by a large crowd and preaching to his disciples about how one should live their life. It was a sermon filled with warnings about being prepared and being faithful and as he was preaching some in the group spoke up and mentioned an incident in which Pilate had squashed an uprising in Galilee and blood had been spilled.
We aren’t told exactly what they said to Jesus, but by his response we might imagine something like this was said: “They must have been really awful sinners to have something like that happen. Wasn’t that terrible? They really must have deserved it; don’t you think so, Jesus?”
There was no question that what had happened was a terrible thing and when terrible things happen it’s a natural thing to want to justify why it happened, but listen to what Jesus says:
“Do you think,” he asks, “that because these Galileans suffered in this way that they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them – do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.”
In the recent past there have been some great large-scale tragedies. Who can forget the towers that fell on 9/11? Or the tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2004? Or hurricane Katrina that destroyed the gulf coast? Or the killing of Amish girls in a one-room school house?
Each time great tragedies occur in the world or in our personal lives we wonder why.
The people who mention the Galilean tragedy have a theory on the why: they were sinners and deserved it.
We shouldn’t be surprised; we’ve heard similar theories associated with recent tragedies. For instance did anyone hear the theory that New Orleans was wiped out because it was a city of sin and God wanted to punish those living there so he sent Katrina?
The people who approach Jesus wanted to point fingers, to have a good excuse for why such an awful thing would have happened, but they also wanted something else. They wanted some sort of assurance that they weren’t like those who had been killed.
What Jesus tells them is that tragedies happen and they happen without reason sometimes and they happen to people no matter what kind of sinner they are. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and sometimes bad things happen to bad people and so we can’t judge a person’s sinfulness based upon the blessings or curses they receive.
That is the first part. Here’s the second: life is short and we can’t assume that everything will be great for us just because.
Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree. For three years the owner of the fig tree comes looking for fruit on it and finds none, so he tells the gardener to cut it down. But the gardener pleads for it and offers to take special care of it in hopes that it will produce for its owner.
The people wanted Jesus to talk bad about those whom Pilate killed, but instead of Jesus getting pulled into their finger-pointing talk he pointed the finger back at them. Those who suffered tragedy were not worse sinners than others who deserved to be punished but we are all sinners for whom tragedy may very well occur.
Jesus tells them to repent. Jesus tells us to repent because our time is limited. Do it now, because there may not be a later. But don’t be confused, repentance is not a one time act and then everything is ok. Jesus isn’t suggesting we just say that we are sorry and ask for forgiveness. Instead Jesus wants us to live repentant-ly; he wants us to live fruitfully.
Isaiah says it this way: “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen so that you may live.”
Living a repentant life, a fruitful life is living a life of constant desire for God. It isn’t esoteric or metaphoric, it is physical and real. It is purposeful life lived not in judgment of others but in service to God through our relationships and care of others.
In other words… we aren’t meant to do good in order to be saved or avoid tragedy, but in order to be fruitful. If God has given us more time it is for the purpose of fruitfulness.
Jesus wants us to be fruitful which means constantly turning to God for good things rather than wasting our money and labor for that which does not satisfy.
And we have been given another year to do this. That’s grace… unbelievable grace. God so desires our fruitfulness that we are given more time to produce, but time isn’t the only thing we are given. Jesus, the gardener makes a promise to fertilize the ground in which we are planted… to give us that which we need to be fruitful in the time we have been granted.
And why does God want us to be fruitful? Because a fruitful life is a full life. It is a life of rich things that satisfy instead of things that leave us thirsty and hungry. It is a life where tragedy and sin do not have the final word in our lives and this is the desire that God has for us. God desires our lives to be full and filled with good things. God wants to provide the thirsty with water and those with nothing enough to buy wine and milk… drinks of celebration and goodness.
And so we have been given another year and fertilizer; the things that help us to grow. Be fruitful and repentant and may the grace of God bless you with fullness and new life. Amen.
In the name of Jesus; amen.
Jesus was surrounded by a large crowd and preaching to his disciples about how one should live their life. It was a sermon filled with warnings about being prepared and being faithful and as he was preaching some in the group spoke up and mentioned an incident in which Pilate had squashed an uprising in Galilee and blood had been spilled.
We aren’t told exactly what they said to Jesus, but by his response we might imagine something like this was said: “They must have been really awful sinners to have something like that happen. Wasn’t that terrible? They really must have deserved it; don’t you think so, Jesus?”
There was no question that what had happened was a terrible thing and when terrible things happen it’s a natural thing to want to justify why it happened, but listen to what Jesus says:
“Do you think,” he asks, “that because these Galileans suffered in this way that they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them – do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.”
In the recent past there have been some great large-scale tragedies. Who can forget the towers that fell on 9/11? Or the tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2004? Or hurricane Katrina that destroyed the gulf coast? Or the killing of Amish girls in a one-room school house?
Each time great tragedies occur in the world or in our personal lives we wonder why.
The people who mention the Galilean tragedy have a theory on the why: they were sinners and deserved it.
We shouldn’t be surprised; we’ve heard similar theories associated with recent tragedies. For instance did anyone hear the theory that New Orleans was wiped out because it was a city of sin and God wanted to punish those living there so he sent Katrina?
The people who approach Jesus wanted to point fingers, to have a good excuse for why such an awful thing would have happened, but they also wanted something else. They wanted some sort of assurance that they weren’t like those who had been killed.
What Jesus tells them is that tragedies happen and they happen without reason sometimes and they happen to people no matter what kind of sinner they are. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and sometimes bad things happen to bad people and so we can’t judge a person’s sinfulness based upon the blessings or curses they receive.
That is the first part. Here’s the second: life is short and we can’t assume that everything will be great for us just because.
Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree. For three years the owner of the fig tree comes looking for fruit on it and finds none, so he tells the gardener to cut it down. But the gardener pleads for it and offers to take special care of it in hopes that it will produce for its owner.
The people wanted Jesus to talk bad about those whom Pilate killed, but instead of Jesus getting pulled into their finger-pointing talk he pointed the finger back at them. Those who suffered tragedy were not worse sinners than others who deserved to be punished but we are all sinners for whom tragedy may very well occur.
Jesus tells them to repent. Jesus tells us to repent because our time is limited. Do it now, because there may not be a later. But don’t be confused, repentance is not a one time act and then everything is ok. Jesus isn’t suggesting we just say that we are sorry and ask for forgiveness. Instead Jesus wants us to live repentant-ly; he wants us to live fruitfully.
Isaiah says it this way: “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen so that you may live.”
Living a repentant life, a fruitful life is living a life of constant desire for God. It isn’t esoteric or metaphoric, it is physical and real. It is purposeful life lived not in judgment of others but in service to God through our relationships and care of others.
In other words… we aren’t meant to do good in order to be saved or avoid tragedy, but in order to be fruitful. If God has given us more time it is for the purpose of fruitfulness.
Jesus wants us to be fruitful which means constantly turning to God for good things rather than wasting our money and labor for that which does not satisfy.
And we have been given another year to do this. That’s grace… unbelievable grace. God so desires our fruitfulness that we are given more time to produce, but time isn’t the only thing we are given. Jesus, the gardener makes a promise to fertilize the ground in which we are planted… to give us that which we need to be fruitful in the time we have been granted.
And why does God want us to be fruitful? Because a fruitful life is a full life. It is a life of rich things that satisfy instead of things that leave us thirsty and hungry. It is a life where tragedy and sin do not have the final word in our lives and this is the desire that God has for us. God desires our lives to be full and filled with good things. God wants to provide the thirsty with water and those with nothing enough to buy wine and milk… drinks of celebration and goodness.
And so we have been given another year and fertilizer; the things that help us to grow. Be fruitful and repentant and may the grace of God bless you with fullness and new life. Amen.
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