Love Prevails!: REPENT or PERISH.

Luke 13 - Repent or Perish.

1 There were some present at that very time who told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered thus?

13:3 I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

Luke 1:33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

(In GOD-we have Eternal Life)

4 Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Silo′am fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem?

5 I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

(A statement repeated twice in (Luke 13:3 & 13:5)

Jesus begins by addressing two tragic events; the massacre of Galileans by Pilate and the collapse of the tower in Siloam. It is a belief of the people that suffering is a punishment for sin, Jesus challenges the thought and has these lines 13:3 & 13:5 repeated for our listening. It means that death comes with no warning. We need to repent for our sins and be ready, for death comes like a thief.

When we have a repenting nature before God, knowing that we are fallible, we need to pray for the grace of God for ourselves and for others.

The parable follows Jesus’ warning that tragedies should not be a judgment of others. The message: REPENT NOW is a matter of urgency.

After the above warning in Luke 13:3 & 13:5, Jesus used this parable to make us understand principles of God’s judgment.

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree. (Luke 13:6-9)

Jesus uses this parable to teach about repentance and God's patience.

What the symbols mean:

The Vineyard: where God places His people to produce spiritual fruit.
The Barren Fig Tree - the branches: Represents individuals.
The Owner of the Vineyard - The Vinedresser: Represents God the Father-Who prunes the branches (us).
The Gardener - The Vine: is Jesus Christ our intercessor.
Digging and Fertilizing — God’s work through grace, correction, and in circumstances to awaken repentance.
Cutting Down — Divine judgment after persistent refusal to respond.

The Parable: Jesus tells a parable where a man owns a fig tree planted in his vineyard. After three years of seeking fruit and finding none, the owner instructs the gardener to cut it down. The gardener pleads for one more year to cultivate and fertilize. If it still bears no fruit, it will be removed.

This parable is set with two parameters, one repentance and second, the urgency of producing spiritual fruit.

Luke 13:6, Luke 13:7, Luke 13:8, Luke 13:9,

Luke 13:6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.

Luke 1:36 And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

God looks for fruit. The fruit in our life shows what kind of persons we really are. When a life is touched by Christ, that life never is the same. But change takes time. We sing,

One day at a time, sweet Jesus

That's all I'm asking from You

Just give me the strength to do every day what I have to do

Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine

Lord help me today, show me the way, one day at a time

Each step takes us closer to God.

Luke 13:7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Lo, these three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down; why should it use up the ground?’

Luke 1:37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Here, we learn of God's Patience, His Mercy, and His expectation of repentance from us.

God does not condemn those who are unfruitful but gives time, for change. The Spirit of God corrects us when we are wrong, and God gives us time when corrected to implement the change but always filling us with His grace. We are never short of it.

From this we learn, God gives people time and fills us with His grace to change, but His patience has a limit if there is no spiritual fruit.

The Vinedresser in John 15 is God the Father.

Jesus teaches us that abiding in Him is essential for spiritual fruitfulness, and that God, the Father, actively prunes branches (=all His children) to make us more fruitful.

Jesus says, John 15:1-4

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.

2 Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

3 You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

Please look at the underlined, John 15:2 & 15:4 (Without God, an individual could become the barren fig tree)

5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

Luke 13:8 And he answered him, ‘Let it alone, sir, this year also, till I dig about it and put on manure.

Luke 1:38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

“This year also=one more year” shows God’s extraordinary Patience and Mercy - to delay judgment, to give people time to repent. The additional year symbolizes God’s willingness to extend grace and allow time for spiritual growth.

God grants extra time for repentance; we understand this by the Gardener offering to dig and fertilize around the barren fig tree. The mercy given here is of a limited time, and judgment will follow if there is still no spiritual fruit.

The Gardener - is Jesus - Who intercedes for mercy. It is Christ continually working to bring about repentance and spiritual growth.

Each person responds differently to the grace of God. In some the response is immediate and others take time.

A life touched by God, cannot remain the same, Grace has a profound effect and love the light that shines through Grace. No life remains the same.

These numbers appear in the Parable of the Sower, where Jesus describes seeds sown on good soil producing fruit: “some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold”. Luke mentions the hundredfold.

The seed: represents the Word of God, and

The soil: represents the human heart.

Mark 4:8 - 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

Matthew 13:8 - 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Luke 8:8 - 8 And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold.”

The 30, 60, and 100 fold yields in the Bible symbolize the fruitfulness of God’s Word in receptive hearts.

Those who hear, accept, and nurture the Word bear spiritual fruit in varying degrees.

Luke 13:9 And if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

Luke 1:39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah,

If the tree produces fruit after this extra care, it is saved ("well and good"). If it remains barren, the Gardener agrees to let it be cut down.

In this situation, the fruitlessness of the tree symbolizes a lack of faith, therefore a lack of spiritual growth. Continued fruitlessness would mean, the gardener would inevitably cut down the tree.

Our Heavenly Father prunes us. Our lives are meant to be a blessing not just to ourselves but to be a blessing to all.

There is an urgency in living fruitful lives. We need to live our lives with good works and kindness that reflect the Heart of God. We can be joyful in knowing that our lives in God matter, and the fruits we produce will affect the lives long after we are gone.

The gardener’s desire is to nurture and care for the barren tree, showing the loving Face of God to each one of us. This is the doing of God that inspires us and teaches us to live with compassion and kindness, towards all and all the days of our life.

Love deeply, be merciful to all and generous in your compassion, oh how we need to instill this deep in our hearts.

If the tree remains barren after renewed care, it will be cut down—symbolizing the reality of judgment.

Jesus shows that persistent unresponsiveness to God’s patience and grace ultimately leads to being cut down.

CONCLUSION:

Jesus stresses entry into God’s Kingdom requires repentance and commitment, and that not all who assume they are included will be saved. There are consequences of rejecting God’s call.

It is essential, to correct misconceptions about suffering and Divine Judgment.

CONCLUSION 2: Luke 9:57-62 (30Sep2026-Gospel)

57 As they were going along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”

59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

60 But he said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”

62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

What did Mary do:-

Luke 1:36 And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

Luke 1:37 For with God nothing will be impossible.” (God's call-Follow me.)(Lk9:59-60)

Luke 1:38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

(Mary's 100% reply.)(I will follow you.)(Lk9:61)

Luke 1:39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah,

(Mary kept no thought for herself. Mary did not turn back and go to Joseph and fill Him on the proceedings of everything that was happening around her and in her life on this particular day. As she gives her reply to Archangel Gabriel, Mary leaves almost immediately. Human reasoning is what always makes us look the wrong way, but not MARY. Mary obeyed and trusted God in all circumstances of life.)(Lk9:61)

Mary proclaimed Gods Magnificence in The Magnificat.

"Hail Mary, Full of Grace!"

The Numbers:

133 - 133 Cardinals, Fr. R.T. & Fr. M.C. & Fr. D.F.