OPENING THE GOSPELS: Lent 3

 THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

Click on the links for an introduction to the series, and the techniques of reading with your head, heart and hands.

Luke 13.1-9 (Isaiah 55.1-9, Psalm 63, 1 Corinthians 10.1-13)

13At that very time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4Or 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? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’

6 Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” 8He replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. 9If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.”’

HEAD QUESTIONS

WHO?

Jesus: What picture of Jesus do we get from this passage? 

The questioners: “there were some present”. We aren’t told anything about these people. We don’t know whether they are supporters or opponents of Jesus, or undecided about him. What do you think, and how does it change the feeling of this conversation to imagine them as supporters, opponents or undecided?

The victims: The passage refers to two separate incidents; the massacre of some Galileans by Pontius Pilate, and the collapse of a tower which killed eighteen people. One group is killed as a political act by a malign governor, the other apparently in a random natural disaster. 

The characters in the parable: The vineyard owner is impatient for his fig tree to fruit, but the gardener – the one who actually gets his hands dirty doing the work and sees this tree day to day – urges patience. (His advice on restricting the roots of the fig is still good advice for fig tree growers – cutting around the roots and feeding it is likely to make it fruit more generously).

WHERE?

This conversation takes place somewhere between Galilee in the north and Jerusalem, to which Jesus is heading (see last week’s notes). 

Galileans: Jesus was from the northern territory of Galilee, as were most of his followers. It was where most of his ministry was exercised. Those who were massacred were from his own area. Do you think this is significant?

Siloam: The tower of Siloam was part of the defensive wall of Jerusalem. John 9 refers to a pool of water there which was associated with healing. Its waters were used in Jewish rituals, so it was a place where people gathered. The collapse of the tower seems just to be a case of the victims being in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

WHEN?

“At that very time” Like last week’s Gospel passage, this reading comes from Luke 13, when Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, heading for his crucifixion. 

“Three years”: the length of time the vineyard owner has waited for the fig to fruit. In reality it might easily take this long to do so, so perhaps the owner is being impatient. Perhaps Jesus’ questioners also want a quick fix, an easy answer to the problem of suffering. 

WHAT?

In the stories immediately before this Jesus has focussed on the need to be aware of the signs of the times. He is trying to prepare his followers for the trouble that is coming. It will be natural for them to think, when they see him crucified, that his mission has failed, and that God has rejected him or is punishing him. It is still common for people to feel that disaster or illness is some kind of punishment “What have I done to deserve this?”, and to equate worldly success with God’s blessing”. Jesus warns against this type of thinking, and his parable reminds us that God’s timescale may be different from ours! 

“unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’ Jesus’s words sound very grim, but he is simply reminding his questioners that they shouldn’t consider themselves better than those who have been killed in these disasters. Everyone will die, and everyone is called to repentance. The Greek word for repentance literally means to “change one’s mind”. They need to change their minds about God’s love, which is not ours to ration out or limit.  

HEART QUESTIONS

• How do you feel as you read this passage?

• Have you ever felt that some bad thing that has happened to you is your fault (even if it wasn’t), or felt it was a punishment? Why did you feel like this?

• Imagine yourself in the parable Jesus tells. Would you side with the owner or the gardener? Why do you think each of them reacts as they do?

HANDS QUESTIONS

• What do you feel prompted to do in response to this Gospel story?

• What might you need to change your mind about?