Studies by Book
Luke 13 1-9 Repent and bear fruit 01 Understanding repentance
📖 Luke 13:1-9
*Understanding repentance* _Luke 13:1-5_
_Luke 13:1-5 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. (2) And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? (3) I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. (4) Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? (5) I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."_
We have now come to the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke. What is the teaching that our Lord has for us in these first five verses?
Our Lord wants us to understand repentance. Repentance is needed for all of us and we will understand why it is needed.
The first misconception that the Lord is taking out of the mind of the Jewish people was that they related all problems to sin. This was the issue with the disciples, when they met the man born blind. _And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" John 9:2_
The Lord’s answer was _John 9:3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him._
When the Jewish leader questioned this man, who was born blind, who was healed by Jesus, he too had the same understanding and so did the Jewish leaders. _John 9:31-34 Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. (32) Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. (33) If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." (34) They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out._
Yet the Lord wants all of us to understand that His concern and burden is for repentance to take place in us. We read it both in verse 3 as well as in verse 5 of Luke 13.
What was the repentance that our Lord desires? The repentance is surely in the matter of sin but we must understand sin in its core elements. Sin is related to what I trust upon. The Jews trusted in the keeping of the law and commandments and they thought that their righteousness before God was because of keeping the law and not because of faith. This is where they stumbled.
_Romans 9:31-33 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. (32) Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. (33) As it is written: "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STUMBLING STONE AND ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND WHOEVER BELIEVES ON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME."_
The repentance needed for us is to repent from anything that we trust on and turn and place our trust in God. The self is the core aspect of sin and we must repent from trusting on ourselves and turn and place our trust in God.
*Thought to ponder*