LUKE LESSON 35

     We will begin this lesson in Luke 13:1 "There were present at
that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate
had mingled with their sacrifices."

     This is telling of a terrible time when the Romans would swoop
down on a large crowd and kill a large number of the people.  Pilate
represented the dreaded Roman government.  These Galilaens were not
the strict Hebrews.  Many would say they got what they deserved for
their loose living.

     Luke 13:2 "And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that
these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they
suffered such things?"  Luke 13:3 "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish."

     Jesus has discerned what they are thinking.  He knows these
disciples, and these Hebrew followers have no respect for these
Galilaeans.  Jesus is quick to tell them that not only are the
Galilaeans guilty of sin, but they are, too.  They, as well as the
Galilaeans, need to repent and be saved by grace.  Just because a
person has the outward appearance of being a Christian, does not free
them from the obligation of repenting from their sins.

     Luke 13:4 "Or 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?"  Luke 13:5 "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish."

     Jesus is telling them to stop pointing fingers at others' sins
and start looking at home at their own sins.  When this tower fell,
the Hebrews were quick to say these were people who had fallen away to
Rome.  We must be very careful to make sure all of the sin is out of
our life, before we point fingers at someone else.  In less than 40
years from the time Jesus made this statement, Jerusalem fell and
literally thousands perished.

     Luke 13:6  "He 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."  Luke 13:7 "Then 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?"

     Jesus is speaking here of Israel (fig tree).  The man is symbolic
of God, because the Israelites are His chosen people.  This fig tree
produced no fruit.  The terrible thing is for 3 years Jesus brought
them the salvation message.  For 3 years He went away sorrowful
because very little fruit was produced.  In fact, God's beloved
Israelites rejected Jesus.  At the very last of Jesus' ministry, He
turned away from the Jews and offered the gospel to the Gentiles.  He
had given up on them producing fruit (cut it down).  In St.  John
11:54 we read about this, "Jesus therefore walked no more openly among
the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into
a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples".

     Luke 13:8 "And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone
this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung [it]:"  Luke 13:9
"And if it bear fruit, [well]: and if not, [then] after that thou
shalt cut it down."

     We see in this that these privileged Hebrews had forgotten that
duties go along with privileges.  As we said before, this prophetic
parable that Jesus gives here comes true, because Jerusalem is
devastated shortly after this.  Jesus gave them a chance, they just
didn't take it.

     Luke 13:10 "And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the
sabbath."  Luke 13:11  "And, 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]."  Luke 13:12 "And when Jesus saw her, he
called [her to him], and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from
thine infirmity."  Luke 13:13 "And he laid [his] hands on her: and
immediately she was made straight, and glorified God."

     We see, here, that Jesus was still allowed to preach in some of
the synagogues.  This was one probably in a rural area away from
Jerusalem.  Luke, more than any of the others, goes into detail about
illness making us realize that he was truly a medical man.  The
disease mentioned here sounds like a very serious curvature of the
spine.  Sometimes this illness comes in a person's youth and gets
worse and worse as they grow older.  This woman seems to have a lot of
faith to receive this healing.  She knew exactly what to do and whom
to glorify when she received her healing.  Take note that this was
done on the sabbath and these self-righteous, religious people were
more concerned with dotting every "i" of the law than they were with
helping this poor soul.  She immediately stood straight.  This was not
a prolonged healing, but a miracle.

     Luke 13:14 "And 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."

     My own opinion of this is that this ruler is jealous of the
miraculous ability of Jesus and looks for any little technicality he
can trap Jesus with.  This is really a little too shallow for anyone
to believe that the real reason was the law.

     Luke 13:15 "The 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?"  Luke
13:16 "And 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?"

     Jesus always has an answer for them.  He says to them you loose
your animal on the sabbath, are you telling me that animals are more
valuable to God than people are?  Of course, they had no answer for
Him. In one instance, He told that they were so foolish that they
would strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.  They had no reasoning for
what they did, at all.  Like so many churches today, their doctrine is
more important to them than the truth taught in the Bible.

     Luke 13:17 "And 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."

     He left these rulers of the church without anything to say.  They
knew what He said was right.  The people believed Him even more, and
they could see right through the shallowness of these rulers.  The
people rejoiced with this woman who had been stooped over for 18
years.  They also rejoiced that they had found a way to worship that
showed some hope for them.  It is wonderful to know that the God you
worship is powerful and can do mighty things to deliver His people.
The ritual they had been practicing in the synagogue had left them
cold, but this gospel Jesus preached was good news.

     Luke 13:18  "Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like?
and whereunto shall I resemble it?"

     Jesus here is saying, how can I tell you in a way that you can
understand what the kingdom of God is like?  I will show you something
you do understand, and you can compare it with that.

     Luke 13:19 "It 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."

     We see, here, a tiny mustard seed growing into a tree big enough
for birds to build a nest in.  Jesus is the Tree of Life.  His
beginning in the earth was small.  Very few people ever dreamed that
He and a handful of disciples could grow into a mighty movement which
would affect the whole world.  Small beginnings do not mean small
endings.  The tree which Jesus started here has overspread the entire
world.

     Luke 13:20 "And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the
kingdom of God?" Luke 13:21 "It is like leaven, which a woman took and
hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened."

     This second short parable here speaks of the secret move that
takes place inside a person.  When they received Jesus inside of them,
even though they at first didn't show it outside, their faith began to
grow until one day they were a very strong Christian.  They became a
complete Christian when Jesus became the central point of their life.






                          Luke 35 Questions

1.  Who had Pilate killed and mingled their blood with the sacrifices?
2.  Who did Pilate represent?
3.  What had these people assumed about these Galilaeans?
4.  What does Jesus know they are thinking?
5.  Who did they think were greater sinners than anyone in Jerusalem?
6.  What was Jesus telling them to stop doing?
7.  This parable about the fig tree was about whom?
8.  What did He come looking for this 3 years?
9.  God's beloved Israelites did what that upset God?
10. In St.  John 11:54 when Jesus stopped walking among the Jews,
    where did He go?
11. How many years did Jesus preach and they didn't hear Him?
12. How many years did He go to the fruit tree and there was no fruit?
13. What city is devastated soon after Jesus says this?
14. Where did Jesus preach on this sabbath?
15. How long had this woman been stooped over?
16. What did Jesus say to her when He healed her?
17. What did she do immediately after she was healed?
18. What type of illness did she have?
19. What shows us that Luke was a physician?
20. What were these people more interested in doing than in healing
    this woman?
21. What did these rulers accuse Jesus of?
22. What did they say to the people?
23. Why is this ruler doing this, really?
24. What does Jesus tell them they are more interested in than people?
25. Who does Jesus call her?
26. How are they similar to churches today?
27. What did these rulers feel after Jesus straightened them out?
28. How did it affect the people?
29. The people rejoiced for another reason besides the woman's
    healing.  What was it?
30. What did Jesus liken the kingdom of God to (2 things).
31. What difference do you see in the two?