Here is a teaching on chapter 13 of the book of Luke. If you want to check out previous Bible studies and chapters going forward, join our group here. Once you get added into that Facebook group, you can go to the "units" tab and you'll see all of the chapters and their study guides as they are being taught.
I did want to say a quick prayer... Lord, I pray that you lift up every single person reading this right now. Please give us knowledge and understanding to know exactly what it is that we're reading and the wisdom to implement it in our daily lives. Holy Spirit please guide us and please help us to see the truth, know the truth, discern the truth, and live by the truth. Lord, I pray that whatever it is that each person is supposed to receive from this Bible study, they receive it and implement it in their daily lives. I love you with every ounce of my being. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Luke Chapter 13:
1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
8 “ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ”
Alright, so I'm going to stop right there and discuss these verses with you guys here. In verses 1-5, we are all sinners, we all make mistakes, we all need Jesus, and we all have to repent for our sins. It doesn't matter which sins we committed, we have to ask for forgiveness. Jesus Christ will forgive us but we have to repent or we will perish. Whenever we do ask for forgiveness and Jesus saves us then we have eternal life in heaven. If we don't repent and ask for forgiveness then we perish and go to hell.
In verses 6-9, this was an illustration of God's judgment. God looks for fruit in us. God is patient. It says that for 3 years this man had been coming there to look for fruit and after 3 years of no fruit he still gave it a second chance. But there would come a time whenever the judgment would come. God is not just going to give us endless chances. He loves us unconditionally and he's patient, merciful, and gracious but there is going to be a time of judgment for wicked people.
10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
So in verses 10-13, Jesus had seen this woman that had been crippled by a spirit for 18 years and he performed this miraculous sign by healing her and immediately she straightened up and praised God. In verse 14, because Jesus had performed this miraculous sign on a Sabbath, the synagogue ruler was upset and he said that there were 6 days out of the week where people could be healed but not on the Sabbath day because you're not supposed to work on the Sabbath. What Jesus said in verses 15-16, these people were hypocrites because they untied their ox and donkeys and let them out to water and this was considered work on the Sabbath, but they didn't want this woman that had been bound for 18 years to be set free on the Sabbath. Like I've gone over in our Bible studies before in the book of Luke, there is no wrong day to do a good thing and Jesus Christ is Lord of the Sabbath. Nothing that Jesus does on the Sabbath is ever going to be wrong or bad.
18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”
20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
So in verses 18-19, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed, which is a very small seed. It's planted into a man's garden and it grows and becomes a large tree. Usually, a mustard seed only grows to become a bush, so this growth was unnatural. A lot of people think that this parable is an explanation that describes the growth and the spreading influence of the church. Initially, this is what I was thinking, but after doing some research and just looking at the context from before and after this parable, this parable is actually a description of the corruption in the community of the kingdom. This mustard seed grew unnaturally large and it had birds that perched on it. In a previous parable that we went over in part 1 of chapter 8 of the book of Luke, the birds were from the devil. Here is verse 5 of chapter 8 of the book of Luke says, "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up." In verse 12 of chapter 8 of the book of Luke, it says, "Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved."
Then what Jesus says in verses 20-21 of chapter 13 of the book of Luke, yeast is consistently used as a picture of corruption and sin. We saw this in our Bible study from part 1 of chapter 12 of the book of Luke where it says in verse 1 to be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. So again this is a description of the corruption in the community of the kingdom. So these religious leaders and the church were full of corruption and evil. Jesus came to shed light on that, to show us the truth of God's words, and to save all who come to him and ask for forgiveness.
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22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”
He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’
28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”
What Jesus says in verse 24, it's so important for us to have a relationship with Christ and to lean on him through every aspect of our lives. When we try to do things on our own and live life the way that we want to it leads to destruction. It's also important to study the Bible and ask God to reveal the truth in our lives. We have to trust and follow the Lord and there are going to be many false teachers and false prophets in this world and it's our duty to discern the truth and to live by it. A lot of people will tell you that they are a good person but that's not what gets you into heaven. We have to be saved by Jesus, truly follow Jesus, be a light to others, and spread the gospel of Christ.
In verses 25-29, once the time comes whenever Jesus comes back for his people there will be a lot of people waiting to go to heaven also. But they won't make it because they were just living life the way they wanted to and they didn't believe in Jesus Christ, repent, follow him, and they just went about their life following the evil inclinations of their heart and thinking that they can save themselves. Jesus Christ is the only one that can save us. It doesn't matter if those people were in the presence of Jesus whenever he walked on the earth and they ate and drank with him and all of that. If they didn't believe in Jesus Christ and they didn't seek to live and have a heart like him and be saved by him, they are not going to make it into heaven. Jesus is merciful, gracious, and loving but he's also just, and whenever the time comes the chances are going to be over. If people haven't changed and given their life to Jesus when the time comes then it's going to be too late.
31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”
32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ 33 In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!
34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”
Alright, so those are all of the verses of chapter 13 of the book of Luke, but I'm going to discuss these verses with you guys here. What Jesus says in verses 32-33, Jesus wasn't worried about Herod because he was on a mission to save lives and he was going to continue to keep healing people until his time came for his crucifixion. Jesus was fully submitted to the will of God the Father and he knew that he was on a mission to save lives and that his work would be completed in God's perfect timing. In verses 34-35, Jesus is showing here that he loves the people of Jerusalem and he longs to gather them and take care of them but they are stubborn and not willing and they killed the prophets from the Old Testament. The ones that were sent to preach about the kingdom of God these people stone. The verse that Jesus says here in verse 35 is Psalm 118:26. Jesus has given them chance after chance to believe in him and he longs to care for them, help them, lead them, and guide them but they are stubborn and they follow the evil inclinations of their heart and they're not going to see him again until they say "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."
Here are 3 takeaways to write down:
1. We all have to repent for our sins
2. There is never a wrong day to do something good
3. We have to make every effort to enter through the narrow door
Luke Ch 13 Study Guide
Why do we need to repent?
Is there ever a wrong day to do something good? Why or why not?
In verses 18-20, what is this parable a description of?
Why is it so important to have a relationship with Christ
Why will many people not be able to enter the narrow door?
Why was Jesus not worried about Herod?
Why were the people of Jerusalem not willing to be gathered by Jesus?
What is your biggest takeaway from this Bible study?
So that concludes this Bible study on chapter 13 of the Book of Luke. Tomorrow we're going to go into chapter 14, so make sure you stay tuned for that.
I love you guys so much.
Never forget to choose faith over fear.
-Lorena Camille (Faith Fuels My Fire)
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Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights
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