CHAPTER 13

(A.D. 33)

REPENTANCE

¹There were present at that season (probably referred to the previous Passover when this event took place) some who told Him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices (something happened at the Temple, which is not explained here, with Pilate dispatching soldiers to quell the disturbance; whatever it was, some had been killed while they were offering up Sacrifices at the great Altar immediately in front of the Temple; as a result, their blood had mingled with the blood of the Sacrifices).

²And Jesus answering said unto them, Do you suppose that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? (This is exactly what the religious leaders thought.)

³I tell you, No: but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish (this is a Message of somber note; evidently, they had assumed in their minds that the judgments suffered by these people was because of their great sins; they reasoned that they themselves were much more righteous, and would not suffer such Jesus tells them differently).

⁴Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men who dwelt in Jerusalem? (It is said that the Jews looked on the catastrophe as a judgment on the workmen who perished because Pilate paid them out of Temple money. It had to do with the pool of Siloam located in Jerusalem.)

⁵I tell you, No: but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish (if Christ says something one time, it is of extreme significance; if it is said twice, as here, then it takes on a consequence of unprecedented proportions; the tragedy is in A.D. 70; they did perish when Titus, the Roman General, completely destroyed Jerusalem).

THE BARREN FIG TREE

⁶He spoke also this Parable (refers to it being said immediately after the demand for Repentance); A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard (the fig tree is symbolic of Israel); and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none (Israel had brought forth no fruit for the Lord at all, despite all their religiosity; this should be a lesson for the modern Church).

⁷Then said He unto the Dresser of His Vineyard (portrays the owner as God, and the Dresser as Jesus; the Vineyard, i.e., belonged to God; as well, the Church also belongs to Him [Mat. 16:18]), Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none (illustrates the three years of the Lords Ministry up to now; despite the greatest miracles the world had ever seen, and by far, Israel remained spiritually blind and dumb; there was no fruit): cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? (This was a warning to Israel that if no fruit was forthcoming, judgment was imminent. But still, they did not heed or listen.)

⁸And He (the Lord Jesus) answering said unto Him (God the Father), Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it (represents the last months of the last year of the Masters Ministry, for it is thought that His Ministry lasted for about three and a half years; this portrays the fact that Christ had pleaded with the Father for a little more time):

⁹And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that You shall cut it down (in fact, the last few months of His public Ministry were opposed more than ever; Israel did not bear any fruit, and in A.D. 70 they were cut down).

THE SABBATH

¹⁰And He was teaching in one of the Synagogues on the Sabbath (by now, most Synagogues were closed to Him; this evidently was one of the few which still allowed Him to Minister).

¹¹And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years (means that a demon spirit had caused this sickness, which, no doubt, is the cause of much sickness presently, as well), and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself (constituted, some think, a curvature of the spine; she was an example of what Satan has done to the whole of humanity; mankind in general, at least in one way or the other, has a spirit of infirmity brought on by Satan, and is bound together; as well, man in no wise, can lift up himself).

¹²And when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him (means that this Miracle, like that of Nain, was unsolicited), and said unto her, Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity (a declaration of Deliverance, needed by the entirety of the human race).

¹³And He laid His Hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God (this portrays the fact that this woman knew the Lord, which means that she was right with God, but yet was bound by this spirit of infirmity, proving to us that such can happen, even now, and, no doubt, does; this doesnt mean the woman was demon possessed, for she wasnt; it does mean that she was oppressed by demon spirits, which can happen to any Believer [Acts 10:38]).

¹⁴And the ruler of the Synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath Day (there was nothing in the Law of Moses that said a person could not be healed on the Sabbath Day; this was an invention purely of man), 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 (proclaims this self-righteous bigot rebuking Christ; religious evil is the highest form of evil!).

¹⁵The Lord then answered him, and said, You hypocrite (proclaims righteous indignation, and rightly so! and let it be understood that Christ said this out loud in front of all the people), does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? (He vividly draws a contrast between animals and human beings, and made these Pharisees look like fools, which they were!)

¹⁶And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham (proclaims Covenant relationship), whom Satan has bound, lo, these eighteen years (Satan is the cause of all bondage, be it physical, mental, financial, or spiritual), be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath Day? (This proclaims the Deliverance of this woman as more important than keeping some silly man-made rule.)

¹⁷And when He had said these things, all His adversaries were ashamed (they were ashamed, but not changed, for they would not repent): and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him (but this incensed these hypocrites even more!).

THE MUSTARD SEED

¹⁸Then said He, Unto what is the Kingdom of God like? (This is meant to portray what Satan and religious men have done to the Great Plan of God as given to Abraham and Moses, as well as the Prophets. It would apply presently to the Church as well!) and whereunto shall I resemble it? (This presents God Himself revealing His Judgment about that which professed to be His Kingdom.)

¹⁹It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden (has to do with the humble beginnings of the Kingdom of God on Earth, going as far back as Abel; in fact, its beginnings were so small that the Bible only records two conversions up to Noah, a period of some 1600 years); and it grew, and waxed a great tree (speaks of the Nation of Israel growing into millions of people); and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it (proclaims demon spirits making their home in this Kingdom; hence, this explains the spiritual attitude of the Ruler of the Synagogue where Jesus healed the woman, as well as the entirety of the religious leadership of Israel).

THE LEAVEN

²⁰And again He said, Whereunto shall I liken the Kingdom of God?

²¹It is like leaven (meant to portray rot and corruption), which a woman took (the word woman as used here represents wickedness, fallacy, uncleanness, unfaithfulness, and false religion) and hid in three measures of meal (meal symbolizes the Word of God), till the whole was leavened (portrays Israel during the time of Christ as being thoroughly corrupted and, as well, refers to the modern Church).

MERE PROFESSION

²²And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem (infers that He was no longer welcome in any Synagogue; these were the last few months, or even weeks, of the Masters Ministry).

²³Then said one unto Him, Lord, are there few that be Saved? (This question was asked, no doubt, because of the statements just made by Christ concerning the mustard tree and the three measures of meal.)And He said unto them,

²⁴Strive to enter in at the strait gate (automatically narrows the opening for admittance to Salvation; it is not that God refuses people, but people refuse God, or at least Gods Way): for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able (proclaims the fact of many trying to enter in by a way other than the Cross, which is impossible!).

²⁵When once the master of the house is risen up, and has shut to the door (pertains to death), and you begin to stand without (refers to great multitudes, who thought they were within, but in reality, were without; there is nothing worse than a false way of Salvation), and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us (a prayer that could have been answered at any time before death, but cannot be answered after death); and He shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are (Christ will say to all who have rejected the Cross, I know you not; there could be no more chilling announcement):

²⁶Then shall you begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in Your presence, and You have taught in our streets (pertains to the Israel of Jesus day, who were so familiar with Christ, but rejected Him; it pertains now, to the vast multitudes, who are religious but lost).

²⁷But He shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence you are (proclaims Jesus Christ Alone as the Judge); depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity (anyone who rejects the Cross, is a worker of iniquity, whether they understand such or not; rejecting the Cross puts one in a state of rebellion).

²⁸There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (places the professors of religion on the same par as the atheist and Christ-rejecters), when you shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the Prophets, in the Kingdom of God (presents these as being with the Lord), and you yourselves thrust out (to be shut out from Heaven is to be shut into Hell).

²⁹And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south (proclaims an end of any type of exclusivity of the Gospel as practiced by the Jews in Jesus day; it will go to the world, which it did), and shall sit down in the Kingdom of God (predicts the Gentile Church having the same rights as the Jews, at least the Jews who are Saved [Eph. 2:13-18]).

³⁰And, behold, there are last which shall be first (refers basically to the Church, which is last, i.e., after Israel, but will come in first, because of being the first to accept Christ), and there are first which shall be last (refers to Israel which was first in line to receive Christ, but instead rejected Him, and will consequently, be the last to accept Him, which they will do at the Second Coming).

HEROD

³¹The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto Him, Get Thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill You (proclaims a pretense on their part at friendliness and concern, when their only true objective was to stop Christ in His Work and silence His Preaching; this was the same Herod who murdered John the Baptist).

³²And He said unto them, You go, and tell that fox (literally reads in the Greek Text, she-fox, which was the most contemptuous name ever given anyone by Jesus), Behold, I cast out devils (demons), and I do cures today and tomorrow (speaks of His Personal Ministry, i.e., today, and this Ministry that would continue through His followers, i.e., tomorrow; in this statement, He is actually declaring Herod to be of the devil, and that the day is coming, when such as he, will no longer rule among the sons of men; this awaits the Second Coming, but is closer now than ever), and the third day I shall be perfected (predicts His Death, Resurrection, Ascension, and Exaltation).

³³Nevertheless I must walk today, and tomorrow, and the day following (simply meant that He was on His way to Jerusalem, which would take some three days): for it cannot be that a Prophet perish out of Jerusalem (a terrible indictment on that city! Satan has contested this city as no other, because the Lord chose Jerusalem wherein His Name would be placed [II Chron. 6:6]; at the Second Coming there will finally be peace).

JERUSALEM

³⁴O Jerusalem, Jerusalem (said as a cry of anguish and of love, but yet with a deep foreboding!), which kills the Prophets, and stones them who are sent unto you (this affected not only Israel, but the entirety of the world; the rejection of Christ by His Own People, caused the times of the Gentiles to be continued, with the Government of God concerning this Planet delayed); how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen does gather her brood under her wings, and you would not! (Proclaims the countless opportunities given for Repentance, but to no avail.)

³⁵Behold, your house is left unto you desolate (in effect, speaks of the Temple, which with the rejection of Him, will now be rejected by God): and verily I say unto you, You shall not see Me (having rejected Christ, they would see Caesar, which would prove to be a catastrophic choice), until the time come when you shall say, Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord (quoted from Psalms 118:26; it speaks of the coming Kingdom Age, which will begin with the Second Coming; at that time Israel will then accept Christ as Lord, Saviour, and Messiah).