Luke 12 (1)

Pray Psalm 10.1-5.
Why do You stand afar off, O LORD?
Why do You hide in times of trouble?
The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor;
Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire;
He blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD.
The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
God is in none of his thoughts.
His ways are always prospering;
Your judgments are far above, out of his sight;
As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.

Sing Psalm 10.1-6.
(Aberystwyth: Jesus, Lover of My Soul)
Why stand off, O Lord, afar? Why in times of trouble hide?
Wicked men in foolish pride seek Your precious flock to harm.
Many plots do they devise; catch them in their wicked schemes!
Greed and lust fill all their dreams, while they curse You, God most wise.

Read and meditate on Luke 13.1-7.

Preparation
1.What two incidents are mentioned?

2. What did Jesus advise?

Meditation
In a fallen world, we should not be surprised when bad things happen. Tragedies, violence, catastrophic storms, war, cruelty, crime, famine – all these and more are signs of creation’s groaning and travailing under the burden of sin (Rom. 8.20-22). A burden that continues to war against our own soul.

It’s not clear what these people wanted Jesus to do about the situation mentioned in verse 1. Perhaps they thought that He was a political or military Messiah, and this was just the excuse He would need to bounce the Romans and their lackies out of Jerusalem.

More likely, these people seem to have been curious about what terrible thing those folks had done that they should have been so brutally murdered (v. 2). Were they just checking to make sure they weren’t as sinful as those people? Did they still have some margin of sinfulness to indulge before the hammer came down on them?

Jesus reminded them of another “tragic” episode, a tower that fell and killed eighteen people (v. 4). Were they worse sinners than others because this happened to them? No, Jesus replied. Stop trying to guess how much sin you can get away with before tragedy befalls you. All sin calls for repentance, and unless repentance is real and persistent, even the smallest sins will cause us to perish forever (vv. 3, 5).

Repentance is that change of heart that turns from loving sin to hating it, and from living in sin to walking in the Spirit and righteousness of Jesus. Without repentance we cannot know deliverance from our sin.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
Until the media has a complete heart and mind change, only bad news will be deemed newsworthy. The mindset of the crowd surrounding Jesus was the same.

“Lord, here is a really grizzly story about Pilate’s martyring of the church in Galilee. Were those folks just bad?” But Jesus, well-tempered and wise as ever, answered, “I tell you, no” (Lk. 13.2, 3).

Jesus had a question for them. “How about those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed? Do you think they were worse sinners than all the other people in Jerusalem?” Then He answered His own question with, again, “I tell you, no” (Lk. 13.4, 5).

Jesus’ words were not meant to bring them comfort. His words were words of warning. Bad things don’t just happen to bad people. Bad things happen to everybody because everybody is sinful and bad. “And unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Lk. 13.3, 5). Crystal clear! Absolutely no room for misunderstanding there.

Each of us is responsible to God for our own behavior. We are not to compare ourselves with others for either comfort or retribution—neither a pat on the back or a rap on the knuckles. The Law is crystal clear for all to read and obey. Paul wrote, “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise” (2 Cor. 10.12).

And Jesus said the same when Peter was trying to deflect the load of Christian living and dying upon John. “But Lord, what about this man? Jesus said to him, ‘If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me” (Jn. 21.21, 22).

On this topic, Solomon wrote a note to help keep our thinking straight: “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him” (Prov. 24.17, 18).

Human goodness and badness rests on one scale: “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags…” (Is. 64.6). All need to come to repentance. All of us are without hope except in the cleansing blood of our Lord Jesus Christ… “having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Rom. 5.9). “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him…having made peace through the blood of His cross” (Col. 1.19, 20). “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin…If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1.7, 9)

“Without repentance we cannot know deliverance from our sin.”

With repentance we are wearers of clean clothes and bearers of good news!

For reflection
1. What is repentance? How would you explain repentance to a new believer?

2. Why is repentance so important to realizing more of our great salvation?

3. What would you recommend as a good, daily practice of repentance?

As no place or employment can secure from the stroke of death, we should consider the sudden removals of others as warnings to ourselves. On these accounts Christ founded a call to repentance. The same Jesus that bids us repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, bids us repent, for otherwise we shall perish. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Luke 13.1-5

Pray Psalm 10.11-18.
Pray for those who suffer and mourn, especially those who are of the household of faith. Pray that God will bring repentance and salvation to the nations of the world, that they may not perish in their sins.

Sing Psalm 10.11-18.
(Aberystwyth: Jesus, Lover of My Soul)
“Where, oh where, is God?” they say. “He has hidden out of sight!”
Rise up, Lord, in all Your might! Rescue those who You obey.
Wicked men Your judgment scorn; You observe their sinful ways.
Be our refuge, be our stay! Break the oppressor’s evil arm.

Evermore, Lord, You will reign! Nations perish from Your land.
You will with Your people stand; hear our cries of woe and pain!
Strengthen now our hearts, O Lord; vindicate Your people dear.
Drive away our every fear; help and preserve us by Your Word.

T. M. and Susie Moore

You can download all the previous studies in our Luke series by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available free by clicking here.