Podcasts about galileans

Reading Luke 13:1-5 where Jesus responds to a couple of scenarios, one where Pilate killed some Galileans and another where a tragic accident occurred, and points them to repentance. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!

JOHN 4:43-54 - NOBLEMANS SON - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025JOHN 4:34 "Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. 44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!”50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!”52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household.54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee."To support this channel and partner with Brian in Ministryhttps://www.briansumner.net/support/For more on Brianhttp://www.briansumner.nethttps://www.instagram.com/BRIANSUMNER/https://www.facebook.com/BRIANSUMNEROFFICIALTo listen to Brians Podcast, click below.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Purchase Brians Marriage book at https://www.amazon.com/Never-Fails-Da...Brian is a full time "Urban Missionary" both locally and internationally with a focus on MISSIONS - MARRIAGES - MINISTRY. Since coming to faith in 2004 doors continued opening locally and internationally to do more and more ministry with a focus on Evangelism, Outreach Missions, Marriage, Counsel, Schools, Festivals, Conferences and the like.  Everything about this ministry is made possible because of people personally partnering through the non profit. God Bless and thank you. †Support the showSUPPORT THE SHOW

John 6:1-15,After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. One morning last week it occurred to me, in a fresh way, that God's mercy to me has always been deliberate. Whatever good God has ever given to me, he meant it. He meant to give it to me. It was on purpose. And that's true for all of us.The only kind of kindness we ever receive from God is purposeful kindness. This means there's not a single blessing in our lives that is arbitrary or whimsical — and that goes for everything big and small — from a cup of coffee to a roof over our heads, from a good parking spot in a crowded lot to a dinner table crowded with children. Every good thing in our lives is from the hand of God on purpose. Purposeful kindness. And when we get this truth in our heads, we start to see it everywhere. It's all over the place in John Chapter 6 in this story of Jesus feeding the five thousand — which, by the way, this miracle is unique because it's the only miracle of Jesus that is recorded in all four Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each tell this story because it was monumental for the early church. Through this miracle Jesus is shining brightly as the fulfillment of Old Testament hope, and in the Gospel of John especially, the main message that John wants us to get is that Jesus is greater than Moses. Jesus has already said in Chapter 5, verse 46 that Moses wrote about him, and now we're going to see how he surpasses Moses. That's the narrative strategy going on here, but I don't want us to be too fixed on the narrative strategy that we miss the wonder of Jesus's heart in this story — his purposeful kindness is on display. And that's our focus. I want to show you the purposeful kindness of Jesus in three ways. Here's the first:1. Jesus is a patient provider. Let's start in verse 1 and notice that it opens with a new setting (and it's all important information) … Jesus is back in Galilee (where he's from) and there's a “large crowd” of people following him. That phrase “large crowd” is used twice, and we learn later that it's large as in likely over ten thousand people. Now why was this large crowd following Jesus? Verse 2 says it's because they've seen his signs. We already know from Chapter 4 that the Galileans really loved the signs, and so here they are again coming to see more. Important InfoThen verse 3 says that Jesus went up on the mountain — John doesn't tell us what mountain because it doesn't really matter — we just need to know that Jesus was on a mountain. And this is important because it's an allusion to Moses. It's what we could call a ‘Moses-wink.' (John gives us several little clues in this story to remind us of Moses; you could call them Moses breadcrumbs, but we're gonna call them “Moses-winks.”)The most famous mountain in the Hebrew Bible is Mount Sinai where Moses received God's Law — we know a big part of Moses's ministry was on a mountain, and then the other big part of Moses's ministry was, of course, leading the Exodus — which by the way, verse 4 tells us it's Passover. Passover is the annual feast in Jewish life that remembers Moses leading the exodus (so verses 3 and 4 have back-to-back Moses-winks).Jesus is on a mountain, during Passover — and there's a large number of people following him — and look what Jesus does in verse 5. The text says he lifted up his eyes.This could just be the basic information of what he did, except that earlier in Chapter 4, verse 35 Jesus commanded his disciples, “Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” Jesus was telling them: Recognize the work of God in the world and join in! And that's exactly what Jesus is doing here! He's about to work the work of God! So there's a drumroll. We're on the the edge of our seats.But then he asks one of his disciples a question.Humorous IronyHe has twelve disciples, but this time he's talking to Philip, who was from that area, and he asks him, verse 5:“Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”And I think there's meant to be humor in this question. Because the question, at face-value, is crazy. There are thousands of people here, Jesus, what do you mean buy bread? In fact, everybody look at verse 6 for a minute. This is one I really need you to see, verse 6. Everybody, verse 6. This is John the narrator talking — Verse 6:“[Jesus] said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.”So this means the question in verse 5 seems so absurd that in verse 6 John as the narrator has to chime in and explain to us that Jesus is up to something. John is saying: Hang on and watch this. And at this point, I think the main thing that separates this story from a modern-day sitcom is a laugh track. Now we're gonna try something we've never tried before. Do y'all think we could make our own laugh track? …Now I'm gonna read this dialogue and when I point at y'all, laugh together. We're gonna make a live laugh track. Because there's humorous irony going on in this story and it'll make sense to you. You're gonna see it. Here we go:Jesus, looking at thousands of people, says: “Hey Philip, where are we gonna buy bread so that these people can eat?” [laugh track]Philip: “16,000 dollars worth of bread would not be enough for each person to get a bite!” [laugh track]Andrew: “I gotta kid here whose got five loaves and two fish.” [laugh track]See, this is a sitcom! It's a situation-comedy.And then Jesus says, “Have the people sit down” — which instantly takes this scene from comedy to He's gonna really do it. He's gonna feed these people. And we'll get there in a minute, but the first thing that stands out here is that Jesus is even taking the time to have this dialogue with his disciples.He Takes Care of ItVerse 6 tells us that he knew what he was going to do; so he could have just done it, but instead he chooses to involve his disciples. He chooses to slow the whole thing down to double his giving — because not only is he gonna give food to this crowd, but now he's gonna give a lesson to his disciples. And this takes amazing patience. And every parent in this room gets this. …I'm at home and I've got to fix a broken cabinet door, so I've got my wood-glue and some screws and a clamp and my drill — I'm ready to go — and then one of my dear children walks in and says, “Hey, Dad, can I help?” And in that moment I've got to decide: Do I wanna make this go twice as long and be twice as stressful?You bakers in the room know what I'm talking about. Sometimes you just wanna make a batch of cookies … and then sometimes you want your five-year-old to help. It all depends on your patience level.Look at how patient Jesus is here! I'm guessing Philip failed this test. A better response would have been to answer Jesus's question with another question. Philip should've said: “Jesus, you can do all things, would you feed them?”See Andrew gets a little closer (maybe he remembers Jesus turning the water to wine), but neither of these disciples get it exactly right. And notice that Jesus doesn't rebuke them. He doesn't shake his head in frustration. He just takes care of it.One day we're gonna find out how many times Jesus has done this for us — how many times we've not had it right but Jesus was our patient provider.There's a prayer of thanksgiving I pray often that goes:Jesus, thank you for the blessings in my life I was neither capable of achieving nor wise enough to ask for but which you sent anyway. Thank you for the particular mercies you've bestowed on me and for all the ways you've been patient with me — for the ways you've helped me change and break bad habits and patterns of thought, heart attitude, and practice; and for the ways you've protected me from the fuller consequences of my own blindness.He's so patient with us. He just takes care of it. One way the purposeful kindness of Jesus is on display is that he is the patient provider.2. Jesus is a generous host. In verse 10, Jesus tells the disciples to have all the people sit down, and there are five thousand men. Now if you add the women and children it would at least double the number (that's where the 10,000 number comes from; some scholars estimate 20,000 total) — either way, this is a lot more people than one paper-bag lunch can serve. That is the most obvious thing going on here. Again, it's comically obvious.But Jesus took that little lunch, he gave thanks to his Father, and in verse 11 “he distributed [the lunch] to those who were seated.” And he didn't ration out the food, but he gave everyone as much bread and fish as they wanted, verse 12, and they all got full.And then he told his disciples to gather up all the leftovers, which ended up being twelve baskets — so they ended with more food than they had when they started; and each of the twelve disciples had his own basket to carry. Which means each disciple would've had a tangible reminder of what Jesus does with basically nothing but a willing heart. (By the way, that's our only hope in ministry — our hope is that Jesus does it this way, and that he's the one who gives us a willing heart.)Putting on a FeastNow I want to draw special attention to two details Jesus does here. The first is that Jesus distributed the bread. Now I don't think this means he himself gave a slice of bread to each person individually — the disciples helped him spread it — but the point is that Jesus was hands-on in this experience and none of it was required.There was a crowd and they were hungry, and all he had to do was just say something. He could've just said “Hunger, be gone.” Jesus has the power to just speak and instantly make the empty stomachs not feel empty. He could have just said the word, but he didn't do it that way.Also, he could have just limited everyone to a slice of bread — just tear off a piece — but instead it's Take all you want! Which means Jesus is putting on a feast here — this whole thing is about more than solving hunger. That's not the point. The point is that Jesus is showing himself to be a generous host. (So he's kinda like Moses with the manna, except that he's greater!)He makes this wide open space his dining room. The ground these people are standing on, which John tells us was lush with grass, becomes banquette seating.Last week, our younger kids, at their school, did a production of Beauty and the Beast. And my favorite scene of the play, by far, is when Belle is in the castle and the staff invite her to dinner, and the kids altogether sang maybe the greatest Disney song of all time, Be Our Guest. It starts:Be our guest, be our guestPut our service to the testTie your napkin ‘round your neck, chérieAnd we provide the restLook, that's what is happening here, except the “we” is an “I.” Jesus is hosting all of these people as his guests. And it's to everyone's surprise.The disciples apparently didn't even think about Jesus doing this. Nobody in this crowd expected this — they were looking for signs, yes, but they couldn't have guessed this. And that's what makes it even more amazing! This is the part that puts Jesus over the top as a generous host. It's that none of these people deserved this. Jesus knows they're not really seeking him. He will say later in verse 26 that the only reason these people are sticking with him is for the free food. And look, he knows all of that now! He knows that on the frontside and yet still, look what he does!He not only gives to those who can't repay him; he gives to those who don't even want to repay him.I feel like if I were there, I'd say: Jesus, your strategy here is all wrong (and I know because I'm a church planter). See, what you win them with, you win them to. Jesus, you're making shallow followers here. You're just meeting their felt-needs and creating a positive experience — at least make the parking bad.Jesus knows all of the pitfalls here, and he does it anyway. Why? … Because he's generous. Because he loves people. Because he wants somebody in that crowd to know he's generous and loves people — because he wants us to know. What if the purposeful kindness of Jesus on display in John 6 is actually for us who are reading this story two thousand years later?Let us marvel at how Jesus is a generous host. And let's learn from him.3. Jesus is loyal to his Father's will. The conclusion to this miracle is the response of the crowd in verses 14–15, which was not humble worship, but ignorant zeal. They recognize, first, because of this miracle, that Jesus is the prophet promised in Deuteronomy 18:15. That's when Moses himself said,The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.This is not a Moses-wink, this is a straight up Moses-spotlight. Jesus is that ‘prophet like Moses.' Moses wrote of him, and he's greater than Moses. The crowd is 100% correct in their assessment of Jesus in verse 14. But it goes sideways in verse 15 because they wanted to take Jesus by force and make him king. This means that these 5,000 men are a mob-in-the-making, but they're not against Jesus, they want to ‘promote' him. And that's exactly why Jesus gets out of there. But why?! They wanna make him king, Jesus is a king, why doesn't he go along with this?Jesus walks away from thousands of ‘loyalists' because he is loyal to his Father's will, and the path to the throne prepared by his Father requires a cross. That's the reason why. Jesus is the Prophet. Jesus is the King. And Jesus is also the Lamb, and soon enough the will of his Father is gonna lead him to Jerusalem, as one theologian puts it, “not to wield the spear and bring the judgment, but to receive the spear thrust and bear the judgment.” See, Jesus's ascendancy to glory won't come through popularity and prestige, but through suffering and sacrifice. Which he endured for us.Do you see, his loyalty to his Father's will is our salvation? That's what he's after. That's why the Father has sent him.He will be crucified in our place, slain for our sins, taking the punishment we deserved. Jesus will die and be raised to live forever so that we can too.Jesus says, verse 40:“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”Church, it is good news that Jesus is loyal to the will of his Father. It's good news that he does not buckle to the demands of our ignorant desires.Because if we were there, we would have wanted to make him king too. Like Peter, we would have deterred him from the cross. But he went there anyway even as we stood in his way, because he follows his Father's will, not ours, on purpose. This is grace unmeasured, love untold! This is the purposeful kindness of Jesus to us!Jesus is a patient provider. Jesus is a generous host.Jesus is loyal to his Father's will.And that's what brings us to the table. The TableWhat can we do but just thank him? This morning let's marvel at the glory of Jesus. That's my invitation to you now.

In John 14:26, Jesus promised, ‘But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.' No matter where we are the Holy Spirit is our constant companion, our Advocate and Helper. He empowers us to understand God's truth, comforts us in uncertainty, and reminds us of Christ's love and wisdom in every season. In a city that never sleeps, let's pause and invite the Holy Spirit to ignite our hearts. We are never alone; God's presence is with us, teaching, guiding, and connecting us to His unending grace. If you are new to Community Church, WELCOME! We would love to get to know you. Please fill in the following form and we look forward to connecting with you: https://bit.ly/cc-new-connect You can find all timely and relevant links from this service on https://bit.ly/cc-links You can also find out more about us at https://communitychurch.hk/ ================ This Week's Scripture: // Acts 2:1-13, 41 // The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Luke 13:1-17New King James Version:Repent or Perish13 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had [a]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.”The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree6 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it [b]use up the ground?' 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 [c]And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.' ”A Spirit of Infirmity10 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way [d]raise herself up. 12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” 13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.14 But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”15 The Lord then answered him and said, [e]“Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? 16 So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” 17 And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

“Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.” (Acts 2:41 NLT) Jesus’ followers experienced a profound change after His resurrection. Jesus had conquered sin and death forever. He had already won the war against humankind’s two greatest enemies. So His followers were emboldened to fight the battles against those who opposed Jesus’ work. They literally had nothing to fear any longer. We can see the evidence of their newfound boldness in the events that took place during the celebration of Pentecost at the temple in Jerusalem about ten days after Jesus returned to Heaven. Pentecost (which is also known as Shavuot) is a major Jewish festival. In the first century AD, people traveled from foreign lands to celebrate it at the Jerusalem temple, the center of Jewish worship. Jesus’ followers were also in Jerusalem at the time. About 120 of them had continued to meet since Jesus’ departure. According to Acts 2:1–4, a roaring wind suddenly swept through their meeting place. Small flames appeared and rested on each of them. The Holy Spirit filled them, and they began to speak in languages they didn’t know. A large crowd rushed in to investigate the commotion. Foreign visitors to the city were stunned to hear stories about the wonderful things God had done being spoken in their native languages by uneducated Galileans. Peter seized the moment. The disciple who, just a short time earlier, had been too scared even to identify himself with Jesus, boldly stepped forward and explained that the people were witnessing the fulfillment of a prophecy God had made hundreds of years earlier, as recorded in Joel 2:28–32. God had promised to pour out His Spirit on all people, and now the Spirit had arrived. Peter then launched into an impromptu sermon. He reminded people of the miracles Jesus had performed. He pointed to those miracles, as well as to Jesus’ death and resurrection, to show them that Jesus had carried out God’s plan of salvation. Peter quoted the prophetic words King David wrote about Jesus hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth. And then he identified Jesus as the long-promised Lord and Messiah. Peter urged the people to repent and be baptized so that they, too, would be filled with the Holy Spirit. His words had a powerful impact. Acts 2:42 says that about three thousand people believed in Jesus that day. With one bold push, Peter and the others started the snowball rolling downhill. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they established the church and began to fulfill the Great Commission—to make disciples of all nations. The world would never be the same. The same Holy Spirit who gave wisdom, strength, and boldness to Peter and the others fills everyone who believes in Jesus today. His power is always available to us. He equips us to step out of our comfort zone, to reach across the invisible lines that separate us from others, and to boldly share the Good News of Jesus. Reflection question: What specifically can the Holy Spirit equip you to do? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we blame people for their suffering, we are using blame to shield ourselves from the possibility that we could suffer in the exact same way.⁠Learn more or contact Heather⁠A homily based on the following scripture:Luke 13:1-9At that very time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them--do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

When we blame people for their suffering, we are trying to use blame to shield ourselves from the possibility that we could suffer in the exact same way.Learn more or contact HeatherA homily based on the following scripture:Luke 13:1-9At that very time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them--do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

Jesus is nearing Jerusalem when some in the crowd bring up agruesome tragedy—Galileans slaughtered by Pontius Pilate, their blood mingledwith their sacrifices. Pilate, a harsh Roman governor, was notorious forclashing with the Jews. He brought Roman ensigns into the Holy City, seizedtemple funds for an aqueduct, and quelled protests with violence. Thisatrocity, possibly during a feast when nationalism surged, saw soldiers strikedown unarmed Galileans at the altar—a shocking sacrilege. The crowd, especiallythe Pharisees and Judeans, assumed these Galileans were worse sinners,deserving such a fate. They expected Jesus to agree. Instead,Jesus replies, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than allother Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unlessyou repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:2-3). Then He brings itcloser to home: “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killedthem, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt inJerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”(Luke 13:4-5). The Siloam tower collapse—workers killed on Pilate's aqueductproject—stung the Judeans. They'd judged those victims too, thinking they gotwhat they deserved for working with Pilate. Jesusflips the script. He doesn't defend Pilate or the Galileans, nor does He diveinto political debates. He lifts the issue higher: tragedy isn't always divinepunishment. The Galileans weren't worse sinners; the Siloam workers weren'tuniquely guilty. Suffering doesn't always mark God's wrath—Job's friendsmisjudged that, and so did the crowd. Even Jesus, sinless, suffered. If everydisaster signaled sin, how would we explain the trials of prophets, apostles,or Christ Himself? Jesus debunks their logic, then drives deeper: all aresinners, and all face judgment unless they repent. The real question isn't “Whydid they die?” but “Why are you still alive?” Thisurgency echoes through Scripture. Jesus' first message was “Repent, for thekingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). His last, to the church inLaodicea, was “Be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19). Paul preached “repentancetoward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). The Greekword for repentance, metanoia, means a change of mind and heart—a turning fromsin to God. It's not just confessing; it's forsaking sin and trusting Jesus.The Bible calls for repentance 969 times—it hasn't dropped out of God's vocabulary,even if it's faded from ours. TheGalileans' fate and Siloam's collapse foreshadowed a greater judgment—likeJerusalem's fall to Rome in AD 70. Jesus' warning was clear: repent now, orperish. Today, we're tempted to judge others' misfortunes—“They had itcoming”—while dodging our own guilt. But Jesus cuts through: “Unless yourepent.” We're all in the same boat—one death per person. “Now is the day ofsalvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). As Jesus neared the cross, He urged thecrowd—and us—to wake up, stop pointing fingers, and turn to Him. He didn'tpromise a life free of towers or tyrants, but a way to stand forgiven beforeGod. ClosingChallengeHaveyou truly repented—changed your mind about sin, owning your guilt before God?This week, pick one area needing a turn—maybe a hidden sin, a bitter attitude,or a neglected faith. Confess it, turn from it, and trust Jesus to transformyou. Don't delay; the time to repent is now. PrayerLordJesus, thank You for Your urgent call to repentance, preached from Your firstwords to Your last. Forgive us for judging others instead of facing our ownsin. Stir our hearts with metanoia—a true change toward You. Help us turn fromsin, place our faith in You, and live as Your children. Give us courage to acttoday, trusting Your mercy. Bless us as we follow You to the cross and beyond.Amen.

Today's Topics: 1, 2, 3, 4) Father Charles Murr joins Terry Gospel - John 4:43-54 - At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. When He came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed Him, since they had seen all He had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast. Then He returned to Cana in Galilee, where He had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to Him and asked Him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While the man was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, “The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe. Now this was the second sign Jesus did when He came to Galilee from Judea. Bishop Sheen quote of the day

At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee.For Jesus himself testifiedthat a prophet has no honor in his native place.When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him,since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast;for they themselves had gone to the feast.Then he returned to Cana in Galilee,where he had made the water wine.Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,he went to him and asked him to come downand heal his son, who was near death.Jesus said to him,“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”The royal official said to him,“Sir, come down before my child dies.”Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.While the man was on his way back,his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.He asked them when he began to recover.They told him,“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.”The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,“Your son will live,”and he and his whole household came to believe.Now this was the second sign Jesus didwhen he came to Galilee from Judea.

Luke 13:1-9 ESV  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."

+ Holy Gospel according to Saint John 4: 43 – 54 After the two days, Jesus left there for Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast.Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death.Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe."The royal official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies."Jesus said to him, "You may go; your son will live." The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While he was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, "The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon." The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live," and he and his whole household came to believe.Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea. The Gospel of the Lord

Jn 4:43-54At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee.For Jesus himself testifiedthat a prophet has no honor in his native place.When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him,since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast;for they themselves had gone to the feast.Then he returned to Cana in Galilee,where he had made the water wine.Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,he went to him and asked him to come downand heal his son, who was near death.Jesus said to him,“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”The royal official said to him,“Sir, come down before my child dies.”Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.While the man was on his way back,his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.He asked them when he began to recover.They told him,“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.”The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,“Your son will live,”and he and his whole household came to believe.Now this was the second sign Jesus didwhen he came to Galilee from Judea.

John 4:43-54,43 After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. To get started this morning I want to tell you the first thing I told our middle school baseball team this past week: it's that the most important thing in your life is your faith in Jesus Christ.Now there's a lot of important things in life — there's big things, critical things — but the most important thing is your continued, abiding, daily faith in Jesus, and that's what I want to talk about this morning, because that's the main theme in our passage.We've already said (and we're gonna keep saying) that John's purpose in this Gospel is that we believe in Jesus. John cares a lot about our faith and the nature of true faith — and that comes through in this story, verses 43–54. So for today's sermon, we're gonna look at these verses and I want to show you three aspects about the nature of true faith. And these are aspects that, as we look at them, we should evaluate our own faith in their light. Here's the first:1. True faith goes deeper than gawking at signs and wonders. This is the broader message coming through in this whole section and I know it's gonna make sense to you, but I need you to track with me, okay? There's a lot of details here, so get ready. We're gonna start by looking at verse 43. “After the two days he [Jesus] left for Galilee.”Now where did he leave from? Where has Jesus been (that we've seen) over the last couple of Sundays? Samaria.So Jesus has now left Samaria to go to Galilee, which means we need to do a little geography check-in for a minute. In ancient Israel there were three regions stacked on top of one another: Galilee in the north, then Samaria, then Judea. Let's try to follow where Jesus has been: Remember Chapter 2 starts and Jesus is in Galilee, at the wedding at Cana; then, in 2:13, he goes to Jerusalem to go to the temple, which is in Judea (south); then in Chapter 4, verse 3, “[Jesus] left Judea and departed again for Galilee” (going north, and what's in the middle of Judea and Galilee? Samaria) … So Chapter 4, verse 4: “[Jesus] had to pass through Samaria” (that's what we've seen in Chapter 4) — Jesus spent two days in Samaria, but now he's back on the road to Galilee.And Galilee is where he's from. Nazareth is in Galilee, and Jesus grew up in Nazareth, but notice what John includes for us in verse 44. This is a little note in the text just for us, verse 44. Everybody look at verse 44:“Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.”That phrase “own country” is literally the word “fatherland” — it's another way to say “hometown,” and in this case, it's not talking about Galilee specifically, but it's talking about the land of Jewish people — which includes both Galilee and Judea. Basically, this means not Samaria. The land of the Samaritans is not Jesus's “own country” — but the land of Jewish people is. That's the point. And so we're set up here to see a contrast between the way Jesus is treated by his own people in his own country and the way he was just received in Samaria (not his country). And verse 44 would suggest that the difference is going to be a negative response in Galilee. “No honor,” verse 44 says.Why the Welcome?Now look at verse 45. It's just the next verse. You're right there. Verse 45: “So [or therefore] when he came to Galilee [his own country], the Galileans welcomed him …”Now wait a minute! Verse 44 just said no honor in his own country. Verse 45 says his own country welcomed him. How does that make sense?Well, it has to do with why they welcomed him. We gotta keep reading, verse 45: “the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.”Which means they had seen Jesus bring the mayhem. Remember that in Chapter 2? They saw him pushing over tables and cracking a whip — it was a scene! He turned some heads. He got their attention. They wanna see more of that!Now, skip down to verse 48. In verse 48, Jesus is speaking to this official who's son was sick — we're about to get there — but first I want you to see this part. Jesus is talking to this official, but when he says “you” in verse 48, it's plural. Jesus is actually talking about the Galileans overall. He's speaking to the official in verse 48, but he's saying: “Unless y'all [unless all you Galileans, Jewish people, my people] — Unless y'all see signs and wonders y'all will not believe.” That's their problem. Now how is that different from Samaria? Samaria Was DifferentRemember there's supposed to be a contrast between Jesus's own country and where he's just been in Samaria. So then, what was it like in Samaria? Fruitful! People believed! It started with the Samaritan woman who believed in Jesus and then by verse 41 a whole crowd of Samaritans believed in Jesus, but the details here are really important. We gotta pay attention to this. I want you to see this in verse 41. Look back up, Chapter 4, verse 41:“And many more [Samaritans] believed [in Jesus] because of his word.”So they believed in Jesus because of his what? Word.That's the contrast. Jesus's own country, his own people, they just wanna see a spectacle. They wanna light show. Give me that head-turnin' buzz-worthy drama! Their faith is as true as a roller-coaster ride is eternal.But the Samaritans … there was nothing flashy there at all. It started with a conversation at a well at noon. Yet the Samaritans believed Jesus because of his word.And we're supposed to see here: that is true faith! It goes much deeper than gawking at signs and wonders Jesus can do, but it's about Jesus himself. Because what he gives us in his word is himself.Look, I don't know what all of you think faith in Jesus is, but it might be much simpler and deeper than you imagined — most basically, faith in Jesus is taking Jesus at his word. What he says is … because of who he is. So what you do with his word is what you do with him. Here's the second aspect we see about true faith …2. True faith often emerges among real-life needs.Now we're gonna talk about this official in verse 46. Jesus is back in Cana, in Galilee, and verse 46 says,46 … And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked [or begged] him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.We don't know too much about this official — just they that he was a royal official (that's what that word means — most likely he worked under Herod); so we know that, and we know he was a man; and we know he was a father who lived in Capernaum where his son was sick. Capernaum was around 25 miles east of Cana, by the Sea of Galilee, and so this official's travel from Capernaum to Cana would not have been easy. It would have been 25 miles uphill. And that helps us understand more his request. It was not a mere “Hey, Jesus, if you got a minute, would you consider helping me?”That word translated “ask” in verse 47 has already been used twice in John Chapter 4. First, in verse 31, when the disciples urged Jesus to eat, that word for “urge” is the same word translated “ask” here in verse 47. It shows up again in verse 40, when the Samaritans “asked” Jesus to stay with them for a couple more days. They really wanted Jesus to stay. So this word means an earnest petition. Like begging. Which means we should imagine this official, wearied from his journey, finally seeing Jesus, and he pleads with him to heal his son who is on his deathbed.And what does Jesus do? He takes this moment as an opportunity to address the problem of shallow faith. This official is desperate, and it's almost like Jesus looks over him, for the sake of everyone else, all of Galilee, and he says, “Y'all are all about the signs and wonders, and that's not truth faith.”The Locked-In DadIt's like Jesus starts going all “rabbi” on this guy (and whoever else is listening) — Jesus is teaching about the nature of true faith. This is important! Listen up! And notice how this guy replies in verse 49. He's ‘super intrigued' by what Jesus says! He's been ‘waiting his whole life for this theological conversation' — is that what we see? No. Jesus says what he says about faith, and the man says back to him: “Sir, come down before my child dies.”This official is locked in on one thing. His child is sick. And the word for “child” in verse 49 is different from the word “son” used in verse 47. A son can be any age — every man in this room is a son — but that word “child” means little child. It's an affectionate term.So here's what's going on: This man comes to Jesus because he wants his son to be healed; Jesus teaches about true faith; the man replies: Sir, if you don't come now my little child will die.And that is a clue for us that this official is not really after signs and wonders. He's not looking for a show. He's not motivated by the thrill of entertainment. He just loves his little boy, that's all. That Desperate EnergyI think all the parents in here could put ourselves in this official's shoes. We get this — we love our children, don't we? But as I worked on this passage, I thought especially about parents whose children have been terribly sick. And there are more than a few parents in our church who have been there. We pray often for them. And I thought of Logan and Stacy Brennecke.The Brenneckes have five children, and they've experienced suffering as parents. In 2014 they lost their daughter at six days old, and today their youngest son, Theo, who is three, has been on our prayer list his whole life so far. He was born with some complications — He's had four surgeries, including a kidney transplant. He's had countless procedures, worked with 12 different specialists, and in the last two years he's been in the hospital about 100 days. And praise God, today he's doing well! But I was able to connect with Logan and Stacy this week because I wanted just to hear more about their experience in light of this passage.In hearing from them, Stacy talked about one of the hardest parts in their experience is being told there's nothing you can do to make your child well. She called the feeling a “desperate energy.” She's been there more than once, but about one experience, Stacy said, I felt claustrophobic — I was stuck in a tight space, unable to get out but frantically trying to. I would've done anything, gone anywhere, acted the fool in front of anybody, if it would just help my child.See, that's where this official was in this story. He was at home, in Capernaum, a father by his little son's bedside, stuck with that desperate energy. And then someone told him, “Sir, Jesus of Nazareth has come back.”In verse 47 of this story we don't know anything about this official's faith, just that he heard Jesus was back — this Jesus who was different, this Jesus who had caused that scene in Jerusalem, who claimed to be the Messiah. For this father, it's only hearsay, but what if there's a chance?! So he goes. He goes to Jesus. He meets Jesus. He pleads with Jesus, and in verse 50 Jesus replies: “Go; your son will live.”And what does it say at the end of verse 50? You gotta see this. Verse 50, after Jesus says “Your son will live,” we read: “The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.”So for this Galilean, he has faith like the Samaritans did. Because he believed Jesus's word. Where We LiveAnd we might think, wait a minute. He didn't come to Jesus because he wanted Jesus, he came to Jesus because he wanted his son to live. And that's right, but, the initial reason why he came to Jesus should not make us continue to question the sincerity of this man's faith. The fact that he wanted his child to live just means he's a real person. He lives where we do. He lives in real life, with real needs and longings and love for his children. Get this: true faith emerges from this, from real life.Understand that a lot of times what comes first is not “standing amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene,” but it's falling desperate before him because you need help. Often it's real-life stuff that leads us to Jesus. We know this in our stories.For a lot of us, we were living our lives, doing our own thing, and then something went sideways. Living got hard. We were leveled by a need and we found ourselves in a mess, and somewhere in that mess we heard about Jesus — or we remembered Jesus — and we thought, “Maybe he can help.” And guess what? He can.See, a lot of us started by looking for answers over here, and we ended up finding Jesus, and that's okay. This gets to something super important when it comes to faith: listen, it's not how you start; it's how you finish.Which means two things:One, if you're here this morning and you're currently in a mess, if you're in a desperate situation and you're not really seeking Jesus but you find yourselves here, I want you to know that's not strange. That's how it goes. You don't have to have your life all figured out first. You don't have to have your “theological Ps and Qs” in order. Most of the time, true faith emerges among real-life needs. You're in real life, and then you meet Jesus, and then you take Jesus at his word. And this is his word to you this morning — listen, this is the gospel word of Jesus to you — he says:“Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”I love you. I died for you, if you come to me. I will forgive you all of your sins and I will make you a child of God. Wherever it is you're coming from this morning, right now you can take Jesus at his word.Second, if you've trusted in Jesus in the past, which is a lot of us, the question today is, Do you trust him now? Believe him now. Keep taking him at his word! And if at times it seems like your faith is failing, if your trust dwindles, you can pray what another desperate father once prayed, Mark 9:24,“I believe; help my unbelief!”And Jesus will. True faith often emerges among real-life needs. 3. True faith rests in Jesus who is powerful and kind. This man believed Jesus's word and went on his way back to Capernaum, and on his way back his servants met him on the road. They had good news. They told him that his son was alive. He's recovering. And the man asked them what time his son started to recover. (Which is fascinating. This is dramatic irony. As readers, we know why he's asking this question, but his servants don't know). They tell him, His fever broke yesterday at 1pm. And the father knew! That's when Jesus said the words “Your son will live.”So verse 53 says,“And he himself believed, and all his household.” So this man's initial, simple faith is now followed by an abiding faith that spreads. His whole household believed. Like with the Samaritan woman, true faith gets shared. Who Our Faith Rests InBut I want to end here by saying more about who our faith rests in. I want you to notice the power and kindness of Jesus in this passage.First, his power. All he had to do was say the word. The very moment Jesus said “Your son will live,” 25 miles away the fever broke. Look, he who commands the wind and the waves also has power over sickness. Jesus has power over fevers and kidneys and MCLs and you name it. Jesus is powerful.And also Jesus is kind. Notice a change that happens in this story. This official, who is a father, is not actually called a father until verse 53.First, it's formal. He's an official from Capernaum. He's a Galilean. Then he's called a man. But by the end of the story, in verse 53, for the first time he's called “the father.”And I think this shows us the kindness of Jesus to meet all of us where we are. We come to him in our need and he meets us as those who are needy. Which does not mean, listen, this does not mean he always gives us the healing we want. Sometimes he doesn't give us the Yes we want in that moment, but, he always gives us himself. And he helps us. Sometimes that means he just has to carry us. Be near to us. If he doesn't make the pain go away, he will bring you through the pain. He's kind. He's kind. Jesus is kind.And I can't help but think that Jesus's kindness to this father shows that Jesus must know something about a father's love for his son. Jesus doesn't know this because Jesus was a father — he wasn't — but he was a son — he is a Son, the beloved Son of God the Father. And the Father's love for Jesus is so glorious that Jesus wants us to know what it's like (see John 17:24). That's why he went to the cross.And that's what brings us to the Table.The TableAt the cross, Jesus game himself for us to make us the children of God, and at this table we remember that. And we come here to rest in him. We come here to remember his death for us, and his word to us: We are loved. In him we are forgiven. We are children of God. That's why this Table is for Christians. This table is for everyone who has put their faith in Jesus. And if that's not you yet, you can just pass the elements down the row, but don't let the moment pass. As we're hearing and singing this song, I invite you to believe in Jesus. Put your faith in him. And if you'd like, I'd love to talk to you more about that after the service.Now, to those who trust in Jesus, let's rest in him and give him thanks…

Luke 13:1-9Some people told Jesus about the Galileanswhose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.Jesus said to them in reply,“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this waythey were greater sinners than all other Galileans?By no means!But I tell you, if you do not repent,you will all perish as they did!Or those eighteen people who were killedwhen the tower at Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guiltythan everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?By no means!But I tell you, if you do not repent,you will all perish as they did!”And he told them this parable:“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard,and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,he said to the gardener,‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig treebut have found none.So cut it down.Why should it exhaust the soil?'He said to him in reply,‘Sir, leave it for this year also,and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;it may bear fruit in the future.If not you can cut it down.'”

Luke 13:1-9  (ESV)Repent or Perish13 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; 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 offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?' 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'”

March 23, 2025Will DyerThe message focuses on the concept of repentance as central to the teachings of Jesus. Will Dyer reflects on the historical context of Luke 13:1-9, where Jesus calls for repentance in response to the violent actions of Pilate against Galileans. ​ The sermon emphasizes that repentance is not merely about confessing sins for the afterlife but involves a profound change in mindset and direction in one's current life. ​ Will Dyer critiques the modern tendency to view God as a cosmic therapist catering to personal desires, urging the congregation to realign their priorities and ask what God wants from them rather than what they want from God. ​ The call to repentance is presented as an invitation to embody the true gospel of Jesus, live into the fullness of God's creation, and become the people God intends them to be. ​

Empathy is the gift God gives to us to care for one another. It is the part of the divine that connects us to God and one another. It is the reason Jesus weeps when he feels the pain and sorrow of Martha and Mary after their brother Lazarus dies. It is the story he tells of the Good Samaritan. It is the repentance he calls the Jews to, who are concerned about the Galileans who Pilate has murdered or those who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them. It is the strength he relies on to climb on a cross and die for our sufferings.Empathy is not a sin, nor is it a weakness. Sin divides us from God and one another. Empathy is a divine gift that draws us closer to one another and a strength that draws us closer to God

Homily by Father Peter Zwaans - Mount Gambier Catholic ParishGospel Luke 13:1-9Some people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.' He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied, “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”'The Gospel of the Lord.R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke 13:1-9   At that very time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them--do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did." Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

Some people told Jesus about the Galileanswhose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.Jesus said to them in reply,“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this waythey were greater sinners than all other Galileans?By no means!But I tell you, if you do not repent,you will all perish as they did!Or those eighteen people who were killedwhen the tower at Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guiltythan everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?By no means!But I tell you, if you do not repent,you will all perish as they did!”And he told them this parable:“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard,and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,he said to the gardener,‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig treebut have found none.So cut it down.Why should it exhaust the soil?'He said to him in reply,‘Sir, leave it for this year also,and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;it may bear fruit in the future.If not you can cut it down.'”

c4_03_23_25_#134_Luke 13:1-9_Process and Outcome{ILS} NY Yankees Owner - George Steinbrenner owners in every sport that do not care about winning - profit or prestige Cared deeply about his organization & wanted OUTCOMES - 23 Years and 20 Managers {SCR} Luke 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.” {MPT} Outcomes - Governors and Crowds Political officials that were violent and deranged Jesus' followers/onlookers - as a man of God, what do you think?…of the governor that murdered and then 5X mocked?Why…   …would Pilate do it?    …God allow it? Question with a question, shifting away from outcomes Future story - to illustrate how quickly violence can get out of hand. The #1 job of the Roman governor is to remain governor Calm or Intimidate or Manipulate the crowd In this photo, Pilate is a neutral party, wanting out, not today {MPT} Outcomes - Towers and InnocentsHumans have always wanted to build something, then even bigger Power, Beauty, Security the poor people that suffered during the collapse? Sometimes they fall by accident or by a horrific storm Sometimes they were destroyed As a man of God, I will tell you what I think of this {SCR} Luke 13:6 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.'”{MPT} Outcomes - Trees and Fruit How many acres do you think the vineyard was? - how much per acre? How much does the gardener get paid? We don't know the full investment the owner has committed He does not threaten the gardener He wants the tree to do the one thing it was designed to do {MPT} Process - Digging and Fertilizing On his knees Daily, there will be no results the following day, only more work No one will be checking in {QUO} “Life's fragility gives it urgency” Matthew Skinner - Luther SeminaryThis illustration could speak to you in two ways The one that needs care and nutrients The one that offers care and nutrients

Luke 13:1-9At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'” Did they deserve it? That's the question Jesus poses to the people reporting a recent tragedy under Pilate's rule. Pilate was known for cruelty and contempt toward the Jewish people. In this case, some Galilean Jews were offering sacrifices when Pilate's soldiers slaughtered them, mixing their blood with that of the animals, desecrating the sacred rite. It was as if Pilate declared: these Jews are no more human than the animals they slaughter.The people came to Jesus to confirm what they already believed: “Did you hear about that horrible death? What did they do to deserve it?” They wanted an explanation. Surely, there had to be a reason. The common explanation was sin: divine punishment.That was the belief of the day: suffering was punishment for sin, your own or your parents'. But Jesus pushes back. It's not their sins that caused this, which feels like good news—until Jesus warns them not to think themselves better. To drive the point home, he tells them about a tower that collapsed and killed 18 Jerusalemites. Did they deserve it? Were they worse sinners than others? No, Jesus says, but unless you repent, you will perish just as they did. Is that a threat? A promise? A prophecy? Jesus doesn't explain, just like he doesn't explain suffering. Isn't that hard for us too? We long for explanations for suffering—ours and others'. We're often gentler on ourselves, but when it comes to others' pain, we're tempted to look for fault.When tragedy strikes—a plane crash, a tornado, a terrible car accident—we don't think those people had it coming. We think: tragedy, bad luck, not divine punishment.But what about poverty? What about homelessness? We see a tent compound, trash scattered around. We might not say they deserve it—but we think: if only they made better decisions, if they avoided addiction, if they took care of their health, maybe they wouldn't be in this situation.This year, we've been learning and talking a lot about homelessness, especially here in Indianapolis. Our high school students and I have spent this semester diving deep into the issue as part of their Sunday School curriculum. The advocacy workshop we hosted focused on two Indiana bills addressing homelessness. So I was eager to attend the Spring Faith and Action conference at Christian Theological Seminary, which focused on that very topic.The keynote speaker was an author and activist I hadn't heard of before: David Ambroz. He started by sharing a bit of his own story. Born into homelessness, he, his mother, and two siblings roamed the streets of New York City, living mainly in Grand Central station. He recounted one particularly cold night, Christmas Eve, when David was just five years old. It's frigid and they are wandering the streets for hours, ice forming on their faces, as his mom flees the people she believes are chasing them. It's only after David has peed himself and pleaded profusely that she relents and they go to a men's shelter, where they are given a single cot for all four of them. Laying on that cot, David remembers his mom, the caring mom now, asking him “do you want this”, gesturing to the lost souls in the shelter. “No!” he cried. “I don't want this. I don't want to sit here in my own urine, surrounded by nameless, homeless shadows.” But in the dark, Mom sparks something: hope. I'm five, but I know this—I want a roof, a bed, blankets. I want to protect my siblings. I want to protect Mom from mom. “Good,” Mom says softly. For a moment, she's the mom I dream of. We pile together on the cot, and I fall asleep, held by hope.The story was as powerful as the rest of his keynote. David talked about his time in foster care, he offered solutions, but he ended by asking, “Do you think I deserved to be homeless, to be grinded up in the foster care system? Do you think the people who live on your streets deserve such suffering? No! But until we change our thinking, until we don't believe these people and children in utter poverty deserve this, nothing will change. We have the capability to end childhood homelessness and poverty—we just don't have the willpower, because in our heart of hearts, we still believe they deserve this.”That's exactly what Jesus is getting at. People living in poverty, living on the streets, are not suffering because of divine judgment. Jesus may not explain why suffering happens, but he makes clear it is not a punishment from God for one's sins. That's not to say sin doesn't have consequences; surely it does. But I would ask: What sin is worse—the ones that contributed to being homeless, or having the means and resources to help but choosing not to? And I don't just mean individually, but as a community, as a society.In greater Indianapolis, we have spent over a billion dollars on sports stadiums and parks in the last 15 years, most of it coming from tax increases. Not even 4% of that has gone toward housing and homelessness. If anything, people are suffering more from our sin: from the slow, unjust systems we have created, from having the means as a society and as individuals to help, but choosing not to. From the self-righteous thought that they must be worse sinners than us, that they deserve this suffering.Yet, thankfully, the trying task of deciding which sins are worse, which deserve punishment and which don't, is an unnecessary and unfruitful task—one Jesus is uninterested in.What I hear Jesus saying is: the people you assume are worse sinners than you are not. And unless we repent, unless we change our thinking, unless we turn to help, we will suffer too. As Bonhoeffer said, “We are bound together by a chain of suffering which unites us with one another and with God.” Because God doesn't explain suffering; God shares it. To redeem all the suffering of the world, God did not command suffering to stop but rather became flesh in Jesus and suffered with us. It is by his suffering that we are redeemed and given the opportunity to lessen the suffering of others.We are the fig tree, given another year, another day, another moment to bear fruit, to lessen the suffering of others. In Jesus' eyes, we are not a waste of soil, of resources, opportunities, or time—and neither are those who live in tents, stay in cars, or sleep on sidewalks.What does bearing fruit look like in our time and place? It's simple, but not easy: It means doing what we can and acknowledging the humanity of those suffering around us. If you're wondering how to begin, here are some ways you can bear fruit in this community. Next Sunday after second service, I am taking our high school students to Horizon House, an organization dedicated to helping our neighbors experiencing homelessness get permanent, safe housing. We'll get a tour and make some sandwiches for their guests. You are welcome to come; just please let me know if you're interested.And if that doesn't work for you, consider reaching out to Lutheran Child and Family Services. They run the only long-term housing program for kids aging out of the foster system, many of whom are at the highest risk for homelessness. I learned just this week that their on-site pantry is running low and could use food donations. If you can help, reach out to me, and I'll connect you with the right person.Lastly, I leave you with the same charge David Ambroz gave at the conference: we may not be able to help every person we see on the streets, and he can't either. But he does acknowledge them. He looks them in the eye and says, “I'm sorry I can't help today, but good luck.” If nothing else, we can do that—acknowledge their humanity with kindness and respect. When that happened to David as a child, it let him know, if even for a moment that he mattered, that there was hope. Our neighbors certainly deserve that. And what about us, do we deserve all that God gives us? The second chances, the boundless love, the endless grace with no strings attached? No. But thank God we don't get what we deserve. Amen.

Third Sunday in Lent Old Testament Exodus 3:1-15 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" He said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain." But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I am who I am." He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'I am has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you': This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.” The Psalm Psalm 63:1-8 Deus, Deus meus 1 O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you; * my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you, as in a barren and dry land where there is no water. 2 Therefore I have gazed upon you in your holy place, * that I might behold your power and your glory. 3 For your loving-kindness is better than life itself; * my lips shall give you praise. 4 So will I bless you as long as I live * and lift up my hands in your Name. 5 My soul is content, as with marrow and fatness, * and my mouth praises you with joyful lips, 6 When I remember you upon my bed, * and meditate on you in the night watches. 7 For you have been my helper, * and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice. 8 My soul clings to you; * your right hand holds me fast. The Epistle 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play." We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. The Gospel Luke 13:1-9 At that very time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them--do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did." Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

And after the two days He went from there into Galilee.44 For Jesus Himself bore witness that a prophet has no honor in his own country.45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast.46 Then He came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum.47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and was asking Him to come down and heal his son; for he was about to die.48 So Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe."49 The royal official said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies."50 Jesus said to him, "Go; your son lives." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way.51 And while he was still going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was alive.52 So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."53 So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives"; and he himself believed and his whole household.54 This is again a second sign that Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

1 At that very time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.2 [Jesus] asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?3 No, I tell you, but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. 4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the other people living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you, but unless you repent you will all perish just as they did.”    6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the man working the vineyard, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' 8 He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good, but if not, you can cut it down.' ” 

At Bethany, We are God's People who are: Gathered! Connected! Sent!We want to connect with you through this Podcast! Leave us a comment! Tell us where you are at! Leave a Review to help our audience grow!March 23, 2025 -- Pr. Kevin Kritzer -- "Yearning to Harvest!" -- Luke 13:1-9(13) At that time some people reported to Jesus about some Galileans whom Pilate had executed while they were sacrificing animals. 2 Jesus replied to them, “Do you think that this happened to them because they were more sinful than other people from Galilee? 3 No! I can guarantee that they weren't. But if you don't turn to God and change the way you think and act, then you, too, will all die. 4 What about those 18 people who died when the tower at Siloam fell on them? Do you think that they were more sinful than other people living in Jerusalem? 5 No! I can guarantee that they weren't. But if you don't turn to God and change the way you think and act, then you, too, will all die.” --GWhttp://www.bethanylutheran.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.facebook.com/Bethany.Long.Beach⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.youtube.com/c/BethanyLutheranLongBeach

+ Holy Gospel according to St. Luke 13: 1 – 9At that time some people who were present there told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.He said to them in reply, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them - do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!"And he told them this parable: "There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, 'For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. (So) cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?' He said to him in reply, 'Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.'"The Gospel of the Lord

In Luke 13 the enemies of the Lord maliciously attack him by drawing his attention to the Galileans, who Pilate had slaughtered as they were sacrificing in Jerusalem. Jesus tells his audience of Judeans of a recent event where a wall in Siloam – Jerusalem's backyard – fell on many Judeans. Did it happen because they were bad sinners? No, on both counts – but both tragedies provided opportunities for reflection and repentance. This is followed in chapter 13 by the parable of the barren fig tree which represents Israel's failure to bring forth fruit to God. Jesus next, on the Sabbath day heals a woman with an unclean spirit. The parables of the mustard seed and the leaven come next in the record. Then the record speaks of the parable of the narrow door, through which every disciple must strive to enter. Our Lord Jesus Christ laments over Jerusalem – to be torn down stone by stone as the leprous house. He will be welcomed in the Kingdom, when they would say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 118 verse 26). Chapter 14 of Luke begins with Jesus healing a man on the Sabbath day. That man had clearly been planted as a test for Jesus. Would he heal on the Sabbath day? The Lord was invited to speak at a dinner for Pharisees and Jesus gives advice in the parable of the wedding feast. Then came another parable about the great banquet to which each invited class found excuses not to attend. These people who were called by the gospel to come to the wedding feast of the Son of God all adjudged themselves unworthy of eternal life in the kingdom. As a result of their rejection we have graciously been offered a place. Two parables follow which tell us that as disciples of Jesus we must about count the cost of discipleship and wholeheartedly pursue that goal. Every disciple of our Lord must accept the peace that our Sovereign offers to us through the emissaries of the gospel and then make peace with Him: Ephesians 2 verses 11 to 22. The chapter concludes with the need for zest and salt among our Master's disciples. Salt speaks of sincerity in Christ's disciples as we are told in 1 Corinthians 5 verses 6 to 8.

Dr. Chris Croghan and Sarah Stenson explain that this text is difficult to preach because people ask theodicy questions: Why do bad things happen to good people? What can I do to avoid God's wrath? You've heard us discuss how God's mercy is unfair, but, in today's conversation, we talk about how God's wrath is unfair as well. Lastly, Jesus says unless you repeat, you will all perish. We ask, “Is repenting something we can do?” Spoiler: God is the one acting on you. HOLY WEEK GUIDE“The cross stands before us, and the empty tomb beyond it. Nothing will ever be the same. The road is narrow now. The hosannas will fade like the last notes of a half-remembered song, and in their place comes a malevolent, oppressive evil. Holy Week is upon us, and there is no turning back.”As we enter into Lent, we know that Holy Week lies on the other side of these 40 days. And though its completion is marked with triumphant joy, there is no “skip to the end” option here. The only way out is through, but it is not even our burden to bear — “We come only to hear, to receive, to be repented.”As you prepare for Holy Week, we invite you to take advantage of our brand new, free Holy Week Planning Guide, courtesy of Pastor Mark Anderson, which includes weekly planning outlines, Bible studies, activities, liturgies, and hymns. Access the guide: https://lutherhouseofstudy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/HolyWeekPlanner.pdf LENT GUIDEAs we enter the 40-day season of Lent, Luther House of Study is offering a new Lent Planning Guide from Pastor Mark Anderson. He describes, “It seems to be set up for ‘What I have to do,' for pastors to start giving people examples of Christian living, but Lent is all about what God has done.” The guide offers the following free resources to help pastors preach the Gospel with clarity:Week-by-week reflections focused on baptism, repentance, grace, and more.Hymn suggestions that tie into each week's theme.Greek word studies that deepen the understanding of key theological concepts.Practical sermon and teaching ideas to help bring the message of Lent to life.Visit: Preparing for Lent with Pastor Mark Anderson - Luther House of Study GOSPEL Luke 13:1-91 At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them -- do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."6 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' 8 He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.' "Support the showInterested in sponsoring an episode of Scripture First?Email Sarah at sarah@lhos.org or visit our donation page: lutherhouseofstudy.org/donate

This week we read Luke 13:1-9, 31-35, a text that raised the biggest of questions for us. What exactly is the connection between sin and death that Jesus is getting at when he talks about the the Galileans who died at the hand of Pilate, or that freak accident with the tower? How does it hit readers for Jesus to explicitly name his imminent death as central to his purpose in going to Jerusalem, rather than letting us think of it as an unfortunate side effect of his work? We really felt the pull of his lament for Jerusalem – his deep knowledge of what is possible and what is meant for this holy city, and also his awareness of how the world has pressed it in another direction. His outcry rises up from the gaping chasm between them.  And our world, too, is broken in so many ways. So in this broken world, what does the fact of our death mean about how we should live?  

In this lesson, we explore the village of Nazareth and the famous question from Nathanael, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Together, we'll journey through the historical and spiritual context of this seemingly humble village—where the people, passionate about God's Word and descended from the line of David, embraced a deep Messianic identity. We'll dive into how, inspired by Isaiah 11:1, the Galileans of Nazareth coined a special title for their town—one that harkened back to the prophecy of a “shoot” (Hebrew: ntzer) that would rise from the stump of Jesse, the father of King David. This Messianic fervor led them to affectionately call their village “shoot-ville” or “branch-town,” symbolizing their anticipation of the promised Messiah. Join us as we uncover the profound hope and expectation that filled first-century Galilee and how it shaped the people's view of their town—and the Messiah who would eventually come from it. -------------------------------------- www.figtreeteaching.com Join the Fig Tree Coffee Club: https://www.figtreeteaching.com/store/p3/Fig_Tree_Coffee_Club.html Support Fig Tree Ministries: https://donorbox.org/support-figtree-ministries Fig Tree Amazon Portal: https://amzn.to/3USMelI Lesson Handout: https://www.figtreeteaching.com/blog/can-anything-good-come-from-nazareth Explore my digital notes on the Gospel of John, now available at the links below: Notes on John 1:43-52: https://www.figtreeteaching.com/blog/notes-on-john-143-52 https://youtu.be/l5kPJiBewKE Music: Adventurous Life, by L-Ray Music via Premium Beats DMULO45ZPRA3UGK8 References: (Support Fig Tree Ministries when you purchase through Amazon using the links below) Bargil Pixner - Paths of the Messiah https://amzn.to/3DisAJB

Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee, is disturbed to hear that some rabble-rouser is feeding thousands of Galileans with bread and fish that Herod feels rightly belong to him. Won't somebody think about the poor king and how this affects his profits? Based on Mark 6:30-44. Show notes have been posted at retellingthebible.wordpress.com. Media in this Episode The following music was used for this media project: "AhDah" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ End Titles Extended Version (Romeos Erbe) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Sound effects by Zapsplat.com Support Retelling the Bible If you would like to support the work that I do creating these stories, go to patreon.com/retellingthebible and choose a level of support! Contact me on Social Media! Bluesky Facebook Reddit

Passage: 1 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; 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 offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5 ESV) Song: Song of Repentance by Esther-Jane White, Lauren Harris, Mark Vallance, and Nick Herbert Lyrics: We've fallen short We've wandered far from Your ways Forgive us O Lord We've sinned against Your name Lord have mercy Christ have mercy This is a song of repentance This is a plea to Your heart Would You purify us Lord Open Your hand to deliver Reach down in power to save You are Holy God God keep us close Held in Your promise of grace Come change our hearts Restore who we are we pray Now Almighty One All-consuming love Lord remember us Make us holy For the sake of Christ We lay down our lives O now Church arise For His glory This is a song of revival Let holiness flood through this land Would You purify us Lord Would You purify us Lord Prayer: O Almighty and merciful Father, you pour your benefits upon us—forgive the unthankfulness with which we have requited your goodness. We have remained before you with dead and senseless hearts, unkindled with love of your gentle and enduring goodness. Turn us, O merciful Father, and so shall we be turned. Make us with our whole heart to hunger and thirst after you, and with all our longing to desire you. Amen. – Anselm​

Luke 13:1-5 (NKJV) 1 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.”

Featuring Acts 2:7 and 4:13 uneducated Galileans...who had been with Jesus! Don't forget to check out our website! https://treasurehuntpodcast.wixsite.com/realtreasure

The disciples of Jesus have been praying in the wake of their Lord's ascension and departure, waiting for the promised Holy Spirit. In a magnificent display, the Holy Spirit arrives and the disciples begin to clearly speak different languages. Native-born peoples from various lands hear their own tongues being spoken by these Galileans and are simultaneously amazed and confused. Peter stands to address this crowd of Jews, quoting Scripture and explaining what happened to Christ, God's Messiah. He calls them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and about 3,000 are added to the number of those following Christ. :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

John 18:15–17 (Listen) Peter Denies Jesus 15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. 17 The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” (ESV)Acts 1:6–14 (Listen) The Ascension 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.1 Footnotes [1] 1:14 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verse 15 (ESV)Acts 2:1–8 (Listen) The Coming of the Holy Spirit 2:1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested1 on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Footnotes [1] 2:3 Or And tongues as of fire appeared to them, distributed among them, and rested (ESV)

Believe In miracles but trust in Jesus #RTTBROS #Nightlight Trusting Without Seeing: When Faith Meets the Unseen Path "Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way." - John 4:50 In our walk with Christ, we often find ourselves standing at the edge of uncertainty, much like a free solo climber facing El Capitan's towering face. The next handhold isn't visible, the path ahead seems shrouded in mystery, and our natural instincts scream for security. Yet, it's in these moments that our faith is refined and strengthened. Consider the nobleman in John 4 who traveled twenty miles to find Jesus. His son lay dying, and his position of power meant nothing in the face of this crisis. How often do we find ourselves in similar situations – our worldly resources exhausted, our influence powerless, and our hearts desperate for divine intervention? It's in these moments of complete helplessness that we often find our purest faith. The beauty of this story lies not in the miracle itself, but in the nobleman's response to Jesus's word. When Christ simply said, "Go thy way; thy son liveth," the nobleman didn't demand proof or insist Jesus accompany him. He simply believed and went his way. Like modern-day believers facing their own El Capitan moments, he trusted without seeing the outcome. Just as H.G. Spafford penned "It Is Well with My Soul" in the midst of unimaginable loss, we too are called to trust God's heart when we cannot trace His hand. Our circumstances may scream for immediate resolution, like children begging for ice cream unaware of the greater adventure their parents have planned. Modern life has conditioned us to expect instant gratification. We have dishwashers instead of hand-washing, instant messages instead of letters, and GPS instead of paper maps. Yet God's timing often operates on a different schedule, teaching us that trust is more valuable than immediate results. The nobleman's journey home must have been filled with moments of doubt, yet he continued walking in faith. Similarly, our journey of faith often involves walking away from our preferred solutions, trusting instead in God's unseen plan. Like a pilot trusting an unseen control tower for guidance, we must learn to trust our heavenly Father's directions. Consider the three ways God answers prayer: "go," "no," and "slow." Each answer requires a different type of trust, but all require submission to God's wisdom. When we pray, we often try to instruct God on how to answer, much like trying to grab the wheel from Jesus when He seems to be going "off-road." True faith means letting go of our preferred methods and trusting His perfect will. The Galileans wanted signs and wonders, but Jesus sought true faith. Today, we too must guard against becoming so familiar with God's work that we lose our sense of awe. Like the hedonic treadmill that dulls our appreciation for blessings, we must actively fight against taking God's faithfulness for granted. Our relationship with Christ shouldn't be based on curiosity but conviction. It's not about seeing signs and wonders, but about trusting the One who performs them. When we face our own moments of crisis, may we remember that believing in miracles is good, but trusting in Jesus is better. Just as the nobleman discovered that his son was healed at the very hour Jesus spoke, we too will find that God's timing is perfect. Whether He answers with "go," "no," or "slow," our role remains the same – to trust His heart, believe His word, and walk in faith, even when the path ahead seems uncertain.

So often we reduce Job down to a book about suffering, but we miss the deeper theodicy. Theodicy is dealing with the issue of a just God and suffering in this world. Job is a book about God showing he will triumph over Satan, and addressing the issue of theodicy. The seed of the woman will be crushed. Job, the main actor in this historic story, is put forth as a champion. Job is in line with the counselors that the righteous receive blessing while the wicked receive punishment. Job has to wrestle with this self-righteous view. Job comes to know God and eventually puts his hand over his mouth after knowing that the ways of God are more complex than the box man builds around God. This theme is echoed in Christ's response to the question of the Siloam tower. Here humans died, the setting seems to be that the Galileans probably deserved it, but Christ calls all people to repentance, emphasizing that righteousness is not determined by outward circumstances but by one's hearing Christ's words. Suffering is complex, and the study of suffering in light of a just God is even more complex. Christ further illustrates this point through the parable of the barren tree. The tree, despite receiving care and nourishment, fails to bear fruit, symbolizing those who hear the gospel but remain unrepentant. They are not hearers of God's word, but merely performers. Just as the vineyard owner delays judgment to give the tree one more chance, God's patience allows time for people to repent, reorient their mindset, and humbly submit to Christ. Christ echoes the words of John the Baptizer that the axe is at the root, so the time to repent, hear Christ's call, and consciously be oriented towards Christ's kingdom is right now. Job's story fits this broader biblical narrative by challenging simplistic views of divine justice. Job's friends assume that there is a direct cause-and-effect relationship between righteousness and suffering, but Christ is making the case that God's ways are more intricate and complicated than the boxes we place around God. Christ's point is that suffering should not lead to self-righteous vindication, but to humble self-examination that leads one to conform to Christ's kingdom, and discern Christ's ways. Our role is to remain faithful by discerning what is pleasing unto the Lord, conform to the Spirit's proddings, and humbly submit to God's will as sojourners in this world.

John 4:43-54English Standard Version43 After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.Jesus Heals an Official's Son46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

“Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?” — Acts 2:7-8 When I arrived in Iloilo City in the Philippines, I lived with a Filipino family for several months. They had two girls, ages 5 and 6, who loved having a kuya (older brother) in their home. When they started unexpectedly entering my room to chat with me, I realized that boundaries were needed. So I said in Ilonggo, “You need to ask first before entering my room.” Then they would approach my door and ask questions like “Do you have any sisters?” and “Where were you born?”—and then they would come right in. I soon realized that I had used the wrong word for “ask.” I had used the word for “asking a question,” but I should have used the word for “asking permission.” It can be tricky to learn a new language! Because the language barrier is so common, it's symbolic of other barriers between people groups. It's also the first barrier that was broken when the Holy Spirit was poured out on Jesus' followers. The Spirit enabled the disciples to speak in other languages so that all who had gathered from other nations could hear the good news in their native tongues. That miracle of language has happened in rare moments in mission history. But normally, missionaries like me have to spend many months learning the local language. It can be hard, but it can also be fun! And it's a very important bridge for sharing the gospel. Lord, help missionaries who are learning a new language. And may all of us listen more attentively and speak more clearly to overcome barriers between us. Amen.

Listen along as we continue our series looking at the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Notes//Quotes: 1 Cor 12:1-14 -  Ex 31:1-5 Joel 2:28-29,  Ezekiel 36:25-27 Christian faith has been specially advanced through the loving service rendered to strangers, and through their care for the burial of the dead. It is a scandal there is not a single Jew who is a beggar, and that the godless Galileans care not only for their own poor but for ours as well; while those who belong to us look in vain for the help that we should render them - Julian, appx 360ad They look too much to man's efforts, and know not how the second blessing is nothing more nor less than a new vision of what Christ is willing to work in us, and the surrender of faith that yields all to Him - Andrew Murray We are commanded to be full, and yet we are not the filler; the Spirit is. The answer to this predicament in the New Testament is that God has ordained to move into our lives with fullness through faith. The pathway that the Spirit cuts through the jungle of our anxieties into the clearing of joy is the pathway of faith. Luke says of Stephen in Acts 6:5, that he was “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit,” and he says of Barnabas in Acts 11:24 that he was “a good man full of the Holy Spirit and of faith,” The two go together. If a person is filled with faith, he will be filled with the Spirit, the Spirit of joy and peace. - John Piper Romans 12:3-10 Eph 4:30

Holy Spirit gives us power to give us strength to accomplish the plans of God. This strength is revealed through three miraculous signs. These signs are audible, visual and verbal. 1. Power Acts 2:2 2. Presence Acts 2:3 3. Proclamation Acts 2:4 ESV And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. The word for “tongues” gloce'-sah – language-specifically one naturally unacquired. Acts 2:5-7 “bewildered” means they were confounded and confused because they were hearing the praises of God in their own native languages. Acts 2:7 “And they were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?' The reaction of the Jews to these three signs makes me wonder why we aren't more filled with awe, wonder, amazement and astonishment when we consider the mighty works of God. Acts 2:9-11 tells us Christianity is NOT a western white people religion. To evangelize effectively today, we must bridge cultural barriers and preach the gospel in one's first language. Question: Are we pilgrims or settlers? if the settler mindset dominates a church, we will not reach our neighborhoods or the nations of the world for Christ. It isn't just missionaries that need a risk-taking, comfort-disturbing, semi-nomadic, pilgrim mindset. We all do. Christ did not call us to settle in on this earth as it is. He called us to be exiles and sojourners on the earth. In one generation, the Gospel exploded everywhere! Remember: The signs are incidental but Holy Spirit is ESSENTIAL! +++++++ You can find our service times on our website: https://www.anctally.com/ You can find sermon highlights on Twitter here: https://x.com/allnationstally

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:Genesis 31-33;Luke 13 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible with your host, Hunter. On today's episode, we close out the second week of our spiritual journey through scriptures and prayer, focusing on growth, healing, and the importance of community. We delve into the compelling story of Jacob and Laban's covenant at Mispah, Jacob's dramatic encounters with God, and his reconciliation with Esau. We'll also explore teachings from Jesus about repentance, salvation, and the transformative power of faith, using rich parables and profound metaphors. Hunter, our Bible reading coach, guides us through this spiritual passage, aiming to complete the entire Bible in a year. Join us in this season of Epiphany, as we seek deeper revelations of God's love and presence together. TODAY'S DEVOTION: He leads us towards reconciliation and transformation. As we read through Genesis chapters 31-33 and Luke chapter 13, we are invited to reflect on the profound and transformative power of reconciliation and divine intervention. The journey we witness in Jacob's life shows us the paths of struggle, fear, exodus, and finally, reunification. We see Jacob carefully following God's instructions to return to his homeland, even amidst the hostility he faces from Laban's sons and the change in Laban's attitude. Witness how God reassures Jacob of His divine presence throughout his journey, guiding him toward reconciliation and peace. When Jacob confronts Laban, their escalating conflict ultimately resolves in a covenant of peace marked by a monument of stones, a powerful symbol of their pledged boundary and mutual respect under God's witness. This story mirrors our own journeys. It reveals how, even in times of tension and adversity, God's guidance can lead to reconciliation and peace. As Jacob proceeds to meet his estranged brother Esau, we see him wrestling with fear and anxious hope for reconciliation. His night-long struggle with a divine figure, resulting in his renaming to "Israel" and his receipt of God's blessing, symbolizes the profound transformation that emerges from our deepest struggles. Consider also how Jacob's tentative, divided approach to meeting Esau reflects our own fears in facing conflict. His prayer for protection and his offering of gifts are acts of humility and a plea for grace —steps toward reconciliation. Remarkably, when Jacob and Esau finally meet, their encounter culminates not in violence, but in a heartfelt embrace and reconciliation. In Luke 13, Jesus challenges us to reflect on the nature of repentance and the unexpected ways God's kingdom unfolds among us. He speaks of Galileans and the tragedy of the tower of Siloam, pointing not to divine punishment, but to the universal need for repentance to avoid perishing. The parable of the fig tree granted another year embodies the patience and second chances God offers us. Jesus' healing of the crippled woman on the Sabbath defies the indignation of the religious leaders but illustrates the transformative and liberating power of God's kingdom. Moreover, the metaphors of the mustard seed and yeast capture the expansive and permeating influence of faith, which starts small but transforms everything it touches. We also see Jesus cautioning about the difficulty of entering God's kingdom, stressing the importance of being known by God. His unwavering commitment in the face of Herod's threat exemplifies his dedication to God's mission. Much like Jacob's wrestling with God, our faith journey often involves deep struggle and self-emptying. In these moments of struggle, we are invited to enter into God's transformative work, which reconciles and renews. As citizens of God's kingdom, we are called to experience and extend the love, peace, and transformation that only He can provide. We're invited into this divine wrestling match, to struggle with our fears, face our conflicts head-on, and ultimately, to be transformed and reconciled both with God and others. Let us embrace this message of reconciliation and transformation. Let us live out our faith with the assurance that God's presence is with us, guiding every step. As we walk this journey together, may we be lights of this kingdom, bringing God's love and peace into every corner of our lives. That's my prayer for each of us today. May we walk in the transformative power of reconciliation and embrace our identity as citizens of His kingdom. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

In this insightful exploration of Luke 13:1-9, Pastor Matt Shackelford shows how to navigate life's inevitable tragedies by focusing on transformation. Jesus addresses the unavoidable nature of suffering in a fallen world, using the examples of the Galileans killed by Pilate and the tower in Siloam. Learn how to prioritize your spiritual life, respond to tragedy, and allow God to shape you through trials.

In a world overflowing with distractions and quick fixes, Stephanie and Ros invite you to explore meaningful Bible study experiences towards awakening fresh delight for God. Ros articulates the value of revisiting familiar Bible passages, emphasizing how repeated exposure refreshes comprehension and facilitates spiritual awakening. Bible study is not merely a checklist, but rather an enriching experience in our spiritual journey. Continuous exploration of Scripture promises fresh insights. Download the FREE recipe for the Rousselle family Moroccan chicken recipe that Ros and Stephanie mention - it is mouth-watering! Here: https://www.gospelspice.com/free  Ros describes her own experience of the “Centering on Christ” Gospel Spice Bible study. It offered her group a delightful setting to discover Christ foreshadowed in the Old Testament, and to worship Him in deeper ways. The study invites you to know Christ at a deeper level through an in-depth exploration of the wilderness Tabernacle erected by Moses. Speaking of being in the wilderness, Stephanie invites us to discover the rich setting of Israel in Jesus' day through the “In the Footsteps of Jesus” Bible study. On her very first visit to the Holy Land, Stephanie had but one goal: to walk where Jesus walked, to see the sights and skylines He saw, to touch the stones He touched, and to experience His words where He initially taught them. Scripture has never been more real and alive to her than since she experienced Jesus in Jerusalem and Galilee. And now, she invites you to do the same! Seeking genuine delight in God is richer and more fulfilling than any worldly substitute. Stephanie draws parallels between savoring the glory of God, and the experience of tasting high-quality vanilla, likening superficial pleasures to settling for imitation vanilla. Ros's anecdote about a mix-up involving vanilla in a traditional South African dessert humorously illustrates the lesson of recognizing true delight once experienced. Stephanie introduces the "French faith" study, where the French word "délice," meaning both "delight" and "delicious," enriches interpretations and brings Scriptures like "taste and see that the Lord is good" to life. French Faith is a three-course meal that aims to serve you as you feed on the word of God to intensify your faith. It's a feast of words for the spiritual senses towards more of God. Christmas shopping is now! So, the Gospel Spice courses are available at a discount with the code ROS30. We aim to combine spiritual growth with impactful giving, supporting Christian organizations combating human trafficking. You will find all our courses at https://www.gospelspice.com/store  You know Stephanie, so you know her Bible courses are super in-depth, and absolutely insight-packed. You will most assuredly deepen your relationship with God through these courses. We release new, updated Bible course a couple of times a year. So check back soon for more, or signup for our newsletter to be the first to know and receive exclusive coupon codes. MORE ABOUT “CENTERING ON CHRIST | THE TABERNACLE” Come with a heart thirsty for more of Christ and experience Him in fresh new ways! Be drawn into deeper, more intimate worship of Christ. Discover the symbolism and ultimate fulfillment of the Tabernacle in Christ, and in you as His dwelling place. Experience God's timeline of grace, from Eden past to Heaven future. You will leave this study with a deep understanding of the symbolism of the Tabernacle and its fulfillment in Christ, and a renewed awe and passion for God. More at https://www.gospelspice.com/tabernacle  MORE ABOUT “IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS” From the comfort of your own home, you will discover the key places of the ministry of Jesus as Stephanie teaches from Scripture and provides an abundance of resources and insights straight from her recent experience. She will share about special moments, like when she experienced a delightful, summer-drenched pine forest scent that might have been a familiar and favorite to Jesus as a child. She will invite you to one of his favorite childhood vistas, or tell you why Galileans were especially impressed with the gleaming white stones of Jerusalem. She will show you what it must have been like to walk on the Emmaus Road with Jesus, and how the Judean wilderness inspired David to write the Psalms that point us to Jesus today. More at https://www.gospelspice.com/footsteps  MORE ABOUT “GOD'S GLORY, OUR DELIGHT” Delighting in the glory of God. Does this concept strike you as reserved for spiritual contemplatives? What if, instead, it proved the highly practical, deeply foundational perspective you need right now?  Why does God's glory even matter in our day and age? How can we learn from Jesus to make His glory our true North and lifelong quest? What keeps us from fully stepping into this God-ordained purpose for our life? How do we kindle delight for God on a daily basis? And, once we have embraced God's glory as our heart's true delight, how can we then come alongside others? Embrace the greatest quest of life today! More at https://www.gospelspice.com/glory    MORE ABOUT “FRENCH FAITH” Delight in Scripture through French eyes! French Faith is a three-course meal that aims to serve you as you feed on the word of God to intensify your faith. It's a feast of words for the spiritual senses towards more of God. Unpack Scripture through the French culture and language with French words that would tell you something maybe unexpected about Christ. You, too, can experience French faith and delight in Christ so that you can approach Scripture and Jesus through French eyes. More at https://www.gospelspice.com/frenchfaith  Do you enjoy Gospel Spice? Then let's deepen our relationship! There are 4 very simple ways to do that, and it would truly mean the world to us.  1- If you've enjoyed this episode, you will love receiving our newsletter. It contains value-packed free gifts and rich content each month. It's at gospelspice.com/signup. There is always something new and exciting happening around here, and I don't want you to miss out! Sign up at Gospelspice.com/signup 2- Did you know Gospel Spice has a YouTube Channel? There's exclusive content there too. So, join Gospel Spice on YouTube! It's at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice 3- Also please give us a star rating and a comment on your podcast listening app. Your reviews actually really do make a difference to help others discover and experience Gospel Spice. You would be surprised how helpful these are! So please leave a star rating and a review of a sentence or two. Thank you! 4- As always, we are praying for you! You can confidentially email us your prayer requests and praise items at the email address contact@gospelspice.com. It is our privilege to pray for you! So, would you please invest 3 to 5 minutes of your time, maybe even right now, to do one (or more!) of the following suggestions: 1-      signup on our website for our newsletter to receive gifts you're going to love - at Gospelspice.com/signup 2-      find us on YouTube, and see what content we've put together to help you grow closer to Jesus - at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice 3-      rate Gospel Spice on your listening app – it's one of the easiest ways to share the gospel! 4-      and finally, tell us how we can pray for you! Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

Gospel Luke 13:1-9 Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of' their sacrifices. He said to them in reply,  “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way  they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed  when the tower at Siloam fell on them– do you think they were more guilty  than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” And he told them this parable:  “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard,  and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree  but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?' He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also,  and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;  it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.'” Reflection The people that asked the question of Jesus reveal a sense that God's response to sinners is that he wants to destroy them. And Jesus corrects their misunderstanding saying, God is not will to destroy a sinner, but they change that they repent, they face what they've done. And then he promises them that they will be given time and a way to nurture, to increase their capacity for goodness. For fruitfulness. Closing Prayer Father, the condition of failing is part of the process of growing and changing. We are called over and over again to face the things that we've done that are wrong, and to find ways in which to nurture within ourselves the qualities that our sins have kept us from. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some people told Jesus about the Galileanswhose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?By no means!But I tell you, if you do not repent,you will all perish as they did!Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them–do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?By no means!But I tell you, if you do not repent,you will all perish as they did!” And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,he said to the gardener,‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none.So cut it down.Why should it exhaust the soil?'He said to him in reply,‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future.If not you can cut it down.'”