A 180 Degree Turn - A Sermon From Luke 13

Look at verses one to nine.

So turn or perish, point one.

Turn or perish.

The, the point of this first section as we read, verses one to nine, is summarized in that phrase, uh, "Unless you repent, you will likewise perish," verse nine.

Unless you repent, you will likewise perish.

There's two different examples that Jesus gives and, and He's dealing with a backdrop, a pervading thought that's a little bit like our understanding of karma.

Uh, it's prevailing at the time, and it was something like this: the worse your sins are, or what they perceive to be the worst of your sins, right, the more petty and ving- vindictive God might treat you, right? So this is the prevailing kind of view, and there's a lot of things that go into it, but it's something like that, right? So that's the backdrop of what Jesus is saying.

So what's on the nightly news, it's something like, "It's a shame," right? "What happened to old Sid and Sally at Siloam.

They must have done something to deserve that." And that, that's the backdrop.

And Jesus always does it, right? He just cuts right through it.

He goes, "No, you don't get the point of that at all." The point of Siloam or, or the, the point of the blood being mingled with, with these other sacrifices with Herod, it's, it's not what did they do, the point is are you gonna repent? That's the point.

One of the most powerful things on the planet is going to a funeral.

That, that you look at that casket and you go, "That's me." And, and what Jesus would have us do is learn from that.

So the point is unless you repent, you will also likewise perish.

That's, that's what He's saying.

Look at verses six through nine.

So right on the, on the heels of that, right? Six through nine refers to primarily Israel and their relationship with a Go- with God at this time.

So verse eight, you-- we see that with Israel, the Lord has been a God who's gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.

He's walked with them long-sufferingly.

It's a c- his covenantal people, and they have not always tended well to that.

You just see the Old Testament to see how that's going.

And so he paints this picture of the owner of a vineyard, right, God, and, and the vine dresser.

Uh, it's a- it's actually this beautiful picture of God's gracious and merciful activity toward covenant Israel.

That's the, the picture of it.

And so Jesus' depiction of, of God's Trinitarian love towards his broken people is what's happening here.