Luke 13:1-17
13 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.”
6 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 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 And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ ”
10 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 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, “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.
“What about sin in the world?” There was the murdered Galileans, or the Galileans on whom the tower fell. There was the fig tree not bearing fruit and the women suffering an infirmity for eighteen years. Did these things happen because they were worse sinners than others? According to the One who is the Word made flesh the answer is, “No!” He says that when we see the effects of sin in the world, it should remind us of the sin in our own lives, and how we need to repent.
The season of Lent is a season of repentance. Christians aren’t supposed to give something up during Lent in order to please God. We do it to remind ourselves of how sinful we are; how easily we worship the created things of the world as opposed to the Creator. By denying ourselves, we can concentrate on the things of God and how He has taken care of us, both temporally and spiritually.
Sometimes evil happens to people because they sin and reap consequences thereof. But evil also happens simply because we live in a broken world and we cannot avoid the cascade of others’ sins. God uses all these things for His greater good as He teaches us the most important thing, which is repentance and forgiveness in our Savior Jesus Christ.
Properly “remembering” the Sabbath day brings us to be focused upon and rest in God’s promises assured to us through the fully atoning merits of Christ Jesus so that we may grow in His righteousness according to faith, and that we may help others in their sufferings. The sabbath was never meant to vanquish works of love, but centered on, and through, Christ acts of love necessarily happen.
Let us pray: O God, You see that of ourselves we have no strength. By Your mighty power defend us from all adversities that may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
