Scripture
“Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? Not at all! you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.”
Observation
Jesus is informed that some Galileans were murdered by Pilate in the Temple. He asks if they think these particular people were worse sinners than others. He tells them they too will perish unless they repent of their sins.
Similarly, the people who perished when a tower fell on them in Jerusalem were no worse sinners than anyone else.
Jesus then tells a parable about a man who planted a fig tree in his garden. He was disappointed by its lack of fruitfulness. Finally, he tells his gardener to cut the tree down. The gardener asks the owner to give the tree another chance; he will take special care and fertilise it, and it should do better the next year – if not, they can cut it down then.
Application
A common response to feeling convicted about sin is to compare ourselves to other people. We might think we are not as bad as that person. If someone is struck down by tragedy, we might wonder if they did something to deserve it.
Jesus rightly draws our attention to ourselves. We need to repent of our own sins and turn to God rather than wondering about the sins of others. Yes, other people do bad things too, but that does not make us righteous.
God is not slow to punish sinners. The parable of the barren fig tree shows that He is always wanting to give us another chance to repent.
But the time will come when the last chances run out, and we have to give an account to God for our sins.
Prayer
Thank you Lord for your loving kindness. You always show grace to those who turn to you. Thank you. Amen.
