Read Luke 13:18-21

When we say, “Kingdom of God,” what mental picture do you see?

Sanctified armies marching to victory in Zion, headed for the city with streets of gold?

Grand and true as that idea of God’s kingdom may be, Jesus’ teaching about His kingdom here in some ways is bigger. From one little seed, from the gospel preached to one person, may grow a Christian family. Then someone plants a new church, radiating good to an entire community. Missionaries go out. The world is changed. Believers flock to it, like birds taking shelter among the branches of a huge tree. The influence of God’s kingdom is so big it can dominate a landscape, providing refuge for those who “perch in its branches,” to use Jesus’ figure of speech (v. 19).

Then He changes His simile: God’s kingdom is like yeast, moving unseen and unheard. Its powerful yet subtle action permeates every molecule of life (v. 21). How many lives, how many nations, have been changed because Christians came, not preaching a Sundays-only love of God, but demonstrating God’s love and grace with schools and hospitals and food and clothing provided in God’s loving name?

Luke includes these parables right after recounting an acted-out parable of Jesus’ power to free us from Satan’s crippling effects upon our spirits (vv. 10-17). Now we learn that in God’s kingdom there is protection and help for the smallest issue of our lives.

Read Luke 13:10-17

Luke, as he so often does, goes out of his way to tell us about something Jesus did for a woman.

Jesus took the initiative. Seeing her misery, Jesus calls to the infirm woman before she speaks. In sympathy, out of sheer compassion, He sets her free from the terrible crippling.

The synagogue ruler objects because Jesus heals on the Sabbath. When this successful teacher and prophet, someone the religious leaders perceive as a rival, threatens their authority, Sabbath keeping suddenly becomes important to them.

In response, Jesus does not worry about humiliating his hearers. “You hypocrites!” He cries. He uncovers their hypocrisy by pointing out that they do not hesitate to care for an animal on the Sabbath, an action that is clearly work, but ultimately in their own self-interest. Jesus implies that the woman is of more worth than oxen or donkeys (v. 15-16).

This was an actual occurrence. But what a picture it is of the Lord’s work in our souls. The person without Christ is bowed down with sin, unable to fulfill the works or activities the Lord had planned for his or her life. Then Jesus comes and frees us.

In no sense did Jesus abolish the Sabbath. It is a day of rest, a time set aside to glorify God in our lives. But the true spirit of worship is love, liberty, and joy, all things Jesus brought (v. 17b).

Read Luke 13:1-9

Did you ever hear the old question, “Why do the wicked prosper?”

Perhaps it has to do with God’s patience. People were telling Jesus about how evil Pilate was, killing innocent persons, even mingling their blood with their religious sacrifices. Jesus replies that because someone suffers that person is not a bigger sinner that somebody who does not suffer. The larger issue is not suffering, but repentance—turning from sin—which saves us not from human affliction but from eternal spiritual death.

Then He tells another of His innocent-sounding little stories. Like Jesus’ other parables, the story of the barren fig tree is so simple, so profound it has lasted 2,000 years and shows every sign of lasting through all eternity. The fig tree is a symbol of the nation of Israel. Outwardly observing religious forms, but inwardly unrepentant, Israel was bearing no fruits of love for the Lord.

Jesus is so patient. Depicting Himself as the gardener, He pleads with the owner, God, for one more chance for the barren tree. Jesus saw the utter destruction coming if they did not turn to Him, their Messiah. They didn’t. Jerusalem was destroyed, the Temple torn down in 70 A.D. The nation of Israel ceased to exist until 1,879 years later, 1949 A.D., when the modern state of Israel was founded.

Does this have anything to say to us as citizens of the United States of America?

Read Luke 12:49-59

The Nicene Creed, written almost 1,700 years ago, calls Jesus “very God of very God.”

He is truly God. But the Creed goes on to declare that Jesus “was made man.” We catch a glimpse here of Jesus’ humanness. Knowing He had to die, He is pathetically anxious to just get it over with (v. 50).

Jesus makes three points. First, He tells us that because we follow Him, we should not expect everything to go swimmingly. Far from it. Your peace with God may bring you into conflict with others, even—or perhaps especially—family members (vv. 49-53).

Second, Jesus says that a great many educated persons know more about predicting the weather than they know about Messiah and His work (vv. 54-56).

Last of all, Jesus says get your priorities straight (v. 57). We all find time for what is important to us. Jesus states His case strongly, depicting God as the accuser and all of us as criminals. He says you had better take both your sin and God’s claims on your life seriously. Put God first in your life (“Try hard to be reconciled to him on the way,” v. 58) or you may find yourself imprisoned in sin, owing more than you can pay.

John stated the remedy: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).