12:54 ¶ And he said also to
the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There
cometh a shower; and so it is. 55 And
when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it
cometh to pass. 56 Ye hypocrites,
ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do
not discern this time? 57 Yea, and why
even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? 58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the
magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be
delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee
to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. 59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence,
till thou hast paid the very last mite.
Christ has spoke
directly to His disciples and now He turns to the people in general. Here,
Jesus talks about how they can predict the weather by what is clear and plain
in the sky or in the direction of the wind but they cannot see what is going on
right in front of them and make a judgment. He warns about judgment. They do
not realize the day they live in as the day of God visiting them on earth. He
visited Israel in blessing and in judgment in the past and now He has come
bringing salvation or eternal loss if they reject Him.
Here is the Messiah,
the Christ, offering salvation to the Jews and to mankind. Man is in rebellion
against his Creator and he would do well for himself if he accepted that
Creator’s terms before judgment came upon him.
People who are not
blinded by self-conceit will come to a place in their lives where it is obvious
that God is speaking to them through the events and circumstances that placed
them where they are. If they will just acknowledge that the signs are showing
them just how badly they need to repent of their wickedness and turn to God
they can be saved. God doesn’t just speak through a person who is presenting
the gospel. He speaks through the events of your life, the consequences of your
sins, and the circumstances brought upon you either by yourself or others
stumbling blindly through this world.
Chapter 13
13:1 ¶ There were present at
that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had
mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus
answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above
all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye
shall all likewise perish. 4 Or those
eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they
were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye
shall all likewise perish.
Jesus continues, as
someone speaks of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, and his atrocities
against Galileans at worship. He responds with a question that points at
reality. When someone suffers do you think they were being singled out as the
worst of the worst? Are there not many others just as evil or sinful who go
unpunished? But, if you do not repent and turn from your sins and turn towards
God you will also perish.
He brings up a point
about an accident, the falling of a tower that killed eighteen persons. Again,
He asks them if they think these victims were the worst people in Jerusalem. Of
course not, but unless you repent you, too, shall perish.
Repenting of your sins
against God and turning to Him is a fundamental doctrine of Christ. Paul wrote;
Hebrews 6:1 ¶ Therefore
leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection;
not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith
toward God,
Dead works are defined Biblically as works of the
flesh, sins. Read Hebrews, chapter 9 for the context.
Hebrews 9:14 How much more
shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to
serve the living God?
To repent is to turn
from something, changing your mind about it and rejecting it.
Exodus 32:12 Wherefore
should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to
slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn
from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
Ezekiel 18:30 Therefore I
will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the
Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not
be your ruin.
13:6 ¶ He spake also this parable; A certain man
had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon,
and found none. 7 Then said he unto the
dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this
fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? 8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it
alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if
not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
Israel is likened to a
fig tree in the Old Testament. Here is one example;
Hosea 9:10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness;
I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her
first time: but they went to
Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that
shame; and their abominations
were according as they loved.
This statement about
God’s forbearance and patience as Christ asks the Father for more time with the
warning that there is a specific limit to God’s patience. The time is coming
when the fig tree that is not bearing fruit will have to come down.
For the Christian,
which each one is a type of the nation of Israel, God also calls for fruit to
be produced through the work of the Holy Spirit in how we treat God, our
brothers and sisters in Christ, and our fellow men and women in general.
It has been mentioned
previously that the fruit or proof of having the Holy Spirit indwelling is
found in Galatians, chapter 5. They are sharply contrasted against the dead
works, the works of the flesh. The entire passage and warning bear repeating
here.
Galatians 5:13 ¶ For,
brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve
one another. 14 For all the law is
fulfilled in one word, even in
this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take
heed that ye be not consumed one of another. 16 This
I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17
For the flesh lusteth against the
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the
other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not
under the law. 19 Now the works of the
flesh are manifest, which are these;
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations,
wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings,
and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do
such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no
law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified
the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in
the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of
vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
If we do not bear fruit
how long should God have patience with us before He cuts us down in this life
on earth?
We, too, should be
grateful that we, when unbelievers, had one more season of restraint before
judgment was to come upon us in this life. And it was God’s forbearance that
gave us time to be saved for eternity as we wallowed blindly in our stubborn
selfishness.
Romans 2:4 Or despisest
thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance
and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to
repentance?
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