That human death arises from sin is obvious to anyone acquainted with God's Word. The grand mistake of rabbinical teaching in Jesus' day was to make this rather like a direct exchange, something akin to the modern concept of karma. The world has never worked like that. Good people die horribly and young, and some of the vilest men lived to old age. Men have always preferred to think of holiness as a simple transaction of merit and demerit. Reducing God to a mere balance beam, with precisely calculated penalties for precisely defined errors and good deeds was the trademark of Pharisaical teaching. Indeed, God does have the hairs of our head numbered, but His plans for each of us individually remain a mystery. The Law of Moses was a matter of community, not individuals. Roman law recognized extenuating circumstances, and Luke points out this is how God operates with those who truly know Him.
The Passover was quite near. At some point in recent days, a group of men from Galilee managed to provoke Pilate, the Roman procurator. He had his troops slaughter the men in the middle of slaughtering their sacrificial animals in the Temple court. From the context, we glean the nature of the discussion was these Galileans must have been really sinful men for God to allow such a thing to happen to them. Jesus refers to a common sneer by Jerusalem's elitist Jews against Galilean country boys as uncouth troublemakers. Were those slaughtered Galileans particularly worse than other Galileans? Jesus turns the joke on its head, and His Galilean disciples would have gotten a laugh out of it.
Jesus goes on to compare those "nasty Galileans" to some men of Jerusalem who were building an ediface near the Pool of Siloam. The building collapsed and killed eighteen. Was their bad fortune the result of sin, too? Regional differences between Jews was not the issue, but the whole nation was in sin.
The Parable of the Fruitless Fig Tree was an obvious slap at the Nation of Israel. For the past three years -- Hebrew culture counted partial years -- Jesus had been teaching and correcting the twisted idiocy Hellenism had made of the Law of Moses. Nothing had changed. Because the leaders rejected Jesus' message, the nation remained unfruitful. God was ready to cut it down. This whole scene reflects advice actually given farmers in The Ancient Near East. If a tree is unproductive, approach it with anger and an ax. Have someone stall for more time, pleading the tree's case. Then fertilize it and expect it to bear fruit next year. Jesus portrayed Himself as the advocate who intervened on the nation's behalf.
To highlight the Jewish leadership's obstinacy in twisting the Law, Luke shares the story of the Arthritic Demon. The woman attended synagogue some eighteen years in this horrible condition of locked joints, bent at the waist by demonic presence. What does that say of the spiritual truth of the leaders there? On Jesus' first and only visit, He calls the woman forward from the women's section of the synagogue, and heals her. The leader of the synagogue stood to recite an old edict about healing on the Sabbath, because it was viewed as impermissible labor. His indirect reproof of Jesus got a direct response. Calling this revered elder a hypocrite -- shallow and unthinking -- Jesus wondered how it was rabbis made exemptions for the Sabbath care of domestic animals, but God's own people have to suffer until the next day.
The rabbis had no defense. They were exposed as self-centered and hateful. If anything offended God, it was this. Jesus rubbed their noses in the embarrassment by citing a pair of parables He must have used often: The Mustard Tree and The Leaven. His Kingdom would grow from nothing to massive size in due time. It's nature would change everything it touched. In both cases it would do good things, providing nurture to the sparrows (whom God noticed) and making life richer. The rabbinical leaders of Israel could offer neither of those things with their empty, dead legalism.
The doom of Israel was all too near. As Jesus continued His preaching tour of Judea, someone asked if the Kingdom would be relatively inclusive or exclusive. Jesus answered it was exclusive, calling the portal of His teaching a narrow gate. However, it was not for any man to know who was let in, only God. Unlike the all hours partying popular in the West, Hebrew folks closed their doors and settled in at night. Anyone knocking had better be well known to the host, or risk being sent away. Jesus was keeping the door open for a time, and calling His nation to enter. Once upon the Cross, the Nation was doomed. Those who made themselves intimate friends of God via His Son would escape. Those with a lesser acquaintance of God would be rejected. Having so horribly corrupted the teachings of the Old Testament, they could not possibly understand what God truly demanded. Without that inside line of communication, they would remain ignorant of the horror awaiting them from Rome in 70AD.
The Pharisees gave Jesus a warning, too. Whether the warning was genuine didn't matter, it was plain the Pharisees considered Jesus an enemy. They said Herod was seeking to arrest Him, and He should flee his jurisdiction. His departure would save them a lot of heartache. Whether to Herod or the Pharisees, the answer was the same. Calling someone a fox meant they were a cowardly predator. The agenda of Jesus was fixed by the Father: a couple more days, and He would come to Jerusalem. The plans of men had no bearing on the matter. His ministry would reach full maturity on God's schedule.
Coming to Jerusalem was loaded with symbolism. Jesus lamented quite honestly how the nation, led from Jerusalem, had rejected His teaching. The consequence of that rejection was not a matter of mere personal disappointment, but was the final step in a long line of rejecting God's message. God's very own people refused to obey Him. The tragedy of their impending doom was heartrending. Destruction was certain, not just on the city, but the whole nation. Until they changed, there was no hope for them. Perhaps someday, there would be a Jerusalem which welcomed Him as the Living Word of God. That Jerusalem would last forever.
Return to Luke Index
[<-- Previous]
[Next -->]
By Ed Hurst
30 August 2008
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: People of honor need no copyright laws; they are only too happy to give credit where credit is due. Others will ignore copyright laws whenever they please. If you are of the latter, please note what Moses said about dishonorable behavior -- "be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23)