Repent!

People didn't have newspapers back in Jesus' day, yet everyone seemed to hear about these recent bits of news: "Tower in Siloam falls -- kills 18." "Pilot strikes down Galileans in temple -- their blood mingles with the sacrifice." Both items were big news. The disciples wondered what horrible sins these folks had committed in order to die in this way. They thought there was a correlation. What did Jesus think about these headlines?

At once, Jesus dispelled any tie-in between major sin and these folk's death. The ones who died did not necessarily die because of some major sin. Jesus went on to state that all are guilty of sin, and no one is a greater sinner than another. Sin is sin, punishable by death (Romans 3:23; but also note that here on earth, there are more severe punishments for more severe sins). Jesus then warned that since we are all sinners, we need to repent (which means to "turn around" and run the other way). If we do not repent, then we will suffer the same fate as those killed in the news. I'm pretty sure Jesus was speaking beyond their physical death, and was talking about their spiritual death. Here's how I know -- Jesus told a parable! Jesus never let any opportunity to go to waste, so He told this parable about all of us. In this parable, there was a fig tree that wasn't producing. It was sucking the nutrients (grace, blessings) out of the ground without giving the benefit of fruit (obedience to God and His Word). We are that tree! God, the owner, wanted to cut the tree down. Jesus, the gardener, wanted to try for one more season to let it grow. He would pack the ground full of fertilizer (God's Word), and if the tree did not produce after one season, the tree would be consumed (in Hell). Wow, a pretty vivid picture!

God is so patient towards us sinners. Jesus is willing to give us one more season to turn our lives around and acknowledge Him as Lord of all. Notice that Jesus does everything He can to produce good fruit. If there is no fruit produced, it sure isn't from a lack of trying on Jesus' part! He gives us everything we could need to grow good fruit. It's up to us to do just that. Repent! There is a limit, and we don't know when our season is over (remember the last two lessons!) so now would be a good time to turn your life around before it's too late.