In Luke 13:1-5, Jesus is shown providing social commentary on two tragic events that had recently taken place. In the first, Pontius Pilate killed some Jews and had their blood mixed with the sacrifices they planned to offer. In the second, a tower collapsed and killed 18 people. In both instances, Jesus warns against jumping to the conclusion that bad things happen only to bad people. The victims in both events didn’t necessarily commit more sins than their contemporaries. Rather, they were victims of circumstances in an amoral, imperfect world – and as long as we’re on this side of eternity, we are all exposed to the same vulnerability. Time and chance happens to all.
But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He tells us to repent and then clarifies this with the parable narrated Luke 13:6-9. In this story, a man finds that a tree he had planted would not produce fruit. In his disappointment, he asks his gardener to cut the tree down to create room for other plants. Yet, the gardener intercedes on behalf of the fruitless tree and asks for one more year to try to make it productive.
Obviously, this is not just a story about trees. I believe, with every fiber of my being, that from the moment we were conceived, God embedded tons of potential within each and every one of us. Some tap into this potential and are on track to fulfilng their purpose. Yet, many others sit on their talents and let life pass them by. In other words, they are just encumbering the earth. That’s why Jesus tells us to repent, which, in the original Greek in which the New Testament was written, is closer to “Change the way you act by changing the way you think”.
Repenting is more than just ‘not sinning’; it’s more about a reorientation in your mind that changes how you approach your every waking moment. When you’re aware that we live in a world that is filled with amoral randomness, you have to deliberate about doing everything in your power to lead a life that bears fruit and ultimately gives glory to God.
“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.”
