NOTES for Luk 13:1-17

Disasters and tragedies have occurred in every age. Christ uses one of them as an illustration for His preaching. We should not look in the victims' fate for signs of special transgressions not found in other people: God does not punish sins in such a primitive sense. But everyone living on earth will be weighed on the scales of eternity. What do they live for? Are they fulfilling their human calling? Do they bear fruit like a fruitful tree, or not?... “This is your last opportunity to save the situation,” Jesus tells His listeners; “tomorrow may already be too late.” How many such “last opportunities” have been missed? How many more will be missed? The question “to be or not to be” is not resolved theoretically: it is a question Christ addresses personally to every disciple capable of taking it seriously.