Note: This series is written as a first-person narrative to present Jesus in the context he walked in with the unknown disciple that narrates introducing my thoughts and sparking more ideas with his questions. Enjoy.
The crowd was silent for a time after Jesus spoke about the end times. Then a voice from the group carried a question to Jesus.
“Did you hear about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices?”
Pilate was well-known for his viciousness. He’s massacred Jews before. How was Jesus going to answer?
Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Suffering doesn’t always mean you’re being punished for sin. It’s the result of our broken world. Though…sometimes it’s the consequence of poor decision making.
Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
“‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
What did he mean by that?
A Ronin's Journey 