3rd Sunday in Lent, March 23rd, 2025

Texts: Luke 13:1-9, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Isaiah 55:1-9

Grace, Peace, and Mercy from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

In today’s Gospel, there are many subtle dynamics at play. Jesus is asked a question that I think we sometimes ask today as a way to comfort ourselves from the uncertainties of suffering: if there are people that suffer more than others, does that mean they are more sinful? It was commonly believed, in Jesus time, and no less now in other ways, that when tragedies happen, often our first thought is judgement. They thought, those people that Pilate had killed were surely deserving of their punishment, it must be because they were great sinners. We often look for a reason to not feel bad or identified with those who suffered, but rather find the reasons as to why such a thing would never happen to me, because we esteem ourselves above others.

Jesus response is difficult. One thing Jesus does however is to overturn the black and white scripts we easily adopt about who is deserving and not for our own self-protection. Instead of saying, those Galileans that died such a horrific death must have been great sinners, he responds with another local tragedy that must have been familiar to his hearers, the falling of the tower of Siloam. It was perceived that the 18 people who died were innocent victims, they died unexpectedly and for no particular reason other than the crumbling of the tower. Perhaps the victims of this tragedy must have been known to the crowd as well. Jesus asks, are these innocent people who died unexpectedly greater sinners in comparison to those in the crowd who were

alive? To which Jesus answers: “No, I tell you, but unless you repent you will all perish just as they did”. A harsh response, but in line with the urgency of Jesus’ preaching of the Kingdom of God. Instead of answering the question about other’s worthiness or unworthiness, Jesus turns the question to the people who asked it: what about you? Why are they so concerned with the sinfulness of others’ who died, when they themselves must heed the call of repentance? The Kingdom of God is arriving now, what will you do now? Where is your discipleship now? It is no longer a question of what degree of sinner are we, of course we sin, but rather what are we waiting for now that God is making the soil ready to be planted and reaped? Which leads to Jesus’ parable of the barren fig tree. The problem of this tree was that it bore no fruit. Three years had gone by since it was planted, and nothing grew. The owner was ready to supplant it with something else that would. But then comes the twist of the parable, this gardener figure that convinces the owner of the vineyard to wait one more year, alongside more intensive measures to see if the tree would be fruitful. Only then, the tree might be cut down. Here we have the pulse of Jesus’ parable. On the one hand, there is the urgency of the Kingdom; now is the hour, now the fruit must be plucked from the branch, now is the time of turning to God and follow Him. Jesus is letting His hearers know that the hour cannot be postponed forever, there will come a time when our response is needed, and we must say yes or no. The hour will come when faithfulness, love, and mercy will be asked for, and we must be ready to meet the moment. On the other hand, there is grace. Even the fruitless tree is given

more time before the ax falls on it. God provides the measures, the openings by which the soil of our lives might be enriched to bear fruit. God tarries with us, persists even when we fail to meet the moment for which we are called. Beyond our failure and lack of repentance, there is an abundant grace that wants to enliven our dead roots, it wants to make us flourish so that we can accomplish what God has planted in us. Because this God that is urgently calling us for the task of the Kingdom, is the same one that feeds our life freely from His banquet, as the vision from Isaiah attests: “Hear, everyone who thirsts; come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” The question of the crowd at the beginning of the Gospel text, of who deserves punishment or who is a greater sinner is the wrong question. For this Kingdom of restoration that God is ushering desires one thing: “let the wicked forsake their way and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Indeed, we also are the ones that must run to the Lord for this mercy, that we might better reflect the vision of that free banquet that gives to all abundantly.

We might be great sinners, but what wonderful news that this God’s love is steadfast, better than life the psalmist says. Through Christ Jesus, He has shown us the way and set the table for us to participate in the mercy He has shown to all human beings. If we cling to Christ, we can be assured that the tree will bear fruit, that the hungry will be filled, that the downtrodden shall be uplifted, that the justice will reign and love

flourish. Awareness and repentance of our sin should lead us to love God and neighbor even more, to focus on what truly matters in the here and now. So let us not tarry to return to God daily. Each day presents new opportunities to find and give mercy. Such are the signs that manifest the Kingdom of God. Let us pray: