Reading Luke 13:1-9

This episode doesn’t just spring up out of nowhere. Luke reports that Jesus has been preaching and teaching – to nameless crowds and to his closest friends – about the difference between the emerging kingdom of God’s grace and the present, persistent reign of human folly. In the preceding chapter there are lessons about hypocrisy and humility – advice on worry and wonder – parables about trust, action and consequences. And it’s clear that these are difficult lessons. The questions are still about ‘who is worthy?’ or ‘who is righteous?’

Someone offers examples from the news of the day; those poor ‘sinners’ whom Pilate had killed – even as they were offering sacrifice. Those offering this example presume that sin is the reason for this tragedy – and it’s the sin of those who were murdered (oddly enough).

Jesus offers what we sometimes think of as a formulaic response: ‘are they worse sinners than all the rest? BUT UNLESS YOU REPENT, YOU WILL ALL PERISH AS THEY DID.’

Same goes for those accident victims in Siloam. Surely there is mercy for someone who was literally ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time…’ nope – Jesus says essentially the same thing.

Confused yet? Me too.

Repentance is the key here, and you might well ask ‘what does that look like?’

The parable that follows – strange as it is – offers the clue.

The fig tree doesn’t get more productive on its own. No threat of destruction fixes the problem of ‘no fruit.’ The tree will be tended and fed – nurtured and encouraged. Then, and only then, can we talk about judgement…or if judgement is required.

The parable is open ended. That’s as it should be, because Jesus is urging us to change our minds.

That is at the heart of what ‘repentance’ means. Metanoeō is the word the gospels use that becomes (in English) repentance. A Greek word that means, upon weighing the evidence or learning new facts the hearer’s mind is changed.

New ideas are allowed in, old notions are put aside.

This certainly works well in cases where people are being cruel or criminally culpable – a change of mind is wanted, needed and ultimately a sign of new life. “They’ve turned a corner…turned over a new leaf” is what we say. Repented of their bad behaviour. Been rehabilitated – reformed – reborn.

And yes, we are talking about ‘sinners’ – those who ‘miss the mark.’ (a little Greek lesson here: ham-ar-tan’-o – one who misses the mark and therefore has no share in the prize [in a competition]– which becomes (when applied to a large group of people) hamartolos – sinners)

This Greek concept becomes SIN in the (English) conversations of the Godly, and we have applied that word to all manner of things we neither like nor understand.

Repent, Jesus says. Change your mind about things you think you know. That is the challenge here, yet it pleased the church to turn to particular ‘sins’ for the purposes of declaring who was ‘with us’ and who was ‘against us.’ A very hard habit to break.

So, to the gospel: how might we understand these seemingly rigid words from Jesus about repentance alongside the parable that suggests time and help are key elements in the journey from ‘fruitless to fruitful?’

It is certainly not helpful to start (as we so often do) by pointing out our inherent sinfulness. The word – the concept – has become tainted by the rigid and authoritarian attitude of the institutional church down the years. The desire to ‘make people better’ became an exercise in ‘blaming and shaming’ as a method to control people.

Jesus doesn’t play the blame game – he mocks it. “Are those (who suffer) worse sinners than anyone else?”

Jesus calls us to repent of the notion that there is some sort of divide. We are all guilty of wrong-headed thinking. And each of us can be convinced of our error…and change our minds. This is the essence of a life of faithful determination to follow Jesus.

How does that happen? It happens in a community like this – among people who are willing (able?) to admit when they are wrong – to accept a different point of view. To weigh evidence and gently set aside ideas that are hurtful or harmful or simply no longer useful.

That process will look different in every person – and it is liberating in every person. The good news is that once we cast aside the rigid notion of an unattainable perfection, we are truly free.

Think again, Jesus says. Change your mind and open your life for the support and nourishment of others who seek the Divine in this world. Let Jesus words of grace and the gentle fellowship of friends and fellow pilgrims loosen the old, tight soil where we have been planted. Then, maybe this holy experiment will truly bring new growth in us, and to the world around us.