Turn Back to God
About this same time Jesus was told that Pilate had given orders for some people from Galilee to be killed while they were offering sacrifices. Jesus replied: Do you think that these people were worse sinners than everyone else in Galilee just because of what happened to them? Not at all! But you can be sure that if you don?t turn back to God, every one of you will also be killed. What about those eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were worse than everyone else in Jerusalem? Not at all! But you can be sure that if you don?t turn back to God, every one of you will also die.
A Story about a Fig Tree
Jesus then told them this story: A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. One day he went out to pick some figs, but he didn?t find any. So he said to the gardener, "For three years I have come looking for figs on this tree, and I haven?t found any yet. Chop it down! Why should it take up space?"
The gardener answered, "Master, leave it for another year. I?ll dig around it and put some manure on it to make it grow. Maybe it will have figs on it next year. If it doesn?t, you can have it cut down."
Healing a Woman on the Sabbath
One Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in a Jewish meeting place, and a woman was there who had been crippled by an evil spirit for eighteen years. She was completely bent over and could not straighten up. When Jesus saw the woman, he called her over and said, "You are now well." He placed his hands on her, and right away she stood up straight and praised God.
The man in charge of the meeting place was angry because Jesus had healed someone on the Sabbath. So he said to the people, "Each week has six days when we can work. Come and be healed on one of those days, but not on the Sabbath."
The Lord replied, "Are you trying to fool someone? Won?t any one of you untie your ox or donkey and lead it out to drink on a Sabbath? This woman belongs to the family of Abraham, but Satan has kept her bound for eighteen years. Isn?t it right to set her free on the Sabbath?" Jesus? words made his enemies ashamed. But everyone else in the crowd was happy about the wonderful things he was doing.
A Mustard Seed and Yeast
Jesus said, "What is God?s kingdom like? What can I compare it with? It is like what happens when someone plants a mustard seed in a garden. The seed grows as big as a tree, and birds nest in its branches." Then Jesus said, "What can I compare God?s kingdom with? It is like what happens when a woman mixes yeast into three batches of flour. Finally, all the dough rises."