Luke 13:1-9 (NRSV)
Read Luke 13:1-9 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 13At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Verse 2He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? Verse 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Verse 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them-do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? Verse 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."
Verse 6Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. Verse 7So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' Verse 8He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. Verse 9If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"
Devotion
Whose sin is greater? Yours or theirs? Ever played that comparison game? Our current culture puts a great deal of emphasis on competition. Competition in sports, in the arts, in work, in politics, almost everywhere. So it seems natural for us to draw comparisons in sin as well. Even Jesus seems to note this in this reading, when some are claiming to be less sinful than others. But Jesus seems to cut them off, and won’t allow us to go there, either. No one's sin is greater than another's. Everyone falls short of what God asks of us. This is why we confess. This is why we are called to daily repentance and to rely on God’s forgiving grace.
Prayer
God, daily we fall short of loving and serving you and our neighbor. Today we once again ask for your forgiveness. Guide us in your ways. Teach us to judge less and love more. Amen.