Luke 13

1At that very time some people there told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. 2He answered them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans suffered this because they were worse sinners than all the other people of Galilee? 3No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4Or think of those eighteen who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them. Do you suppose they were more guilty than everyone else living in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”

6Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. He came to look for fruit on it, but found none. 7So he said to the man who tended the vineyard, ‘Three years now I have come to this fig tree looking for fruit, and I never find any. Cut it down! Why should it keep wasting good ground?’ 8The man answered, ‘Sir, let it stand this year too, while I dig around it and work manure into the soil. 9If after that it bears fruit next year, well and good. If it does not, you can have it cut down.’”

10Once, on a Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in one of the local synagogues. 11A woman was there whom a spirit had kept sick for eighteen years. Her back was bent, and she could not stand fully upright. 12When Jesus saw her, he called her over and told her, “Woman, you have been released from your illness.” 13Then he placed his hands on her, and right away she stood up straight and began to give glory to God. 14But the ruler of the synagogue was annoyed that Jesus had healed someone on the Sabbath, and he spoke up and told the crowd, “Work may be done on six days. Come to be healed on any of them, but not on the Sabbath day.” 15The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! On the Sabbath every one of you unties your ox or your donkey from its stall and takes it out for water, do you not? 16And here is a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has kept tied up for eighteen whole years. Should she not be untied from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17When he said this, everyone who had set themselves against him was put to shame, while the whole crowd rejoiced at all the glorious things he was doing.

18So he said, “What is the kingdom of God like? What picture shall I use for it? 19It is like this: a man took a mustard seed and sowed it in his own garden. It kept growing until it was a tree, and birds of the air came and nested among its branches.”

20Once more he said, “With what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21It is like yeast. A woman took some and hid it in about 40 pounds of flour, and in time the whole batch rose.”

22Jesus traveled on from town to town and village to village, teaching, and pressing on toward Jerusalem. 23Someone asked him, “Lord, is it only a few who are being saved?” He said to them, 24“Struggle hard to get in through the narrow door. Many people, I tell you, will look for a way in and will fail. 25When the master of the house has risen and locked the door, you will find yourselves outside. You will knock and call out, ‘Lord, open up for us!’ And his answer to you will be, ‘I do not know you; I do not know where you are from.’ 26Then you will begin to protest, ‘We ate and drank in your company, and it was in our streets that you taught!’ 27But he will tell you, ‘I do not know where you come from. Go away from me, all of you whose work is wrongdoing!’ 28You will weep there and grind your teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and every one of the prophets inside the kingdom of God, and yourselves driven out. 29And others will arrive from east and west, from north and south, and sit down to eat in the kingdom of God. 30Some who are last now will be first, and some who are first now will be last.”

31At that very time some Pharisees came up to him with a warning: “Get away from here and be on your way, because Herod intends to kill you.” 32He answered them, “Go and tell that fox: ‘Today and tomorrow I cast out demons and carry out cures, and on the third day I finish my course.’ 33But I must go on my way today, tomorrow, and the day after, because it cannot be that a prophet should die anywhere but in Jerusalem. 34Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone the messengers sent to you. How many times I wanted to gather your children, the way a hen keeps her young ones under her wings! But you refused. 35Now your house is left to you. I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”