Lent 3
Preaching
Preaching Luke's Gospel
A Narrative Approach
This week's text, with its appropriate Lenten theme of repen-tance, is assigned for the Lenten season quite out of context. Luke 13 lies in the middle of Luke's Travel Narrative (Luke 9:51„19:27; see discussion in Chapter 19). The immediate context is one of warnings by Jesus of the impending judgment that is to come. Robert Tannehill puts it this way:
Thus in four major statements to the crowd or members of it (11:14-36; 12:13-21; 12:54„13:9; 13:22-30), we find some of the crowd are opposing Jesus and that the crowds are accused of being unresponsive and are threatened with judgment and exclusion. In Luke 11-13 it appears that the previous interest of the crowd in Jesus' teaching and miracles was in many cases a superficial, inadequate response ... Tension is developing in the plot, for the expectations of salvation aroused by the birth stories are being threatened.1
What we have in this passage itself is a kind of theodicy. God is on trial here in the questions of "some present." We know from the Old Testament, particularly the Deuteronomic History, that in Israel there was a fundamental trust that good behavior was re-warded by God; bad behavior was punished. One of the proverbs puts it well: "When the tempest passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are established forever" (Proverbs 10:25). Two particular instances that have occurred seem to have shaken some of the faithful. Pilate mingled Galilean blood with his sacrifices. A tower in Siloam fell and killed eighteen people. Why? That's the theodicy question. Why would this happen to people? What is God up to in the world? Is our doctrine right about this? Were these people really greater sinners who deserved such punishment?
Karl Barth must have loved Jesus' reply to this question! Jesus doesn't answer them at all. Humans don't call God into question. God calls us into question! "Unless you repent, you will all perish as they did." Jesus gives this answer twice.
And then Jesus tells a story about a man who planted a fig tree in his garden. It bore no fruit. He determined to cut it down im-mediately. Judgment day had come for the fig tree. But the vine-dresser intervened. "Give it another year," the vinedresser pleaded. "If it does not bear fruit by then we will cut it down."
Repentance is about bearing fruit! We learned that in Luke's Gospel from John the Baptist. "Bear fruits worthy of repentance" (Luke 3:8). That was the cry of John the Baptist as he prepared the way for Jesus. Now Jesus has come. He, too, calls for repentance. He, too, calls for fruit-bearing lives. And he is gracious in his call to repentance. He is willing to give us time. The vinedresser serves as a kind of Christ figure who argues our case before God! "Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it."
In Chapter 4 we traced the theme of repentance through Luke's Gospel. The repentance theme in Luke is almost always coupled with the reality of forgiveness of sin. There is a way in which this week's text deals with both repentance (vv. 1-5) and forgiveness (vv. 6-9).
The call to repentance theme is also located elsewhere in the Travel Narrative in 10:13-15 and 11:32.
Homiletical Directions
In Chapter 4 we traced the theme of repentance and forgiveness throughout Luke-Acts. You will need to consult this chapter for the homiletical directions that were recommended there. The repen-tance theme is also dealt with in Chapter 32 and 33. These chapters deal with the material in Luke 15:1-32. Luke 15 contains three stories of repentance. One story is about a lost sheep, one of a lost coin, one of a lost son. We hear in these stories that there is great joy in heaven when one sinner repents. When sinners repent God throws a party! It is difficult to ascertain, however, just what the sheep or the coin did that constitutes repentance. What happened to the sheep and the coin was that they were found. Repentance happens when God finds us. That's a theme worth exploring!
In this Lenten season we follow Jesus' "travel narrative" to Jerusalem and to death. Lent is a season for self-reflection in light of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem on our behalf. This is a season that calls forth repentance and fruit-bearing. According to the parable given for today in verses 6-9 fruit bearing is a root problem. The roots need tending, manure must be spread, if the root is to repair and produce good fruit. Repentance, therefore, is not a fruit prob-lem. You can't just hang some good fruits on a bad tree and solve anything. You can't just hang some good works on human lives and solve anything either.
Repentance is not a fruit problem; it is a root problem. It is the root of who we are that is a problem in God's eyes. So repen-tance cannot be composed of "I can" statements. "I have sinned God. I am sorry God. I can do better." Repentance, rather, must be composed of "I can't" statements. "I have sinned, God. I am sorry, God. I've tried and tried and tried but I just don't produce good fruit. I can't seem to do better. I need your Vinedresser to work on the roots of my life. Give me a new life, God. Give me your life. I can't. You can."
"... it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). This is the confession of a repentant person. This is the solution to the fruit-bearing problems of our lives.
This week's text centers in Christ's call to repentance. Consult Chapters 4, 32, and 33 for homiletical directions for narrative preaching on this Sunday in Lent.
____________
1.aRobert C. Tannehill, The Narrative Unity of Luke-Acts, Volume One (Phila-delphia: Fortress Press, 1986), pp. 151-152.
Thus in four major statements to the crowd or members of it (11:14-36; 12:13-21; 12:54„13:9; 13:22-30), we find some of the crowd are opposing Jesus and that the crowds are accused of being unresponsive and are threatened with judgment and exclusion. In Luke 11-13 it appears that the previous interest of the crowd in Jesus' teaching and miracles was in many cases a superficial, inadequate response ... Tension is developing in the plot, for the expectations of salvation aroused by the birth stories are being threatened.1
What we have in this passage itself is a kind of theodicy. God is on trial here in the questions of "some present." We know from the Old Testament, particularly the Deuteronomic History, that in Israel there was a fundamental trust that good behavior was re-warded by God; bad behavior was punished. One of the proverbs puts it well: "When the tempest passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are established forever" (Proverbs 10:25). Two particular instances that have occurred seem to have shaken some of the faithful. Pilate mingled Galilean blood with his sacrifices. A tower in Siloam fell and killed eighteen people. Why? That's the theodicy question. Why would this happen to people? What is God up to in the world? Is our doctrine right about this? Were these people really greater sinners who deserved such punishment?
Karl Barth must have loved Jesus' reply to this question! Jesus doesn't answer them at all. Humans don't call God into question. God calls us into question! "Unless you repent, you will all perish as they did." Jesus gives this answer twice.
And then Jesus tells a story about a man who planted a fig tree in his garden. It bore no fruit. He determined to cut it down im-mediately. Judgment day had come for the fig tree. But the vine-dresser intervened. "Give it another year," the vinedresser pleaded. "If it does not bear fruit by then we will cut it down."
Repentance is about bearing fruit! We learned that in Luke's Gospel from John the Baptist. "Bear fruits worthy of repentance" (Luke 3:8). That was the cry of John the Baptist as he prepared the way for Jesus. Now Jesus has come. He, too, calls for repentance. He, too, calls for fruit-bearing lives. And he is gracious in his call to repentance. He is willing to give us time. The vinedresser serves as a kind of Christ figure who argues our case before God! "Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it."
In Chapter 4 we traced the theme of repentance through Luke's Gospel. The repentance theme in Luke is almost always coupled with the reality of forgiveness of sin. There is a way in which this week's text deals with both repentance (vv. 1-5) and forgiveness (vv. 6-9).
The call to repentance theme is also located elsewhere in the Travel Narrative in 10:13-15 and 11:32.
Homiletical Directions
In Chapter 4 we traced the theme of repentance and forgiveness throughout Luke-Acts. You will need to consult this chapter for the homiletical directions that were recommended there. The repen-tance theme is also dealt with in Chapter 32 and 33. These chapters deal with the material in Luke 15:1-32. Luke 15 contains three stories of repentance. One story is about a lost sheep, one of a lost coin, one of a lost son. We hear in these stories that there is great joy in heaven when one sinner repents. When sinners repent God throws a party! It is difficult to ascertain, however, just what the sheep or the coin did that constitutes repentance. What happened to the sheep and the coin was that they were found. Repentance happens when God finds us. That's a theme worth exploring!
In this Lenten season we follow Jesus' "travel narrative" to Jerusalem and to death. Lent is a season for self-reflection in light of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem on our behalf. This is a season that calls forth repentance and fruit-bearing. According to the parable given for today in verses 6-9 fruit bearing is a root problem. The roots need tending, manure must be spread, if the root is to repair and produce good fruit. Repentance, therefore, is not a fruit prob-lem. You can't just hang some good fruits on a bad tree and solve anything. You can't just hang some good works on human lives and solve anything either.
Repentance is not a fruit problem; it is a root problem. It is the root of who we are that is a problem in God's eyes. So repen-tance cannot be composed of "I can" statements. "I have sinned God. I am sorry God. I can do better." Repentance, rather, must be composed of "I can't" statements. "I have sinned, God. I am sorry, God. I've tried and tried and tried but I just don't produce good fruit. I can't seem to do better. I need your Vinedresser to work on the roots of my life. Give me a new life, God. Give me your life. I can't. You can."
"... it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). This is the confession of a repentant person. This is the solution to the fruit-bearing problems of our lives.
This week's text centers in Christ's call to repentance. Consult Chapters 4, 32, and 33 for homiletical directions for narrative preaching on this Sunday in Lent.
____________
1.aRobert C. Tannehill, The Narrative Unity of Luke-Acts, Volume One (Phila-delphia: Fortress Press, 1986), pp. 151-152.
