No
one fancies bitter herbs or medicine. When I was a child, my mother forced me
to take them when I fell sick. Though yucky to me as a child then, the
concoction helped me to quickly recover from illness.
The
writer of the Gospel of Luke, a physician, prescribed some bitter medicine for
us in chapter 13, which many find harsh and repulsive. But taking this medicine
has tremendous benefits. It is important not for our physical health but eternal
well-being.
There
are three points highlighted in Luke
13 which are like bitter medicine to many:
- The call to repentance (verses 1-5)
- Bear fruit in keeping
with repentance
(verses 6-9)
- Strive to enter through the
narrow door (verses
22-30)
Repent and
live!
The
crowd mentioned to Jesus that there were certain Galileans whose blood was
mixed with the sacrifices at the altar of the temple (after they were slain by
Pilate’s soldiers), implying that they deserved a horrible death because they
were evil.
Jesus
corrected their self-righteous attitude, emphasising that these Galileans were
no greater sinners than them. He warned them, “Unless you repent, you will
likewise perish (Luke 3:3, Luke 3:5).
Now
we will all have to die one day. That is an unchangeable fact. What is more
important is where we land up after death. Where will we be spending eternity?
Jesus
was telling them that all have sinned and unless
they repent (acknowledge their sins before God, believe in the forgiveness Christ
offers, and turn from their wicked ways), they
will all perish (spend eternity in hell with weeping and gnashing of teeth).
Only
Christ can offer us eternal bliss in heaven after we die. And the only way we
can get to enjoy this privilege in future is that we must repent … while we can,
when we are still alive.
Like
bitter herbs, this is the blunt, harsh truth that many cannot accept: Repent and live.
“Therefore I will
judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the
Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your
ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and
make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of
Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God;
so turn, and live” (Ezekiel 18:30-32).
Bear fruits of
repentance
As
if to amplify his teaching on repentance using imagery, Jesus told his disciples the parable
of the barren fig tree (Luke 13: 6-9).
A man who planted a fig tree was disappointed
that it failed to bear fruit even after a period of three years. So he suggested
to the vinedresser, “Cut it down.” But the latter told him to wait; he will give
it second chance by putting manure over it. If it fails to bear fruit after a
year, then it should be cut down.
This
parable had primary reference to the nation of Israel. For centuries God had
expected His chosen people to bear fruits in keeping with repentance but they
failed to do so. When Christ came, He was rejected by His own people. But God
is long-suffering. He will give more time for His people to repent. If they remain
stubborn, and refuse to turn to Him, they will be cut off.
This
theme of God’s rejection of Israel is explored further in Romans chapter 11. Because
of Israel’s rejection of Christ, the gospel of the kingdom is extended to the
Gentiles. But God is an impartial God, being equally kind and severe towards both
Jews and Gentiles. Unless Gentiles remain
in His love, they too will be cut off, like the Jews: “Note then the
kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but
God's kindness to you, provided you continue
in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off” (Romans 11:22).
In the same
vein, Jesus addressed believers: “If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the
branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned” (John 15:6).
The
same agricultural analogy appears elsewhere in the Gospels. “Bear fruit in
keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). “Even now the axe is laid to the root
of the trees. Every tree, therefore, that does not bear good fruit is cut down
and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:10).
Repentance
must be evidenced by fruit (changed lifestyle, obedience, manifestation of the
fruit of the Holy Spirit).
Strive to
enter through the narrow door
One
day, Jesus was asked: “Lord, will those who are saved be few” (Luke 13: 23)?
He
did not give a clear cut ‘Yes or No’ answer. How then did He answer? “Strive to
enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and
will not be able” (Luke 13:24).
The
word ‘strive’ implies effort is required. This does not mean we can save
ourselves by good works. Rather, it means we have to be disciplined in working
out our salvation as God is at work within us through the Holy Spirit (Philippians
2:12-13). Though we are saved by faith, our lives must be characterised by good works, which
God has prepared beforehand for us to do (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Jesus
went on to impress upon them the fact that when the door to heaven is shut, it
is final and cannot be revoked. “When once the master of the house has risen
and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door,
saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you
come from’” (Luke 13:25). “I tell you, I do not know where you come from.
Depart from me, all you workers of evil” (Luke 13:27).
Even
if people were to plead for mercy, “We ate and drank in your presence, and you
taught in our streets” (Luke 13:26), the door might just be shut in their faces.
These pleas for mercy could mean in our modern-day context: “We are church members, we attend
church regularly.” Superficial acquaintance with God, mere usage of spiritual lingo (like Lord, Lord), complacency
and reliance on external symbols of inclusion in God’s kingdom may be dangerous
to one’s soul.
What
are some reasons for exclusion from heaven? Though people may claim to follow
Christ, they do not cultivate a personal relationship with Him, do not seek to
do His will and do not seek to live a righteous life. They might know a lot about
Him through sermons but, truly, they do not know Him (Matthew 7:21-23).
Indeed,
the door (gate) to heaven is narrow and the route (way) to heaven is difficult.
Yet today’s false gospel of easy believism, hyper-grace and the prosperity
gospel all sing a different tune.
It is truly difficult to inherit eternal life:
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads
to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and
the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew
7:13-14).
So
both these passages in Luke 13:24 and Matthew 7:13-14 concur: The way to heaven is difficult and few will get there.
To recapitulate, are we willing to take Dr Luke’s three types of bitter medicine
found in Luke chapter 13?
- Repent and live!
- Bear fruit in keeping with repentance
- Strive to enter through the narrow door
Or do we dismiss the above and choose
to go our own merry way, taking the path of least resistance, like the
majority?
