Luke 13

Luke 13:1-5

Chapter 1 A Word From Our God About Human Tragedy On April 19, 1995 Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols bombed the federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, indiscriminately murdering 168 people. Our nation was shocked. Just a few days after that, my wife and I were in Oklahoma City. I drove by the site of the bombing. I cannot describe the sense of numbness, rage, and frustration I felt as I reflected upon the cowardly act of those murderers and their crime against our nation. Even more than that, I was (and still am) filled with hurt for those families so devastated by the crime. On April 20, 1999, two teenage boys walked into Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado and murdered twelve other students and a teacher. Again, our nation was shocked. On September 11, 2001, our nation suffered the mass murder of 3000 people. Across the United States, citizens watched in horror as cowardly terrorists in hijacked planes crashed into the Pentagon, World Trade Center, and a field in Pennsylvania. What pain the families of those who died in that assault of religious maniacs must live with for the rest of their lives! Added to the pain caused by such senseless slaughters is the insinuation by many that these acts of inexplicable human cruelty were also acts of divine judgment upon those who died, as though they were sinners above the rest of us. Not only are such events as these, which are so much on our minds as a nation, so alarming that they make our blood boil, they are horrors that so astound the mind that (try as we may) we have no ability to explain them. The sudden death which has fallen on the sons of men baffles human reason. We have, in recent years, almost come to expect another report of such barbaric deeds every time we turn on the radio or the television or open a newspaper. Yet, we must not imagine that such things are new. We must not imagine, as many do, that these things are the inevitable consequences of our racially and culturally diverse society, or that they are events beyond the reach of divine wisdom and the control of divine providence. Luke 13:1-5 tells us otherwise. The Galileans, like those in the terrorist attack of 9/11, were slaughtered by the senseless rage of a cruel man with the power, money, and the means to commit mass murder. Remember those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell were suddenly ushered out into eternity by the crushing weight of a falling tower. These events may seem much less significant to us; but you can be certain they were not less significant to the families who lost their loved ones, than the events in Oklahoma, Colorado, and New York. These things are written in the Book of God for us that we may learn to walk with our God in the face of woe. Let us never imagine that God’s providence has become lax. Sudden death is a part of life in this sin cursed earth. There always have been and always will be (for as long as the earth shall stand) such tragedies for men to face. As God’s children in this world, in the face of such events that shake our society to its very foundations, we must not be shaken, or even appear to be shaken.

Our God is still on his throne. Let us, therefore, walk through this world of woe, even through this valley of the shadow of death confident and free of fear. God has not given up the reins of the universe. He has not taken off his hand from the helm of the ship. He is still in total control of all things, at all times, in all places. I want grace to trust him and honour him.

Don’t you? This is his promise to those who do: “his soul shall dwell at ease” (Psalms 25:13). It matters not who or what the instrument may be (Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, street thugs, or Islamic thugs), that which takes men, women, and children out of this world is the hand of our God. It is God and God alone who kills and makes alive as he will. Sometimes he does so in such sudden, glaring displays that the whole world is shocked by his work. A Word Of Caution First, I want to give you a word of caution. We must never assume, as self-righteous men always do, that those who experience great tragedy and suffer great loss are being punished for their sins, as though they were greater sinners than we are. Such arrogant, self-righteous assumptions are as inexcusable as the deeds of wicked men, by whom such acts of terror are executed. I say to you, as our Master did to those who made such a proud assumption, “Suppose ye that those who have suffered such tragedies are sinners above all the rest of us, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Without question, God does judge men for sin, visiting the iniquities of men upon them, their families and their nation. Without question, ours is a nation and a generation under the judgment of God, judgment we have heaped upon ourselves by wilful rebellion. But it is not within the realm of our ability to know when or for whom sudden death comes by divine judgment. Often God brings death to his people suddenly, unexpectedly as an act of great mercy and grace. “The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness” (Isaiah 57:1-2). For the believer, death is never an act of divine judgment, an act of God’s anger. The believer’s death is always precious in the sight of the Lord. It is totally irrelevant how I die, where I die, when I die, or what the instrument of my death may be. The only thing that matters is that I die “in the Lord” redeemed, forgiven, justified, and accepted. “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalms 116:15). Everything about the prospect of death is, for God’s elect, joyful (John 14:1-3; 2 Corinthians 5:1-9; Revelation 14:13). When I have breathed my final breath And dropped this robe of flesh in death, When my appointed work is done And my allotted time is gone, Don’t stand around my grave and cry. I’ll not be there. I did not die. My Saviour came to call me home, And I with him to heav’n have gone! Now I am free from sin and pain; And with the glorified I reign! Don’t stand around my grave and cry. I’m glorified! I did not die! Seated with Jesus on his throne, Glorified by what he has done, I am a trophy of his grace. Rejoicing, I behold his face. Don’t stand around my grave and cry. I am with Christ! I did not die! My body lies beneath the clay, Until the resurrection day. In that day when Christ comes again, Body and soul unite again! Don’t stand around my grave and cry. Rejoice with me! I did not die! A Word Of Warning Next, our Saviour gives us this word of warning: “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish”! You and I shall soon be cut off from the earth and ushered into eternity. Are you prepared to die? Am I? There is but one way for you and me to be prepared to die, to meet God in judgment. We must repent. Should you ask me, “What is repentance?” I would answer briefly that true repentance involves at least these three things: Holy Spirit conviction (John 16:8-11), faith in Christ (Romans 10:9-10), and turning to God (1 Thessalonians 1:2-10; Philippians 3:3-14). But we must never imagine, as all the deluded will-worshipers of this world universally assert, that repentance is an act of man’s imaginary “free will”, by which he wins God’s favour. Nothing could be further from the truth. The repentance spoken of by our Lord Jesus Christ, the repentance taught throughout the Word of God, is the work and gift of God wrought in chosen, redeemed, called sinners by his omnipotent, effectual, saving operations of grace. All the persons of the Godhead are engaged in the gracious work of creating repentance in his chosen. God the Father pledged himself to give it, (Ezekiel 36:24-27). God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, has been “exalted as a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31). And God the Holy Ghost is the “spirit of grace and supplication” poured out upon every redeemed sinner at the appointed time of love, causing every heaven born soul to “look unto him whom they have pierced, and mourn” (Zechariah 12:10). Repentance is not a condition qualifying sinners for grace, but an evidence of grace bestowed. It is not the cause, but the effect. Unless the Lord God works this work in us, enabling us and effectually causing us to turn to him, just like those described here by Luke, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish”!

Luke 13:6-9

Chapter 2 The Parable Of The Barren Fig Tree If we would understand this parable correctly, it must be read in the context of Luk 13:1-5. Read in its context, it is obvious that this parable was addressed by our Lord to the Jewish nation. God gave the Jewish people great privileges and advantages, by which they should have known and served him, by which they should have known and believed the Lord Jesus Christ. They and they alone had all the privileges of divine revelation. They professed to be the people of God. But the very things that should have been their salvation became their ruin, their religion! Because they refused God’s revelation, the Lord God cut them down in judgment and cast them off (Romans 11). Year after year, for three years, the Lord Jesus walked among them, showed himself by miracle after miracle, told them plainly who he is, and taught in their temple and synagogues. Yet, they despised him, rejected him, and refused to believe him. At last, he left them to themselves, utterly desolate (Matthew 23:37-38). Addressed To Us It is a grave mistake to imagine, as many do, that this is the end of our Lord’s purpose in this parable. This parable is specifically addressed to you and me. Its intent is the awakening of all who enjoy the means of grace and the privilege of hearing the gospel, professing to be his people. May God give us grace to hear the parable as though it had just come from our Lord’s lips and was spoken directly to us. C. H. Spurgeon wrote, “The parable is so simple that it needs no explanation, and therefore our Lord Jesus has not given any.” God’s Vineyard The gospel church is God’s garden and vineyard. That is the picture the Lord God gives of his church and kingdom by the prophet Isaiah. “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry” (Isaiah 5:1-7). Because the Lord God has given us the privilege of sitting under the sound of the gospel, it is our responsibility to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20 to 2 Corinthians 6:1). Yet, many who hear the gospel faithfully preached to them are yet without fruit toward God. You will notice in the parable that the man who owned the vineyard looked for fruit (singular) on the fig tree, not fruits (plural). The fruit God looks for in men is faith in Christ, nothing else (Acts 16:31; Mark 16:16; John 3:16-19; John 3:36; Romans 10:9-13). This fruit is not the produce of man’s imaginary free will, but the fruit of God’s free grace in Christ, the fruit of the Spirit, the gift and operation of God the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 1:29; Colossians 2:12). Many there are who hear the gospel and even profess faith in Christ, but make for themselves a refuge of lies that will soon fall upon them and crush them down into hell. Professing they believe on the Lord Jesus, they look to their baptism, their church membership, their good works, the good opinion of others about them, their knowledge, or their religious experience to give them peace and hope before God. Soon, that refuge of lies will be swept away (Isaiah 28:14-20). Judgment is God’s strange work (Isaiah 28:21); but he will perform it. In the eyes of proud men, it may appear to be a strange act for the God of all grace; but it will be the act of God that casts unbelieving sinners headlong into eternal hell. A Set Time There is a period of time set and determined by God beyond which he will not tolerate the insult of your obstinate unbelief. “Behold today is the day of salvation”! Many seek to avoid every thought of personal responsibility before God. Many there are who imagine that the assertion of man’s responsibility to believe the gospel is a repudiation of divine sovereignty. But the scriptures are crystal clear in this matter. If you perish in unbelief, all the blame is yours. If you are saved, all the praise is God’s. Unbelief is man’s work. The gift of faith is God’s work. Is it possible for a man or women to so wilfully and persistently rebel against God and deny the claims of Christ in the gospel that God will refuse to be gracious to them? Is it possible for men and women to sin away the day of grace, while they still go on living in this world? That is precisely the message of this parable. Listen to what God himself says about the matter. God says to you and me, “Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.” Surely, we cannot mistake the meaning of those words. Anyone in all the world who, hearing the gospel of Christ, repents and believes shall be saved. If you will turn to him, if you will call upon him, if you will believe him, Christ will save you. But if you refuse to hear and believe God, be warned. God will not take it lightly. The Lord God says … “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hands and no man regarded; but ye have set at naught all my counsels and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as a desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own ways and be filled with their own devices … But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from the fear of evil” (Proverbs 1:23-33). We have God’s own word for it. If we obey his call in the gospel, he will save us. If we despise his calls, if we persistently stop our ears to the voice of God in the gospel, he will pass upon us an irreversible sentence of eternal ruin, even while we live upon the earth. And when he throws the impenitent soul into hell, the wicked will forever eat of the fruit of their own ways. They will at last get what they asked for when they said “I want nothing to do with Christ.” There are many ways in which men and women are called and warned by God. God calls all men to himself in creation. “For the invisible things of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). God’s being, power, and wisdom are plainly revealed to all men in creation’s handiwork. No one can honestly deny that fact. God calls all men to himself by conscience as well. “The law is written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness” (Romans 2:14-15). Your conscience is God’s witness of himself in your soul. God warns all men of judgment to come by his acts of providence. Every time you see pictures of starving children in a famine torn land, every time you get sick, every time you have an automobile accident or a close brush with death, every time you visit a hospital or a funeral parlour, God is speaking to you by his acts of providence. He is saying to you, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). He is saying to you, Sinner, “prepare to meet thy God” (Amos 4:12). And God calls men and women to faith in Christ and warns them of his justice and sure judgment to come by the preaching of the gospel. He sends his servants into the world with this great commission: “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16). If you obey God’s call and trust the Lord Jesus Christ, you shall be saved. If you refuse, you shall be damned. “Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart” (Hebrews 3:7-8). Yet, the Word of God makes it clear that there are many who can and do refuse God’s gracious warnings and earnest calls to repentance. They wilfully sin against the light God has given them, harden their hearts, and refuse to hear his voice. And, when they do, God shuts the door of mercy against them! Men and women were still alive when God shut the door of the ark. And I dare say that there are many walking on earth today against whom God has shut the door of salvation and grace. For them, the day of grace is gone. They cannot be saved. They must perish. God help you. Be wise. Do not trifle with the gospel (Luke 13:24-25; Jeremiah 7:16; Hosea 4:17; Matthew 13:12-16; 2 Corinthians 2:15-17). Judgment Sure The judgment of God is sure. Barren, fruitless souls are not only useless themselves, they are a hindrance to others. They cumber the ground, spoil the soil and, like the Pharisees, not only refuse to enter the strait gate, but prevent others from entering. Faithful pastors, faithful gospel preachers, earnestly intercede with God, labouring earnestly for the souls of men and seeking God’s mercy on their behalf, that he might spare even the barren soul that deserves to be cut down (Luke 13:8; Joe 2:17; Romans 9:3; Romans 10:1); but you must believe. You must trust the Lord Jesus Christ. The only thing that will save you from the axe of divine justice is that the God of all grace may so work in you by his Spirit that he brings forth in you, by the new creation of grace, the fruit of faith in Christ. Yes, this faith is the gift and work and operation of God the Holy Spirit; but this faith is your responsibility. You must believe on the Son of God. If you believe, salvation is yours. Every soul without the fruit of faith toward God, like the barren fig tree, shall be destroyed. There is a law in the Book of Deuteronomy that relates to this. The barren, fruitless tree is fit for nothing but fire. You can only use a fig tree for two things: food or fuel. It is good for nothing else (Deuteronomy 20:19-20). Whether you believe or believe not, whether you are saved or damned, our God does well, and we will acquiesce in his goodness (Romans 3:3-4). God’s purpose will be accomplished. God’s elect will be saved. God’s glory will be manifest. And God’s justice will be vindicated.

Luke 13:10-17

Chapter 3 Cured At Last!Our Lord’s miracles were intended to be types of his mercy and grace, confirming his claims as the Messiah, the Deliverer of Israel, the Son of God, our Redeemer and our King. When he healed the ailments of men’s bodies, he was showing that he has power to cure the maladies of our souls. When he raised the dead, he was showing us that he, who is the resurrection and the life, has power to give spiritual, eternal life to those who are dead in trespasses and sins. When he multiplied the loaves and fishes, gathered fish into the empty nets of his toiling disciples, and caused a coin to be found in the mouth of a fish, he was teaching us that he has the power to provide our every need in this world. And when he spoke peace to the troubled sea and walked across the water to his disciples, he was teaching us that he who rules the world rules the storms of our lives, and when our souls are in trouble, he will come to us to comfort us. Whenever we read of miracles performed by our Lord Jesus Christ, the believing heart should always see in the miracle a message of mercy. Our Lord, by leaving us the record of these things, is saying to us, “As I have worked glorious things upon the earth in the days of my flesh, I will surely work even more glorious things for you in my exaltation.” As our Lord Jesus Christ met this poor woman in the synagogue and raised her up from her long and painful infirmity, he now meets sinners in the assembly of his saints and, by his almighty grace, raises those who are bowed down. His name is Jehovah-Rapha. He says, “I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26). I hold this woman before you, whose name I do not know, as an example of what the Lord Jesus Christ can do, and in every age and place, does for poor, needy sinners such as we are. Her Condition First, the Holy Spirit calls our attention to this woman’s condition. “And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself … And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” (Luke 13:11; Luke 13:16). On the Sabbath day the Lord Jesus could always be found in the synagogue, or in the temple teaching. He was in his element in the house of God. And he was most happy when he was declaring to men the things of God. In order to confirm the doctrine he taught and to illustrate it, he performed this great miracle of mercy. There is no other case exactly like it mentioned in the scriptures. Therefore, Luke calls our attention to it with the word, “Behold”! We are not told precisely what was wrong with this woman, only that she was “bowed together”, that her condition was caused by Satan binding her, that she had been bowed together for 18 years, and that, “she could in no wise lift herself up.” She was very sick; and her infirmity was not only physical, but spiritual as well. Her outward appearance was an index of her inward torment. The appearance of her body was a picture of her soul. She was bowed together. Commenting on this passage, Spurgeon wrote, “Spiritual deformity assumes many forms, and each form is painful to look upon.” The next time you go to the house of God, try to picture in your mind what the assembly might look like if every person present appeared outwardly to be what he is inwardly, as this woman did. Suppose that your physical appearance were a reflection of your inward state. The place would be truly pitiful to look upon. Over against the wall you might see a dead corpse. On the other side you might look with shock upon a poor leper. In another place you might see a paralyzed man with trembling faith. Sitting on one side of you might be a woman with fits of passion and despair, on the other side a man with flashes of fever and chills, and behind you a person with a convulsing heart, torn between heaven and earth. Every gospel church might rightly be called “Bethel” (House of God) and “Bethesda” (House of Mercy, or House of Healing). Assembled together God’s elect are a multitude of sick folk, poor, lame, broken, halt, maimed, and impotent. But in the house of God the Lord Jesus is in our midst. He is present in mercy to relieve the miseries of his chosen. This poor woman in our text was probably unnoticed in the crowd. Being bowed together, she was dwarfed in size. It appears she regularly attended the synagogue. So the people there had become hardened to her condition. They paid her no attention. But the Son of God saw her, had compassion on her and healed her. Here she is held up as an example of grace. This woman’s condition is a picture of every lost sinner. She was bowed together (Ecclesiastes 7:29). Blessed is the person who is bowed together in heart by reason of sin! She had been in this horrible deformity for a long, long time. Her misery was the work of Satan. And “she could in no wise lift herself up” (Jeremiah 13:23). She was a prisoner in her own body, a prisoner of sickness, but a prisoner of hope. Though she could not lift herself up, she was in the presence of One who could lift her up. And she had hope because he had lifted up many before her. The leper (Luke 5:12-13). The paralyzed man (Luke 5:18-26). The unclean multitudes (Luke 6:18-19). The centurion’s servant (Luke 7:1-10). The widow’s son (Luke 7:11-17). The demon possessed women (Luke 8:2-3). The Gadarene (Luke 8:26-36). Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:41-42). The woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:43-48). The ruler of the synagogue’s daughter (Luke 8:49-56). As many as had need of healing (Luke 9:11). The demon possessed child (Luke 9:42). This woman may have reasoned in her own mind, “If this Man, who has healed so many others, is pleased to do so, he can heal me too”! I am not certain about what she thought, but I tell you this with certainty: The Lord Jesus is able to save unto the uttermost all who come to God by him. This woman’s condition is also a picture of many of God’s saints in this world. Without question, she was a believer, a saved woman, one who worshipped and served the true and living God, though she was sorely afflicted in the providence of God by the hand of Satan. We know she was a believer, a child of God because there is no mention here of her being forgiven. In other places, those healed were also forgiven. Apparently she was already forgiven. And our Lord tells us that she was “a daughter of Abraham”, an Israelite indeed. Many of Abraham’s sons and daughters, many of God’s saints in this world are like this poor woman, “bowed together”, being afflicted and bound, in a sense, by Satan, having “a spirit of infirmity”. She had lost all her natural brightness and cheerfulness. No doubt, as a girl she was as smiling, sparkle-eyed and happy as anyone. But gradually there crept over her body an infirmity, which dragged her face downward, until at last she was bowed together. For eighteen long years, she had walked with her face toward the earth, as if she were looking for a grave. It had been eighteen years since she had seen the noonday sun, looked upon the singing birds in the trees, or beheld the star-lit sky. She was bowed down with a spirit of infirmity. Are you like this poor soul, perpetually bowed down? Perhaps you remember happier days; but now you are bowed together in the melancholy spirit of infirmity. It has been a long, long time since you have been able to enter into sweet communion with God, behold the face of your beloved Saviour, or enjoy the peace, comfort, and joy of faith. In your inmost soul you pine for him whose presence is your happiness. William Cowper lamented; Where is the blessedness I knew When first I saw the Lord? Where is the sweet refreshing view Of Jesus in his Word? What blissful hours I then enjoyed, How sweet their memory still! But they have left an aching void The world can never fill! This woman, being bowed together, was bowed toward herself, bowed toward that which is most depressing. By some unexplainable mystery, depression breeds depression, grief multiplies, and a melancholy spirit is a legion in number. And the more you are bowed down to look to yourself, the more bowed down you will be. We never find peace, assurance, and joy in Christ by looking to ourselves. Our Saviour never admonishes us to look to ourselves, but to him. Religion and the devil tell us to look inwardly to ourselves. The Lord Jesus commands us always and only to look to him (Isaiah 45:22; Hebrews 12:1-2). Any religion that sets you looking to yourself is nothing but a snare of Satan. Next, we are told that this poor soul “could in no wise lift up herself.” No need to blame her for her condition. One of her older sisters may have scolded her for her condition, when she began to stoop, saying, “Sister, you must not give in to your feelings. Straighten up, or you will become stooped and deformed.” What good advice some people can give! This poor woman was bound by Satan. And when Satan binds the soul, it is as truly bound as when a man snares an eagle and binds it. This woman was bound to herself! All the advice, counsel, and preaching in the world could not lift her up. And she could not lift herself up, though she wanted to do so with all her heart. Her freewill could not change her condition! Worst of all, she had been bowed down for eighteen years. Eighteen years! That is a long time. Eighteen years of happiness fly by more swiftly than we are able to fathom. Eighteen years of happiness is a short span of time. But eighteen years of misery, eighteen years of pain, eighteen years of being bowed down, who can measure that? Eighteen long years, each year dragging twelve miserable months behind it, each month pulling four heavy weeks, each week loaded with seven gloomy days, and each day loaded down with twenty-four gruelling, painful, lonely hours! What grief! This woman had been in the bonds of the devil for eighteen years, bowed together! Reader, are you like this poor woman? Have you been bowed down in spirit for a long, long time? Perhaps your inner despondency, your soul’s constant unrest is an affliction no one can understand. If you are such, take hope. This woman’s cure came in a moment. The chain, which it took Satan eighteen years to forge, the Son of God broke in an instant! Do not forget that though she was in this condition for such a long, long time, all the while she was a child of Abraham. Her heart was right with God. Her Conduct Second, the Spirit of God shows us what this poor soul did. “And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself” (Luke 13:10-11). This poor woman, bowed as she was in body and in spirit, was in the house of prayer on the Sabbath day. It was while she was there that she found the liberty she craved in her soul. For eighteen years she had come to the house of God in excruciating pain and gone home again in torment. But on this day, she was cured. Mercy was found in the house of prayer. There was nothing about her life and nothing in her spiritual condition to give her comfort. And she could not lift herself up. But she could go to the house of God. She could worship God. Even in her misery she honoured God. And God always honours those who honour him. She came to the house of prayer, because everything she needed was to be found there. The Lord was there. His Word was there. His people were there. His instruction was to be found there. His mercy was to be found there. I can almost hear her singing Psalms 122, as she skipped and danced home that day! This woman, who might have been reasonably excused for not attending the worship of God, made it her business to be in the house of God on the day of public worship. What is your excuse for neglecting it? Her Cure Third, the Holy Spirit tells us how the Lord Jesus healed this poor soul of her infirmity. “And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God” (Luke 13:12-13). Look at how Luke describes this woman’s cure. She had been bound by Satan for eighteen years. Christ came to set her free. This is how he did it. “When Jesus saw her, he called her to him.” When he called her, he spoke to her and spoke effectually, causing her disease to flee from her. “Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.” Then “he laid his hands on her”, his almighty, tender, nail pierced hands! And, “immediately she was made straight.” Man can never make straight that which God has made crooked. But the Son of God can easily make straight what sin and Satan have made crooked. As soon as she was cured, she “glorified God”! Shackled by a heavy burden ’Neath a load of guilt and shame Then the hand of Jesus touched me And now I am no longer the same. He touched me, Oh, he touched me And oh the joy that floods my soul Something happened and now I know He touched me and made me whole Since I met the blessed Saviour And since he cleansed and made me whole I will never cease to praise him. I’ll shout it while eternity roll. Oh he touched me! Oh he touched me! And oh what a joy that floods my soul! Something happened and now I know, He touched me and made me whole! William J. Gaither The Lord permitted Satan to afflict the child of his love for eighteen years, so that she might glorify him forever. Her deep sorrow, when it was over, made her song most sweet. Her Conflict No sooner was one trial over than another began. As soon as this woman was healed, she was involved in great conflict with a self-righteous, religious hypocrite. This man was upset because this woman was healed on the sabbath day! “And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day” (Luke 13:14). The sabbath day was a day of rest. And now, for the first time in eighteen years, this poor soul was at rest. But this legalist could not stand it. Legalism is hard. The legalist is more concerned for laws, rules, customs, and days than he is for the needs of human beings. Legalism is haughty. The legalist is always proud and self-righteous. Legalism is hypocrisy. Every man who pretends to live by the law of God is a hypocrite. Legalists always lower the standard of the law, which is perfection, perfect holiness, perfect obedience. By lowering the law’s standard to themselves, they vainly imagine that they are holier than others. Her Comfort The Lord Jesus tenderly comforted his beloved child by three things: He answered her adversary (Luke 13:15). He assured her of her acceptance (Luke 13:16). And he graciously used her to be an instrument for the glory of God (Luke 13:17). “The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him” (Luke 13:15-17). When our Lord gets done, all his enemies and ours shall forever be ashamed. In that great, eternal day all his people shall forever rejoice in the glorious things that have been done by him. And you and I, sinners saved by his grace, shall be named among those glorious things done by him, for which he shall be praised forever!

Luke 13:18-21

Chapter 4 Two Instructive Parables In these four verses our Lord Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a grain of mustard seed and a leaven hidden in three measures of meal. Our Saviour was a great story teller. He constantly used parables, told stories to illustrate and enforce his doctrine. He never used spell-binding oratory, intellectual argument, philosophy, logic, or theological history to teach the gospel. He deliberately spoke in plain, simple language to clearly set forth and illustrate gospel truth. That is the kind of preaching that should be cultivated among God’s servants (1 Corinthians 2:3-5; Mark 4:33-34). When the Lord Jesus preached, he always preached in the plainest, simplest manner imaginable. He who is the embodiment of wisdom and knowledge never used complicated words and phrases. He never once referred to the original language, or even defined a word. He did not use words that required definition. Instead, he told stories and illustrated the truths he taught by parables. In contrast with today’s preaching, our Lord’s example of preaching speaks volumes. He preached in such a way that people understood what he preached. He never tried to impress his hearers with how smart a man he was or how much he knew. He did not display knowledge. He taught knowledge. There is a huge difference. Those who follow the Master’s example do not try to impress men. They instruct men. Our Master taught with plainness and simplicity. He did not preach what he could not illustrate; and when he was finished, the people who heard him understood what he had said. Our Saviour taught with knowledge and understanding (Jeremiah 3:15). He knew exactly what they needed, and what they could bear, and taught them accordingly. The Son of God expounded all things to his disciples. He kept back nothing from them. He expounded to them all the Word of God. Faithful men follow his example. The word “parable” is the same word that is translated proverb in other places. Solomon’s wise sayings and instructive similitudes are called proverbs, or parables, by which he taught us wisdom. “Behold, a greater than Solomon is here”! By his parables he teaches us wisdom. “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Speaking in parables our Lord fulfilled the prophecy of the Old Testament scriptures (Psalms 78:2). And the matter, the subject, and the theme of these parables, Matthew tells us, are “things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.” The gospel of Christ and the purposes of God toward the Gentile world were wrapped up in the Old Testament by the types and shadows of the law, which have now been fulfilled by Christ, in whom God has revealed himself and made known his grace. The Master’s reason for speaking in parables is explained in Matthew 13:9-10. As the mighty, sovereign God of heaven and earth, he exercises his sovereign mercy, giving grace to whom he will, and making a clear distinction among men. To some he reveals his Word. From others he hides the meaning of his words. That is his prerogative as God (Matthew 11:25-26; Matthew 20:15; Exodus 33:19). In the two instructive parables of the mustard seed and the leaven our Saviour shows us what we may expect to be the result of gospel preaching throughout the ages of time. Mustard Seed First, let us learn the parable of the mustard seed. “Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it” (Luke 13:18-19). Remember, parables are common, familiar earthly illustrations of spiritual, heavenly truths. In this case the parable is drawn from a commonly used proverbial expression during the days of our Lord’s earthly ministry. The parable of the grain of mustard seed is designed to teach us never to despise the day of small things (Zechariah 4:6-10). Holy Scripture The first thing I want to show you from this parable is the veracity of holy scripture. Ignorant men who think themselves wise, reprobate men who think themselves spiritual, pass judgment upon the Word of God. They claim to be Christians, claim to be people of faith, and claim to honour Christ, while denying the veracity of the Bible. Not long ago, I heard a man in an interview with ABC News say, “I believe the Bible; but I don’t take it word for word.” A woman, in the same segment said, “I believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God; but I do not think you have to take it all literally.” Regrettably, those comments fairly well represent the opinions of most who profess to be Christians in our day. In this day of spiritual darkness and perversion there is almost a universal abandonment of belief in the verbal, plenary inspiration of God’s holy, inerrant Word. Rejecting the veracity and consequently the authority of holy scripture, men and women everywhere are turning to necromancy, astrology, and sorcery for spiritual counsel and aid. Long ago John Hazelton wrote, “Satan assumes the garb of an angel of light and his deceptions in this disguise are deadly.” “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? (To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:19-20). Frequently, those who think they are smarter than God point to this parable to show that our Saviour was either ignorant or misinformed, because he spoke of the mustard seed as the smallest of all seeds and of the mustard plant as a tree. Those who make such judgments are ignorant and misinformed. When our Lord said that the mustard seed is “the smallest of all seeds in the earth, he was not talking about all seeds without exception, but all the seeds a man sows in his garden. Though we usually think of mustard plants as bushy, leafy plants, there is a variety of mustard that grows into a pretty good size tree-like plant, sort of like a banana tree in size. We must never allow men, with their imaginary proofs of inaccuracies in the Bible, to shake our faith in the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Faith Second, the mustard seed was used by our Lord as an illustration of our faith in him. Though it is never mentioned in the Old Testament, many varieties of mustard plants grew in abundance in and around Palestine. Some grew in the wild. Others were cultivated for various purposes. In the New Testament it is mentioned only by our Saviour. Twice he compares true faith to a grain of mustard seed (Matthew 17:14-21; Luke 17:3-6). Mustard seed is mentioned only five times in the Word of God. When it is used to illustrate faith, as in Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6, it teaches us four specific things about the character of true faith. True, saving faith begins as a very small thing. A grain of mustard seed. The fact is, true believers always recognize that their faith is a small, very small thing. We often look upon our brothers and sisters in Christ as being men and women of great faith; but anyone who thinks he has great faith probably has no faith at all. It is not the greatness of our faith, but the greatness of our God and Saviour, the Object of our faith, that gives it merit, power, and efficacy. Far too many have faith in their faith, which is to say they have faith in themselves. We must never imagine that there is some mystical power to faith. The power of our faith is Christ, the Object of our faith. It is not our faith that moves the mountain of our sins or plucks up the sycamore tree of trouble; but the blood of Christ and the power of Christ, who is the Object of our faith. The question is not, “How much faith do I have?” but “What is the object of my faith?” Great faith in an idol is as useless as spitting in the wind; but faith, even as a grain of mustard seed, in the God of glory is mighty, effectual, saving faith. With God, nothing is impossible; and therefore, “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23). Nothing can stand in the way of, hinder, or defeat that man and those people who, being called of God, believe him. It was impossible for Egypt to destroy Israel, because Moses believed God. It was impossible for the Red Sea to stop the march of God’s elect, because Moses believed God. The walls of Jericho must fall. Joshua believed God. The land of Canaan must be possessed. Caleb believed God. The Philistine giant had to die, because David, defending the cause of God’s glory and his people, believed God. Jairus’ daughter had to live. He believed God. The centurion’s servant must rise. That centurion believed God. Our Saviour was not lying when he said, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” “If thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God.” Yet, nothing is more abominably wretched than the paralyzing effect of unbelief. When the Lord Jesus came into his own land, among his own people, we read, “he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58). Just in proportion as we believe God, we experience his power and grace. Just in proportion as we believe him, we see his glory. Nothing is as costly as unbelief (Isaiah 48:16-19). The Church Third, the parable of the mustard seed illustrates the growth of God’s church and kingdom in this world. The purpose of the parable is to teach us to never despise the day of small things. But it is also intended to assure us of the certain growth and blessedness of Christ’s church and kingdom in this world. Like faith in the heart, the church and kingdom of God in this world began as a very small thing. The expression, “as a grain of mustard seed”, was a common, proverbial saying among the Jews, referring to anything small and insignificant. As a rule, God’s works in the world are always looked upon by men as trivial, insignificant things. Certainly, that is the way it was with the Church of the New Testament. Those who were chosen to be the foundational apostles of Christ’s kingdom were poor, unlettered fishermen. He who is the Lord and Master of this Church, the King of this Kingdom, was a despised Nazarene, a crucified Jew. The doctrine proclaimed by this Church, and preached everywhere was the doctrine of grace, life, and eternal salvation by the merit and efficacy of a crucified Substitute. In the eyes of men nothing could have been less likely to be successful, nothing more despicable, nothing could have been more offensive. Yet, this was God’s work, God’s Church, and God’s Kingdom. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts; and his ways are not our ways. God almost always does things exactly opposite of what we would, and of what we imagine he does. The gospel does not triumph all at once. The church and kingdom of God is not set up all at once, neither amongst us in the world, nor within us in our hearts. The church of God sprang from a very small seed sown in the earth, a crucified Saviour (John 12:24). God’s works almost always begin in obscurity, with what appear to be insignificant things. The work of the gospel, the spread of God’s church and kingdom is a gradual thing. Like the grain of mustard seed sown in the ground, its growth is almost unobservable, but steady. As the full grown mustard seed is the greatest and largest of all herbs, so the church and kingdom of God shall, in the end of the world, be immeasurably great and large (Psalms 80:8-11). The number of God’s elect shall be ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands. Untold millions and billions of people shall inhabit heaven’s glory with Christ! Once planted, this Church and Kingdom grew into a great Kingdom. Our Lord’s parable here was prophetic. Again, he was telling his disciples not to despise the day of small things. Though it appeared a small, despicable thing, like the mustard seed, the Lord prophesied that his Church would become a great, large Kingdom. He said, “As the mustard plant grows to be the greatest of all herbs, so shall my church grow to be the greatest of all kingdoms.” So it has come to pass. It began to grow on the day of Pentecost. Three thousand were born into his Kingdom on that day. The Church grew so rapidly that nothing can account for it except the finger of God. A few days after Pentecost, five thousand were added to the Church at once. Wherever God’s servants went preaching the gospel, it proved to be the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:14-17).

Today, the Church of God is the greatest empire the world has ever known; and it is not done growing yet. God still employs the same means today as he did in the beginning for the building of his Church that is, gospel preaching (1 Corinthians 1:21-31; Matthew 16:18). In spite of all the predictions of wicked men, in spite of all the foes without and all the treachery within, the Church of God still progresses, the Kingdom of God still enlarges itself, the mustard plant still grows! Believers What is true of the Church is true of each member of it. The beginnings of grace in the life of a believer are very small; but where there is life there is growth; and those who are born of God are grown by God. The more they grow, the smaller they appear in their own eyes. Yet, when God is finished with us, we shall at last be transformed into the very likeness of Christ! Influence The fourth thing that is evident in this parable is this: The church and kingdom of God has a very ennobling, sanctifying influence upon the rest of the world. Though no one in the world knows it, and few in the Kingdom of God realize it, the Church and Kingdom of God has a profoundly sanctifying effect upon the rest of society. That is, at least in part, what is meant by the birds of the air flocking to and nesting in the mustard plant. The Church and Kingdom of God, like a great tree, provides shelter for the world and influences it for good. We have an example of what I am talking about in 1 Corinthians 7:14, where God the Holy Spirit tells us that, “the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife by the husband.” As in a home the unbelieving are sanctified by the believing in a moral sense, so in the world, the unbelieving are sanctified by the believing. Read your history books. Education did absolutely nothing to improve the moral condition of the Greek and Roman worlds. Plato and Aristotle made absolutely no impact upon society for moral good. That which has improved every society, every culture, every family, and every relationship under its influence is the gospel of Christ. Mixed Multitude Fifth, in this parable of the mustard seed, our Lord reminds us again that the church and kingdom of God in this world is a mixed multitude. The fowls of the air also represent the mixed multitude in the visible Church and Kingdom of God in this world. The visible Church has always been inhabited by both the clean and the unclean. There is no such thing as a perfect Church in this world. Every true Church has within its fold both goats and sheep. It is a nesting place for birds clean and birds unclean.

It is a garden enclosed; but a garden with wheat and tares growing side by side. What are we to do about this? Nothing! Do not try to scare off the crows. If you do, you will drive away the red birds. Do not try to pull up the tares.

You will pull up wheat every time. Never try to separate sheep from goats. We are not equipped for it. Only the Lord himself can distinguish the true from the false. It is his work to do the separating; and he will do it. The Leaven “And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened” (Luke 13:20-21). This parable is misinterpreted by many. We are often told that the leaven refers to the ever-increasing evil of the world. But our Lord is not talking about the world. He is talking about “the kingdom of heaven”. He is talking about his Church. The parable of the leaven is very much the same in meaning as the parable of the mustard seed. It teaches us that the gospel prevails by degrees and works like leaven in the hearts of God’s elect. “A woman took leaven.” The woman, the weaker vessel, represents gospel preachers, who have the treasure of the gospel in earthen vessels (2 Corinthians 4:7). The leaven was hidden in three measures of meal. The regenerate heart, like meal, is soft and pliable. Leaven will never work in corn, but only in ground meal. So the gospel has no effect upon the stony, unregenerate heart. It only works upon broken hearts that have been ground by the Holy Spirit in conviction. Once the leaven is hidden in the dough, it works. So the word of God, hidden in the hearts of chosen, redeemed sinners by God the Holy Spirit, works and brings forth fruit. The change it works is gradual, but it works (Hebrews 4:12). God’s work is like the growth of the mustard seed and the spread of leaven; small and gradual in our eyes, almost unobservable. Let us never despise the day of small things. But when he gets done … “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth” (Zechariah 4:6-10).

Luke 13:22-30

Chapter 5 “Are There Few That Be Saved?”Multitudes there are who, like the Jews of hold, have all the advantages and privileges of outward gospel ordinances and public worship, multitudes enjoy the practice of religion and a form of godliness, who never know the saving power of God’s omnipotent mercy. Multitudes keep up the exercises of religion with great diligence, who know nothing of God’s salvation. They strive to enter into the kingdom of God; but it is in their own strength. They eat and drink in Christ’s presence; and many hear Christ and him crucified faithfully preached, who perish without him. Others, scattered among the nations of the world, who never had such privileges, upon hearing the gospel, have the Lord Jesus revealed in them and believe. Such is the discrimination of grace that the last are made first and the first are made last. I am of the firm and ever deepening conviction that most religious people are lost. Most of the people I preach to in churches throughout this country and around the world are yet in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. It is not as easy as you might suppose to find one who truly knows the Lord Jesus Christ. There are few who trust Christ, few who are committed to Christ, few who are in love with the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s elect, contrary to popular opinion, are not to be found in every church. It may well be true that there are few in any gospel church. In the last day multitudes, vast multitudes of religious men and women, who are absolutely sure they are saved, will hear the Son of God say, “Depart from me”, and shall be forever consigned to the torments of the damned (Matthew 7:21-23). They believed the truth about Christ. They professed faith in Christ. They preached in the name of Christ.

They performed miracles in the name of Christ. They performed many wonderful works in the name of Christ. They had perfect peace, confidence, and assurance that they were saved, born of God, heirs of heaven, and eternal glory. But they were lost, without God, without Christ, without hope. Any honest man who reads those three verses in Matthew 7 must be compelled to ask himself, “Lord, is it I?” As John Newton put it in one of his hymns … ’Tis a point I long to know, Oft it causes anxious thought, Do I love the Lord, or no, Am I his or am I not? It is a fact plainly revealed in holy scripture that the vast majority of those who profess faith in Christ and think that all is well with their immortal souls are lost, in the broad road of destruction, which leads to eternal ruin. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ says to you and me, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” Let us make neither more nor less of this solemn exhortation than our Lord means by it. And the best way to determine what he means is to look into the context. A Striking Question The Lord Jesus was making his way toward Jerusalem where he would lay down his life for his people. There he would make atonement for our sins by suffering all the horrid wrath of God in our room and stead unto death, satisfying the justice of God for us. As he went his way to Calvary, he taught the gospel. One day, as he walked in the streets teaching the multitudes around him, obviously, someone thought of what the scriptures teach about divine election and concluded that since there were not many disciples following the Master, and God has only chosen some to be saved, there must be only a few who will be saved. Satan commonly perverts precious, gospel doctrine into something hard in the minds of men, and takes that which ought to encourage sinners to trust Christ, and makes it a barrier before them. That seems to have been the case here. So one of those who walked with and heard the Lord Jesus raised this question: “Are there few that be saved?” It is likely that this question was asked by a Jew, and that the two parables illustrating the smallness of the kingdom’s beginning suggested it to him. The Jews extended their exclusive spirit even to their ideas of a world to come, so that they believed none but their chosen race would behold its glories. The questioner wanted the Saviour to give his approval to this narrow Jewish spirit, or else to take a position which would subject him to the charge of being unpatriotic. Whatever the man’s motive was in asking this question, the Lord Jesus answered his question with a very needful admonition: “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24). What does it matter whether God’s elect are few or many, if you are not one of them? The Master answered this man’s question directly, urging him to make sure that he is in the number, however large or small it might be. Satan does not care if you discuss and debate the things of God twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week as long as you go on to hell without Christ. Multitudes go to hell talking about religion. People like to poke fun at those of us who believe and preach the blessed, gospel doctrine of divine election, saying, “You folks believe that there are only a select few who will be saved.” Well, yes, that is what we believe. Our Lord Jesus Christ said plainly, “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). Those are the words of God himself. That settles the question. I know that in the end God’s elect will be a multitude which no man can number, ten thousand time ten thousand, and thousands of thousands. Who can tell how many elect infants God has mercifully taken to glory in his acts of judgment upon their ungodly parents? Yet, at any one time, God’s elect in this world are few, very few, when compared with the multitudes who perish. In the days of Noah only Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Lot was the only person in Sodom whom God had chosen. Of the vast multitude who left Egypt, only two, Joshua and Caleb, entered the land of promise.

The rest perished in unbelief. There were 851 prophets at Carmel, only Elijah knew God. When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem, he said, “I and some few men with me” came to do the work (Nehemiah 2:12). Isaiah said that when the judgment of God came upon the earth, there would be “few men left” (Isaiah 2:6). A great multitude was carried away into Babylon; but when they came to Jeremiah in repentance, they said, “we are left but a few of many” (Jeremiah 42:2). Our Lord Jesus said concerning the way of faith and life, “Few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14). And in his parables Christ made it plain that there are “few that be saved” (Luke 13:20-25). At the last time, in that age of the church depicted by Sardis there will be only “a few names” found among the faithful (Revelation 3:4). This is the teaching of holy scripture: Among the multitudes who wear the name of Christ, and profess to be his followers, there are only a few who are saved. The rest are perishing under the delusion of a false hope. Hear the word of the Lord, and be warned. Are you among the many who are perishing; or are you among the few who are chosen, the few who trust Christ alone for eternal salvation? With the apostle Peter, I solemnly admonish you to give diligence to make your calling and election sure. Has Christ been revealed in you? Do you know the Son of God? Do you truly trust Christ alone as your Saviour? Is Jesus Christ your Lord and Master? If you will be honest, you can know whether or not you are among the few whom God has chosen. You can know your election. Paul told the Thessalonians plainly that he knew they were God’s elect for five reasons (1 Thessalonians 1:4-10). These are certain identifying marks of God’s elect. God’s elect hear and receive the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 1:5). Being taught of God, they are assured of Divine truth. God’s elect follow Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:6). Like Christ, those who are truly born of God, believe God, serve God with patience, hope, and love, and walk before him in the joy of faith. Like their Master, the people of God persevere in the hour of trial. They follow him. God’s elect are committed to Christ and to the gospel of his grace (1 Thessalonians 1:8). God’s elect repent of their sins and turn to God with a true heart (1 Thessalonians 1:9). God’s elect live in this world as men and women of expectation and hope, “waiting for his son” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). If indeed you and I are among those who are elect of God, our hearts should be filled with gratitude, praise, and admiration for him (Romans 11:33-36). The only difference between the many who perish and the few who are chosen is the difference which grace has made (1 Corinthians 4:7; 2 Thessalonians 2:10-14). As for me, I gladly ascribe the whole of my salvation to God, who loved me freely with an everlasting love and saved me by his grace. “By the grace of God I am what I am.” I am chosen by grace, redeemed by grace, called by grace, given faith to believe by grace, preserved by grace, and free grace alone shall bring me safely into heaven’s eternal glory (Jude 1:24-25). Oh to grace, how great a debtor, Daily I’m constrained to be! A Sobering Exhortation Then our Lord Jesus Christ gives us this very sobering exhortation: “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24). The word “strive” means “to agonize, labour fervently, and fight” to enter in at the strait gate. The word “strait” means “narrow, constricted, contracted, or close”. Here the Lord is showing us our responsibility. Our concern must not be what others may do, or even what may happen to others. Our responsibility is to seek the Lord ourselves, whether anyone else does or not. The unbelief and indecision of others will be no excuse in the last day. We must never follow the multitudes. If we go to heaven alone, we must resolve by the grace of God to do so. If we follow Christ alone, we must be resolved to let all others perish if they will, but we will not perish with them. Whether we have many with us, or few, our responsibility is plain “Strive to enter in.” We must not go on in our unbelief, saying, “I can do nothing until God draws me.” It is my responsibility to draw near to God. “Strive to enter in.” God’s election and my own inability have nothing to do with my responsibility. I must “strive to enter in.” “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). A Solemn Warning Then our Lord sets before us a very plain and solemn warning (Luke 13:25-30). “When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are.” The long and short of that is this: There is a day coming when the forbearance of God shall come to an end. He declares, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man” (Genesis 6:5). You can make what you want of that. Men can argue and debate for the rest of their lives about whether that is sound doctrine or rank Arminianism. I really have no interests in their wrangling. My concern is for your soul. And I know this, there is a day appointed by God when the door of mercy, which has been open to you for so long, shall be shut. There comes a time when men and women cannot be saved, even while they live they are dead (Proverbs 1:22-31; Hosea 4:17). “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1). Our Lord is saying, “Strive to enter in now while you may, while the door is open before you, for the door will not always be open” (Jeremiah 7:13-16). A Day Of Reckoning Then our Lord assures us that there is a day of reckoning and righteous judgment coming. “Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last” (Luke 13:26-30). Many who think they are saved shall find themselves at last under the wrath of the Lamb (Luke 13:26-28). Their religious profession, their great experiences, their doctrinal knowledge, their mighty works will all be vanity. All will see what is right when it is too late. Hell is a place where truth is known too late! But in that last day all believers shall receive the full reward of heaven and eternal glory (Luke 13:29-30). In this whole passage our Lord is making an illusion to the ancient marriage feasts, which were held at night. The house would be all lit up. And those who were admitted to the marriage feast would be in the light. Those who were excluded were in darkness outside, “outer darkness”. The guests entered by a narrow wicket gate, at which the porter stood to prevent any uninvited people from rushing into the feast. When all who had been invited were in the house, the door was shut. It would not be opened to those who were without, no matter how much they knocked (2 Corinthians 5:18 to 2 Corinthians 6:2). Come, humble sinner, in whose breast A thousand thoughts revolve, Come with your guilt and fear oppressed, And make this last resolve I’ll go to Jesus, though my sin Hath like a mountain rose; I know his courts I’ll enter in, Whatever may oppose. Prostrate I’ll lie before his throne, And there my guilt confess; I’ll tell him I’m a wretch undone, Without his sovereign grace. I’ll to the gracious King approach, Whose sceptre pardon gives; Perhaps he may command my touch, And then the suppliant lives! Perhaps he will admit my plea, Perhaps will hear my prayer; But if I perish, I will pray, And perish only there. I can but perish if I go, I am resolved to try; For if I stay away, I know, I must forever die. But, if I die with mercy sought, When I the King have tried, This were to die (Delightful thought!) As sinner never died. Edmund Jones

Luke 13:30-35

Chapter 6 “Ye Would Not” An Instructive Proverb First, in Luke 13:30 our Lord uses a proverb to describe the kingdom of God and the work of God. “And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.” What an instructive proverb this is! Do not fail to notice the context in which this proverb is given. Our Master is urging us to strive to enter into the strait gate (Luke 13:24). He tells us that we must do so now, for the hour is soon coming when he will shut the door, and none will be able to enter, though they long to do so. Then, he speaks of the Day of Judgment and eternity (Luke 13:25-29). It is in this context that our Lord gives us this parable. “And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.” This proverb was literally fulfilled when the gospel was first preached, has been fulfilled throughout the ages, is being fulfilled now, and shall be fulfilled in eternity. The Jews who were first became last; and the Gentiles who were last became first. But there is more here than simply the declaration of God’s method of grace in dealing with the Jews and with his elect among the Gentiles. In this proverb our Lord is teaching us something about God’s method of grace and who they are who are the objects of his eternal mercy, love, and grace, who they are whom he has chosen to save. Those who think they are and appear to be first in line for heaven will be last in the Day of Judgment. And those who think themselves to be and appear to be last in line for the grace of God will be first in the Day of Judgment. God’s elect are seldom those we would choose (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). Ah, Grace! Into unlikeliest hearts It is thy boast to come; The glory of thy light to find In darkest spots a home. Thy choice (O God of goodness!) then I lovingly adore: Oh, give me grace to keep Thy grace, And grace to long for more. A Blessed Fact Second, in Luke 13:31-32 our Saviour sets before us a blessed fact that ought to constantly quieten and calm our hearts in the face of trouble. No doubt, when the Pharisees heard what our Lord said about them being last in the Day of Judgment and of others going before them into the kingdom of God, they understood that he was talking about them. I rather suspect that he was looking them right in the eye when he said it. So they thought they could scare the Master into silence and get him to quit preaching. “The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee” (Luke 13:31). Perhaps Herod, the ruler of Galilee, who had beheaded John the Baptist, had let it be known that he was determined to kill our Saviour. But it may be that the Pharisees simply invented the report. (Never put anything past lost religious men, who are determined to justify themselves.) Whether the report was true or false, it was obviously the intent of these Pharisees to intimidate the Master; but their scheme backfired. “And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected” (Luke 13:32). Our Lord was not frightened by the Pharisees or by Herod, but there is more here than that. In his reply to the Pharisees our Master simply stated, “My time to leave this world has not yet come. My work is not yet finished. Until that time comes, you can tell “that fox” for me that he has no power to harm me. I fear him no more than I fear a yelping little fox that is scared of his own shadow.” “Today, and tomorrow, and the third day” are not prophetic terms, but are used simply as a declaration of the fact that our Saviour was assured that the time of his life on earth, the time of his service to the glory of God and men, and the time of his death were appointed by his Father and ours, and could not be shortened by Herod, or by anyone, or by anything. Our Master, by using the word “perfected” to describe his death, was saying, “I shall finish what I came here to do. I will not leave this world until my purpose, the purpose appointed for me by my Father, is completed. Then, my life shall be complete.” It is no accident that this same word (perfected) is applied to our Saviour twice in the Book of Hebrews and to his people, the people he came here to make perfect, three times (Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 5:9; Hebrews 10:10-14; Hebrews 11:40; Hebrews 12:23). Our Lord’s perfection as the God-man Mediator, as our Covenant Surety, was and is wrapped up in the salvation (perfection) of those he came here to save. The law could never make anyone perfect (Hebrews 10:1); but Christ did. And he is perfected because he has perfected his people by the work he finished as our Mediator, Surety, Representative, and Substitute (Hebrews 10:10-14; Hebrews 11:40). What our Lord here says of himself is true of every believer. The Lord God has put us on this earth for a specific time, to accomplish a specific purpose, and nothing shall prevent it. Nothing can add to or shorten our days. The lesson to be learned from this is clear: Our times are entirely in the hands of our God. Oh, may God give me grace to live in the frame of mind and heart my Lord exemplified here! We ought to possess a calm, unshaken confidence in our Father’s good purpose. If our hearts are fixed, trusting the Lord, we shall not be afraid of evil tidings. Our times are in our Father’s hands (Psalms 112:4-10; Psalms 31:13-20). Let this be my attitude before every danger, every foe, every trouble, every slandering tongue, every deceitful spirit: I have and shall continue to have only that which is good for me. I shall live until my work is done, and not a moment longer. All the powers of earth and hell combined cannot harm me. All the powers of earth and hell combined cannot destroy my life, until the time my Father has ordained. And all the physicians on earth cannot preserve me for one second beyond that time. Nothing is beyond the reach of a man who has such an attitude regarding his life; and, if we believe God, that ought to be our attitude. The hairs of our heads are all numbered. Our steps are all ordered of the Lord. All things work together for our good. If some Shimei curses me, the Lord will do me good by the wretch’s foul tongue. If afflictions befall me, they shall only assist me. All things are mine. Life! Death! Things Present! Things to Come! All things are mine, for I am Christ’s and Christ is God’s! Let me therefore live and serve my God with utter abandonment to care and fear. “Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” And, then, “I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalms 23:6; Psalms 56:4; Psalms 118:6; Psalms 92:1-15; Hebrews 13:5-6) “For it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem” (Luke 13:33). The word translated here, “it cannot be”, is found nowhere else in the Word of God. It means “it is impossible”. Yet, many prophets (John the Baptist, to name just one) died somewhere else. So what does our Lord’s statement mean? It means two things: It would be an unusual thing, the exception, not the rule, for a prophet to die anywhere except at Jerusalem. It would be an unusual thing, the exception, not the rule, for a prophet to die by the hands of any, except at the hands of those who professed to be the servants and representatives of God. And, second, our Lord here speaks prophetically of his own death. Remember, he is addressing the Pharisees. He is saying, “When I (that great Prophet of whom Moses spoke), when I die it will be at your hands, at Jerusalem; but I am not there yet; and my hour has not yet come.” It is against that backdrop that we must hear his next word. A Willing Saviour Third, in Luke 13:34 we see how tender, compassionate, and willing our Lord Jesus Christ is to save sinners who have earned and fully deserve his everlasting fury. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not”! Oh, what a willing Saviour our Saviour is! He is God who “delighteth in mercy”! Aren’t you thankful? Many try to say this cannot be understood of our Lord Jesus in a strict sense, as God, that we must understand this as a display of our Master’s human emotions. The problem with that is this: I have not yet found one of those precise theologians who could tell me how to divide our Redeemer into two persons. This man is God; and this God is man; but he is one Person with two natures. Let us never try to put God in our little box. He just won’t fit! Let us never try to be more theologically precise than the plain statement of holy scripture. If these blessed, blessed words that fell from the lips of him into whose lips all grace has been poured choke you, you need choking. If you cannot read them without having to explain them away, you need a course in remedial reading. Salvation is entirely the work of God. All will be saved in the end who were chosen to salvation from the beginning, them and no one else. All will be with Christ in glory for whom Christ made atonement and satisfaction at Calvary, them and no one else. All will be crowned with the heavenly hosts who have been effectually called by the Holy Ghost, them and no one else. But eternal ruin, eternal damnation, everlasting woe is altogether the work of man. Hear what this Book teaches: If you are saved, go to heaven, enjoy eternal life and glory in the bliss of God’s presence, it will be because of God’s will and God’s work alone. And if you are lost, perish under the wrath of God, and go to a dark, Christless, eternal hell, it will be your fault, because of your will, and your work alone. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is as willing to save as he is mighty to save (Isaiah 45:22; Isaiah 55:1-3; Isaiah 55:6-7; Matthew 11:28-30; Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34; John 7:37-38). Do you not hear his willingness in his words? If you are lost, perish under the wrath of God, and go to a dark, Christless, eternal hell, it will be your fault, because of your will, and your work alone (Isaiah 59:1-2; John 5:40). The Lord Jesus Christ came here to save lost sinners. He came “to seek and to save that which was lost.” The Son of God died in the room and stead of the ungodly. The Lamb of God is seated upon the throne of grace in heaven, waiting to be gracious, waiting to save sinners. Read Luke 13:34 one more time and hear the tender, compassionate and willing heart of Immanuel. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not”! He knew the wickedness of that city. He knew what crimes had been committed by them. He knew all the prophets they had hated and murdered. He knew what they wanted to do and soon would do to him. Yet, he pities them! Oh, may he give me his Spirit and his grace, that I may be tender, compassionate, and merciful to men! Divine Judgment Fourth, in Luke 13:35 our Saviour teaches us that in the last day, in that great Day of Judgment, he will be completely vindicated and honoured, even by those who perish under his wrath. “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate”! This is what you have chosen. You shall forever eat the fruit of your own ways (Proverbs 1:31). The God you have despised and forsaken has despised and forsaken you forever! “Verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” You shall see me no more until you see me glorified by all as the Christ of God. In my entry into Jerusalem, when all, even those who later cry, “crucify him”, shall cry, “Here is the Blessed One who comes in the name of the Lord”! (Luke 19:37-38) And in my glorious second advent when you shall say, as the gaping pit of hell opens wide its mouth to swallow you up, “Here is the Blessed One who comes in the name of the Lord”! (Revelation 1:7; Philippians 2:9-11; Isaiah 45:22-25). Ye sinners, seek his grace, Whose wrath ye cannot bear; Fly to the shelter of his cross, And find salvation there. So shall the curse remove, By which the Saviour bled; And that last, awful day shall pour His blessings on your head!