WEDNESDAY 3.22.23: How Can I Bear Fruit for God? – Luke 13:1-30
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Speaking to the tragedy of Roman soldiers killing Galileans, Jesus rebutted the idea that bad things always showed God’s wrath. He told a strange parable, one that left hearers to think about how the story might end. He relieved a woman’s 18 years of suffering “at once,” but upset the synagogue leader by doing it on the Sabbath. He defied the spirit that loved rules above people and kept moving toward Jerusalem (verse 22).

Reflection
• We could call Jesus’ story (13:6-9) “The Unfinished Parable.” The gardener pleaded for one more year to help the tree bear fruit—but Jesus never said if the tree responded or not. 13:5 showed what kind of “fruit-bearing” was on his mind. What about you—how will you finish the unfinished parable?

• To an abstract question—“Lord, will only a few be saved?” (13:23)—Jesus’ gave a personal reply. In The Message paraphrase, it reads, “Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention.” Which (if any) Lenten practices have most helped you move past abstract ideas to God’s personal love?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you dig up the soil around me, water and fertilize, and watch eagerly for my life to show your fruit. Help me to respond so that my life may indeed bear fruit to your glory. Amen.