God not only wants to set people free today from the sins and bondages that enslave them, He also wants them to stay...free. Imagine that!

We just spent a few days looking at a very short, yet powerful and insightful story relayed by Jesus in Matt. 12:43-45. Anyone can be set free today, at the snap of a finger by anything that has them bound and suffering (Matt. 9:5-8); but if we are clueless as to how we ended up in that condition to begin with, or how to stay free after we’ve been healed, then it’s only a matter of time before we end up in a ‘worse condition’ as Jesus explained in that passage. And sometimes that ‘worse’ condition may not be so evident on the outside, at first.

What I mean is, if we don’t heed the advice to ‘go and sin no more lest something worse happen to us, (John 5:14), then, when we continue falling into sin, (which most of us are told we will do because of our ‘flawed, human nature’) then it is our hearts that will harden over time as we drift further away from Jesus. (Heb. 2:1; 3:10,12-13; Isa. 59:2) And hard hearts are incapable of receiving the ‘seed of His word’ so that we may be washed and cleansed, let alone bear ‘much fruit’. (John 15:8; Eph. 5:26)

Now, let us change gears and move on to another short passage that will fit right in here to our study. Would you take a moment and read Luke 13:1-5 to yourself. The opening verse there informs us of a tragic event that took place of which we know few details about, nor do we know when this event occurred. But clearly there were those in attendance who had heard about it and brought it to the attention of Jesus. The blood of some Galileans was used in some likely pagan worship service that Pilate was associated with, and even Jesus acknowledges there that they indeed, ‘suffered’. I will even go out on a limb here and presume we are not talking about Christian converts being persecuted for their faith, at this point in time.

But it’s the question posed by Jesus there in verse 2, which He will then answer, that strikes me as interesting. “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans... because they suffered such things?” Jesus is opening the door of discussion here, to ‘that topic’ which we all entertain from time to time, if just privately within ourselves. It’s that age old question of: “Why did they experience those bad things, and suffer so? Were they ‘worse sinners’ than everyone else and is this God’s way of punishing them?”

No doubt, there is a connection being drawn here between ‘suffering’ and ‘sin’. And Jesus addresses it head on: “I tell you, ‘No’ (they were not worse sinners than anyone else); but unless you repent you will ALL... likewise (in the same fashion or for the same reason)...’perish’. To ‘perish’ is to be brought to complete ruin, and/or destroyed.

He is bringing to light here that those who suffered in this fashion were indeed ‘sinners’, as we all have been (Rom. 3:9-18, 23) prior to...being born again and made alive. (Eph. 2:1-3;2;1 Pet. 4:1-2; 1 John 5:18). But they were not ‘any worse sinners’ than anyone else, as Jesus points out. And then comes His matter-of-fact warning: “If YOU... fail to repent, you too...will suffer in the same way.” Sounds like He is suggesting here that just because those horrific things have not happened to you...yet...don’t think you will escape, or are immune to, such suffering ...unless you ‘repent’.(Gal. 6:7-8; Eph. 5:5-6)

And just exactly what are we needing to ‘repent’ of...or from?

We’ll want to take our time with this passage, as well, and continue on tomorrow with it, Lord willing.