13About that time some people came up and told him about the Galileans Pilate had killed while they were at worship, mixing their blood with the blood of the sacrifices on the altar.G1161G3918G1722G846G2540G5100G518G846G4012G1057G3739G129G4091G3396G3326G846G23782Jesus responded, "Do you think those murdered Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans?G2532G2424G611G2036G846G1380G3754G3778G1057G1096G268G3844G3956G1057G3754G3958G51083Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you too will die.G3004G5213G3780G235G3362G3340G622G3956G5615G6224And those eighteen in Jerusalem the other day, the ones crushed and killed when the Tower of Siloam collapsed and fell on them, do you think they were worse citizens than all other Jerusalemites?G2228G1565G1176G2532G3638G1909G3739G4444G1722G4611G4098G2532G615G846G1380G3754G3778G1096G3781G3844G3956G444G2730G1722G24195Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you too will die."G3004G5213G3780G235G3362G3340G622G3956G3668G6226Then he told them a story: "A man had an apple tree planted in his front yard. He came to it expecting to find apples, but there weren't any.G3004G1161G5026G3850G5100G2192G4808G5452G1722G846G290G2532G2064G2212G2590G1722G846G2532G2147G37567He said to his gardener, 'What's going on here? For three years now I've come to this tree expecting apples and not one apple have I found. Chop it down! Why waste good ground with it any longer?'G1161G2036G4314G289G2400G5140G2094G2064G2212G2590G1722G5026G4808G2532G2147G3756G1581G846G1581G2444G2532G2673G846G10938"The gardener said, 'Let's give it another year. I'll dig around it and fertilize,G1161G611G3004G846G2962G863G846G863G5124G2094G2532G2193G3755G4626G4012G846G2532G906G28749and maybe it will produce next year; if it doesn't, then chop it down.'"G2579G3303G4160G2590G1490G1519G3195G1581G846G158110He was teaching in one of the meeting places on the Sabbath.G1161G2258G1321G1722G3391G4864G1722G452111There was a woman present, so twisted and bent over with arthritis that she couldn't even look up. She had been afflicted with this for eighteen years.G2532G2400G2258G1135G2192G4151G769G1176G2532G3638G2094G2532G2258G4794G2532G1410G1519G3361G3838G35212When Jesus saw her, he called her over. "Woman, you're free!"G1161G2424G1492G846G4377G2532G2036G846G1135G630G4675G76913He laid hands on her and suddenly she was standing straight and tall, giving glory to God.G2532G2007G5495G2007G846G2532G3916G461G2532G1392G231614The meeting-place president, furious because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the congregation, "Six days have been defined as work days. Come on one of the six if you want to be healed, but not on the seventh, the Sabbath."G1161G752G611G23G3754G2424G2323G4521G3004G3793G1526G1803G2250G1722G3739G1163G2038G1722G5025G3767G2064G2323G2532G3361G4521G225015But Jesus shot back, "You frauds! Each Sabbath every one of you regularly unties your cow or donkey from its stall, leads it out for water, and thinks nothing of it.G2962G3767G611G846G2532G2036G5273G3089G3756G1538G5216G4521G3089G846G1016G2228G3688G575G5336G2532G520G422216So why isn't it all right for me to untie this daughter of Abraham and lead her from the stall where Satan has had her tied these eighteen years?"G1161G1163G3756G5026G5607G2364G11G3739G4567G1210G2400G1176G2532G3638G2094G3089G575G5127G1199G4521G225017When he put it that way, his critics were left looking quite silly and red-faced. The congregation was delighted and cheered him on.G2532G846G3004G5023G3956G846G480G2617G2532G3956G3793G5463G1909G3956G1741G1096G5259G84618Then he said, "How can I picture God's kingdom for you? What kind of story can I use?G1161G3004G5101G2076G932G2316G3664G2532G5101G3666G84619It's like a pine nut that a man plants in his front yard. It grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches, and eagles build nests in it."G2076G3664G2848G4615G3739G444G2983G906G1519G1438G2779G2532G837G2532G1096G1519G3173G1186G2532G4071G3772G2681G1722G2798G84620He tried again. "How can I picture God's kingdom?G2532G3825G2036G5101G3666G932G231621It's like yeast that a woman works into enough dough for three loaves of bread—and waits while the dough rises."G2076G3664G2219G3739G1135G2983G1470G1519G5140G4568G224G2193G3739G3650G222022He went on teaching from town to village, village to town, but keeping on a steady course toward Jerusalem.G2532G1279G2596G4172G2532G2968G1321G2532G4160G4197G1519G241923A bystander said, "Master, will only a few be saved?" He said,G1161G2036G5100G4314G846G2962G1487G3641G4982G1161G2036G84624"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. A lot of you are going to assume that you'll sit down to God's salvation banquet just because you've been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives.G75G1525G1223G4728G4439G3754G4183G3004G5213G2212G1525G2532G2480G3756G248025Well, one day you're going to be banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you'll find the door locked and the Master saying, 'Sorry, you're not on my guest list.'G575G3739G302G3617G1453G2532G608G2374G2532G756G2476G1854G2532G2925G2374G3004G2962G2962G455G2254G2532G611G2046G5213G1492G5209G3756G4159G207526"You'll protest, 'But we've known you all our lives!'G5119G756G3004G5315G2532G4095G4675G1799G2532G1321G1722G2257G411327only to be interrupted with his abrupt, 'Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You don't know the first thing about me.'G2532G2046G3004G5213G1492G5209G3756G4159G2075G868G575G1700G3956G2040G9328"That's when you'll find yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace. You'll watch Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets march into God's kingdom.G1563G2071G2805G2532G1030G3599G3752G3700G11G2532G2464G2532G2384G2532G3956G4396G1722G932G2316G1161G5209G1544G185429You'll watch outsiders stream in from east, west, north, and south and sit down at the table of God's kingdom. And all the time you'll be outside looking in—and wondering what happened.G2532G2240G575G395G2532G1424G2532G575G1005G2532G3558G2532G347G1722G932G231630This is the Great Reversal: the last in line put at the head of the line, and the so-called first ending up last.G2532G2400G1526G2078G3739G2071G4413G2532G1526G4413G3739G2071G207831Just then some Pharisees came up and said, "Run for your life! Herod's on the hunt. He's out to kill you!"G1722G846G2250G4334G5100G5330G3004G846G1831G2532G4198G1782G3754G2264G2309G615G457132Jesus said, "Tell that fox that I've no time for him right now. Today and tomorrow I'm busy clearing out the demons and healing the sick; the third day I'm wrapping things up.G2532G2036G846G4198G2036G5026G258G2400G1544G1140G2532G2005G2392G4594G2532G839G2532G5154G504833Besides, it's not proper for a prophet to come to a bad end outside Jerusalem.G4133G3165G1163G4198G4594G2532G839G2532G2192G3754G3756G1735G4396G622G1854G241934Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killer of prophets, abuser of the messengers of God! How often I've longed to gather your children, gather your children like a hen, Her brood safe under her wings— but you refused and turned away!G2419G2419G3588G615G4396G2532G3036G649G4314G846G4212G2309G1996G4675G5043G1996G3739G5158G3733G1438G3555G5259G4420G2532G2309G375635And now it's too late: You won't see me again until the day you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of God.'"G2400G5216G3624G863G5213G2048G1161G281G3004G5213G3754G1492G3364G1492G3165G2193G302G2240G3753G2036G2127G2064G1722G3686G2962
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