The Narrow Door

Luke 13 opens with sad news. Some people asked Jesus about worshipers who had been killed, and about eighteen people who died when a tower fell. Jesus taught that these people were not worse sinners than anyone else. Instead, the news should remind everyone to repent. The fig tree parable adds hope: God gives time to turn back, like a gardener who digs around the tree and asks for one more year.

Jesus then showed what His Kingdom does. A woman had been bound for eighteen years, bent over and unable to straighten up. Jesus called her, set her free, and she glorified God. The synagogue ruler cared more about rules than about her, so Jesus called him out. His opponents were put to shame, and the crowd rejoiced at the glorious things He did.

The Kingdom may look small, like a mustard seed, but it becomes a tree where birds nest. It works quietly, like yeast through dough. When someone asked if only a few would be saved, Jesus said to strive to enter through the narrow door. People from east, west, north and south will sit at God's table. The last will be first. The chapter ends with Jesus mourning over Jerusalem, the city that would reject Him.