3rd Sunday of Lent Year C - March 23, 2025
Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12;
Luke 13:1-9
Theme: The Lenten Season is a Second Chance God Gives us to Repent
A. A Brief Exegetical Analysis of Luke 13:1-9
1. Historical
and Literary Contexts
Today’s
Gospel account is taken from the extensive section of Lk 9:51–19:27 that most
Bible scholars consider the “Travel Narrative: It is Jesus’ long journey toward
Jerusalem that commenced shortly after the story of the Transfiguration
(9:28-36) and its connected stories (9:37-50). So, our Gospel account is in the
context of Jesus’s journey to Jerusalem, where his Passion, Death,
Resurrection, and Ascension will occur. Before our passage, Luke already told
his readers some stories, such as Vigilant and Faithful Servants (12:35-48),
Jesus: A Cause of Division (12:49-53), Sign of the Times (12:54-56), and
Settlement with an Opponent (12:57-59). These stories prepare the readers to
understand Jesus’ call for repentance Luke develops in today’s passage. The story
of the Cure of a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath immediately follows our account.
2. Form,
Structure, and Movement
Our
Gospel passage is a narrative story with a parable. It is structured into two
parts. In the first part, Jesus calls his audience to repentance (vv. 1-5). In
the second part, he extends his call for repentance with a parable to teach
God’s patience to those willing to repent and the urgency to repent now because
the delay for the end of the age is not permanent (vv. 6-9).
3.
Detailed
Analysis
Vv.
1-5. Jesus calls his listeners to repentance. He bases his exhortation on two tragedies
that occurred in the past and were still fresh in the minds of his audience. The
first tragedy is the death of the Galileans at the hands of Pilate, and the
second is the eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on
them. Most Bible scholars agree that these two events are unknown outside Luke.
The scholar Patella finds the two incidents that the Jewish historian Josephus includes
in his writing similar to the death of the Galileans mentioned in v. 1. The
first incident is that of Pilate’s massacre of Samaritans on Mount Gerizim
during one of their religious festivals (Ant. 18, 85–7). The second
relates a slaughter of Jews who challenged Pilate for expropriating temple
money for one of his aqueduct projects in Jerusalem (War 2, 175–7; JA
18, 60–2).[1]
The people of Jesus's time, including his disciples, used to interpret
misfortune, like the two tragedies mentioned in our Gospel passage, as God’s judgment
on the victims because of their sins. Jesus counters this wrong interpretation.
He states that all persons are sinners and all need God’s forgiveness. He then
calls his listeners to repent; otherwise, they will all perish, as those of
these two incidents did.
Vv.
6-9. Jesus told them the parable of the barren fig tree. This fig tree
represents the people of Israel. Orchard is the city of Jerusalem that Jesus,
the owner of the fig tree, is about to visit. The gardener stands for the
disciples. Jesus' journey will culminate in Jerusalem, where, upon entering it,
he will not find the “fruit” of repentance in the people of Israel. The request
to cut down the fig tree alludes to the punishment at the end of the age. The
gardener requests one additional year, time for him to cultivate the ground
around it and fertilize it with the hope that the barren fig tree will
bear fruits in the future. If not, then the owner can cut it down. One
additional year alludes to the delay of the end of time. Cultivating the ground
around the fig tree and fertilizing it represents the disciples’ effort of
evangelizing the Israelites, hoping they may bear the “fruits of repentance” in
the future. The expression “If not, you can cut it down” explains that the
delay for the end of the age will not be permanent, so bearing the fruit of
repentance as soon as possible is urgent.
The fig tree planted in an orchard represents the
city of Israel that Jesus, the owner of the fig tree, is about to visit. The
gardener stands for the disciples. Jesus' journey will culminate in Israel,
where he will not find the “fruit” of repentance in the people upon entering it.
The request to cut down the fig tree alludes to the punishment at the end of
the age. The gardener requests one additional year, time for him to cultivate
the ground around it and fertilize it with the hope that the barren fig tree
will bear fruits in the future. If not, then the owner can cut it down. One
additional year explains the delay of the end of time. Cultivating the ground around
the fig tree and fertilizing it represents the disciples’ effort of
evangelizing the Israelites, hoping that the “barren Israel” may bear the
“fruits of repentance” in the future. The expression “If not, you can cut it
down” explains that the delay for the end of the age will not be permanent, so
the fruit of repentance is urgent.
4. Synthesis
Jesus
rebukes the people of his day who think that they are better than those who die
in the tragedies as they interpret the misfortune events as God’s punishment to
the victims because of their sins. Referring to the death of the Galileans at
the hands of Pilate and the people who were killed accidentally by the tower that
fell on them, the two tragedies that occurred in the past and were still fresh
in the minds of his contemporaries, Jesus states that the victims of these two
incidents cannot be considered outstanding sinners whom God singled out for
chastisement. Instead, he uses these incidents as timely reminders of the need
for everyone to repent, as all are sinners and need God’s forgiveness.
After
calling them to repentance, Jesus tells them the parable of the barren fig
tree. This parable teaches them some lessons: (1) God's continuing patience
with those who work on their repentance, (2) the urgency to work to produce the
fruit of repentance now, not postponing for tomorrow because the delay of the
end of the age is not permanent.
B. Pastoral
Implications
1. Liturgical
Context
Today
is the third Sunday of our Forty-Day Lenten Journey. The liturgy of the first Sunday
reminded us that the Lenten Season is the time to resist the devil with his temptations.
The Scripture readings of the second Sunday taught us that the Lenten season is our “Journey of Faith” toward Easter
and heaven, as Jesus did toward Jerusalem right after the Transfiguration event,
we heard in the Gospel, and as Abraham did toward the promised land (first
reading). We learned that our “Journey of Faith” implies carrying our crosses and
listening to the “chosen Son of God” to permanently enjoy the glory of the
Transfiguration in Easter and heaven at the end of our earthly lives. This
third Sunday tells us that the Lenten Season is a second chance God gives us to
repent. The Gospel and the first reading teach us how God is patient with those
willing to repent. However, we cannot abuse his patience because our earthly
life is short. So, the work to bear the fruit of repentance must be done now
and today because the delay of the end of the age will not be permanent (Gospel
and the second reading.)
2. What
the Church Teaches Us Today
The
people of Jesus's time, including his disciples, used to interpret misfortune,
like the two tragedies mentioned in our Gospel passage, as God’s judgment on
the victims because of their sins. Jesus counters this wrong interpretation by stating
that we all are sinners and need God’s forgiveness. He then strongly warns us to
repent to avoid perishing like the victims of these two incidents. Notice how he
uses two times the expression “By no means! But I tell you.” This shows us how
seriously we should consider his warnings. Lenten season is when we must
challenge ourselves, work on our weaknesses, and seek repentance with God’s
grace.
Through
the parable of the Barren tree, Jesus teaches us two lessons. The first lesson we
learn is that God is patient with those who work on their repentance. When we
are willing to work on our sins, God sees our willingness and comes to rescue
us as He did with the people of Israel in Egypt in the story we heard in our first
reading. This story tells us that God called Moses and gave him a mission to
free the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Note what he told Moses in a
burning bush: “I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have
heard their cry against their taskmasters, so I know well what they are
suffering. Therefore, I have come down to rescue them from the power of
the Egyptians...” (Ex 3:7-8, NABRE). The devil always tries to keep us in the
slavery of sins, but God is ready to come to our aid if we cry out to him through
prayer and the sacrament of confession. Our Lord is kind and merciful, as we
sang in our responsorial Psalm.
The
second lesson our Gospel parable teaches us is that we should not abuse God’s
patience; we need to start the work of repentance today and now. This is what
Saint Paul exhorts us in our second reading. He reflects on the journey of the
people of Israel in the desert from Egypt to the promised land. He mentions how
God came to their aid whenever they needed. Yet, when Moses went up to the
mountain to meet God and receive God’s commandments, the people interpreted
Moses’ delay as a sign that he would no longer return. They decided to
turn away from God. They made for themselves an image of god (the golden calf)
and considered it their god to lead them to the rest of their journey (see Ex
32: 1-11). Because of their sin, God struck them down in the desert. Likewise,
many of us misinterpret the delay of Jesus’ second coming. We continue sinning and
do not realize that our earthly life is short. Saint Paul is telling this story
to his people of Corinth and us today not to entertain us but to warn us. He
says: “These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written
down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come.” (1 Cor 10:11,
NABRE). Let us take advantage of the opportunity that the Lenten season offers
us. We must take the opportunity of this Lenten Season the Church gives us to
start working on our weaknesses and seek repentance today and now because the delay
of the end of the age is not permanent.
The
Lenten Season is a second chance God gives us to repent. May the liturgy of
this Mass strengthen us while we work on our repentance. Amen.
Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD
Pastor at Holy Family Catholic Church in Jackson, MS
&
SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator
[1] Michael
Patella, “Luke” in The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First
Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, 1331.
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