New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Luke 13
1
Some people who were there at that time told Jesus about certain Galileans. Pilate had mixed their blood with their sacrifices.
2
Jesus said, "These people from Galilee suffered greatly. Do you think they were worse sinners than all the other Galileans?
Reference
4
Or what about the 18 people in Siloam? They died when the tower fell on them. Do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?
Reference
📍 Siloam
Parallel theme
Nehemiah 3:15
6
Then Jesus told a story. "A man had a fig tree," he said. "It had been planted in his vineyard. When he went to look for fruit on it, he didn't find any.
Reference
7
So he went to the man who took care of the vineyard. He said, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree. But I haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'
Reference
8
" 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year. I'll dig around it and feed it.
Reference
Parallel theme
Romans 11:14
Romans 10:1
Psalm 106:23
Jeremiah 18:20
References Lord
2 Peter 3:9
Joel 2:17
Jeremiah 15:1
11
A woman there had been disabled by an evil spirit for 18 years. She was bent over and could not stand up straight.
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 13:16
Psalm 6:2
Mark 9:21
Luke 8:27
Acts 4:22
Luke 8:43
Psalm 146:8
Psalm 145:14
Psalm 38:6
Spirit
Luke 8:2
12
Jesus saw her. He asked her to come to him. He said to her, "Woman, you will no longer be disabled. I am about to set you free."
Reference
13
Then he put his hands on her. Right away she stood up straight and praised God.
Reference
Parallel theme
Mark 16:18
14
Jesus had healed the woman on the Sabbath day. This made the synagogue ruler angry. He told the people, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days. But do not come on the Sabbath."
Reference
15
The Lord answered him, "You pretenders! Doesn't each of you go to the barn and untie his ox or donkey on the Sabbath day? Then don't you lead it out to give it water?
Reference
16
This woman is a member of Abraham's family line. But Satan has kept her disabled for 18 long years. Shouldn't she be set free on the Sabbath day from what was keeping her disabled?"
Reference
Parallel theme
Mark 2:27
John 8:44
2 Timothy 2:26
Matthew 4:10
References Abraham
Acts 13:26
Luke 3:8
Luke 19:9
17
When Jesus said this, all those who opposed him were put to shame. But the people were delighted. They loved all the wonderful things he was doing.
Reference
19
It is like a mustard seed. Someone took the seed and planted it in a garden. It grew and became a tree. The birds sat in its branches."
Reference
20
Again he asked, "What can I compare God's kingdom to?
21
It is like yeast that a woman used. She mixed it into a large amount of flour. The yeast worked its way all through the dough."
Reference
22
Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching the people. He was on his way to Jerusalem.
Reference
24
"Try very hard to enter through the narrow door. I tell you, many will try to enter and will not be able to.
Reference
25
The owner of the house will get up and close the door. Then you will stand outside knocking and begging. You will say, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you. And I don't know where you come from.'
Reference
27
"But he will reply, 'I don't know you. And I don't know where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil!'
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 25:41
Psalm 119:115
Psalm 1:6
Luke 13:25
Psalm 101:8
Hosea 9:12
Sin
Psalm 6:8
Psalm 28:3
Psalm 125:5
Psalm 5:6
28
"You will sob and grind your teeth when you see those who are in God's kingdom. You will see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets there. But you yourselves will be thrown out.
Reference
29
People will come from east and west and north and south. They will take their places at the feast in God's kingdom.
Reference
31
At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus. They said to him, "Leave this place. Go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you."
32
He replied, "Go and tell that fox, 'I will drive out demons. I will heal people today and tomorrow. And on the third day I will reach my goal.'
Reference
33
In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day. Certainly no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!
Reference
Parallel theme
John 9:4
John 11:54
John 4:34
Prophecy
Matthew 21:11
Acts 13:27
References Jerusalem
Luke 9:53
Matthew 20:18
34
"Jerusalem! Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and throw stones in order to kill those who are sent to you. Many times I have wanted to gather your people together. I have wanted to be like a hen who gathers her chicks under her wings. But you would not let me!
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 30:15
Psalm 36:7
Luke 19:44
Ruth 2:12
Isaiah 50:2
Psalm 91:4
Psalm 81:13
Prophecy
Acts 7:52
Zechariah 1:4
References Jerusalem
Luke 23:28
Chapter Summary
Luke 13 centers on repentance, God's patience, spiritual fruitfulness, healing, the growth of God's kingdom, salvation, judgment, and Jesus' determined journey toward Jerusalem, repeatedly warning that people should not waste the opportunity to respond to God.
Jesus begins by addressing two tragic events: Galileans killed by Pilate and people killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed, explaining that these victims were not necessarily greater sinners than everyone else and turning the tragedies into a broader warning that all people need repentance because no one knows how much time remains.
He then tells the parable of the barren fig tree, in which a tree that has received years of opportunity but produced no fruit is given additional care and one more period of patience before judgment, illustrating that God is patient and gives people opportunities to change, but divine patience should never be mistaken for the absence of accountability.
The chapter next describes Jesus healing a woman who has been disabled for eighteen years, and His healing on the Sabbath produces conflict with the synagogue leader, who objects to the timing of the miracle, while Jesus argues that freeing a suffering person is entirely consistent with the true purpose of God's law and that compassion should never be displaced by a rigid interpretation of religious practice.
Jesus then uses the mustard seed and yeast to explain God's kingdom, showing that God's work may begin in ways that appear small or hidden but can eventually produce a much greater transformation than people initially expect.
As Jesus continues toward Jerusalem, someone asks whether only a few people will be saved, but Jesus does not satisfy curiosity with a number; instead, He urges His listeners to strive to enter through the narrow door, emphasizing that salvation requires a genuine response to God rather than merely religious association, ancestry, familiarity with Jesus, or participation in religious activities.
Jesus warns that some people who assume they belong in God's kingdom will discover that they have excluded themselves through their failure to respond faithfully, while people from east, west, north, and south will participate in God's kingdom, presenting a picture of God's salvation extending beyond the boundaries many first-century Jews expected.
The statement that the last will be first and the first will be last reinforces the chapter's recurring reversal of human expectations, showing that social position, religious privilege, ancestry, wealth, and public reputation do not determine a person's standing before God.
The final section returns to Jerusalem and political danger when Jesus is warned that Herod Antipas wants to kill Him, but Jesus refuses to abandon His mission and continues toward Jerusalem according to God's appointed purpose.
Jesus' statement that a prophet should not die outside Jerusalem connects His journey with the city's long history of rejecting and persecuting God's messengers, while His lament over Jerusalem reveals that His coming judgment is not motivated by hatred but by deep sorrow, comparing His desire to protect the people with a hen gathering her chicks under her wings.
Historically, the events described belong primarily to the 1st century AD, during Jesus' ministry around AD 28–30, with His crucifixion generally dated around AD 30–33. Herod Antipas ruled Galilee and Perea from 4 BC to AD 39, while the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple later occurred in AD 70 under the Roman army.
Luke 13 ultimately teaches that God's patience is an opportunity for repentance, His kingdom may begin quietly but grow powerfully, religious identity alone cannot replace genuine faith and obedience, compassion is at the heart of God's purposes, and the opportunity to respond to God should not be postponed because judgment and accountability are real.
Jesus begins by addressing two tragic events: Galileans killed by Pilate and people killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed, explaining that these victims were not necessarily greater sinners than everyone else and turning the tragedies into a broader warning that all people need repentance because no one knows how much time remains.
He then tells the parable of the barren fig tree, in which a tree that has received years of opportunity but produced no fruit is given additional care and one more period of patience before judgment, illustrating that God is patient and gives people opportunities to change, but divine patience should never be mistaken for the absence of accountability.
The chapter next describes Jesus healing a woman who has been disabled for eighteen years, and His healing on the Sabbath produces conflict with the synagogue leader, who objects to the timing of the miracle, while Jesus argues that freeing a suffering person is entirely consistent with the true purpose of God's law and that compassion should never be displaced by a rigid interpretation of religious practice.
Jesus then uses the mustard seed and yeast to explain God's kingdom, showing that God's work may begin in ways that appear small or hidden but can eventually produce a much greater transformation than people initially expect.
As Jesus continues toward Jerusalem, someone asks whether only a few people will be saved, but Jesus does not satisfy curiosity with a number; instead, He urges His listeners to strive to enter through the narrow door, emphasizing that salvation requires a genuine response to God rather than merely religious association, ancestry, familiarity with Jesus, or participation in religious activities.
Jesus warns that some people who assume they belong in God's kingdom will discover that they have excluded themselves through their failure to respond faithfully, while people from east, west, north, and south will participate in God's kingdom, presenting a picture of God's salvation extending beyond the boundaries many first-century Jews expected.
The statement that the last will be first and the first will be last reinforces the chapter's recurring reversal of human expectations, showing that social position, religious privilege, ancestry, wealth, and public reputation do not determine a person's standing before God.
The final section returns to Jerusalem and political danger when Jesus is warned that Herod Antipas wants to kill Him, but Jesus refuses to abandon His mission and continues toward Jerusalem according to God's appointed purpose.
Jesus' statement that a prophet should not die outside Jerusalem connects His journey with the city's long history of rejecting and persecuting God's messengers, while His lament over Jerusalem reveals that His coming judgment is not motivated by hatred but by deep sorrow, comparing His desire to protect the people with a hen gathering her chicks under her wings.
Historically, the events described belong primarily to the 1st century AD, during Jesus' ministry around AD 28–30, with His crucifixion generally dated around AD 30–33. Herod Antipas ruled Galilee and Perea from 4 BC to AD 39, while the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple later occurred in AD 70 under the Roman army.
Luke 13 ultimately teaches that God's patience is an opportunity for repentance, His kingdom may begin quietly but grow powerfully, religious identity alone cannot replace genuine faith and obedience, compassion is at the heart of God's purposes, and the opportunity to respond to God should not be postponed because judgment and accountability are real.