We don’t know much about the incident between the Galileans and Pilate. It would have been normal and common for Jewish people to offer sacrifices in the temple. Pilate had a history of oppression and disregard for their worship practices. He appropriated some of the temple money for his own projects and made sure the image of Caesar was prominent. This attack on the Galileans might have been unprovoked or Pilate may have feared an uprising.

Tragedy Isn’t God’s Judgment

When tragedy strikes, some people try to distance themselves outwardly or inwardly. I think we’re seeing both kinds of distancing here. The victims in this story are known as the Galileans. Rumor has it they may have done something displeasing to God.

In addressing this perspective, Jesus tells these people that God isn’t capriciously delivering tragedies to address sin. Not only that, he points out that everyone sins, so if God were doling out these kinds of punishments, nobody would be safe.

Desecrating the Image of God

Those who suffer are not worse sinners. Misfortune is not God’s wrath. This is the kind of thinking from which Job’s friends gave advice. People who assign this kind of blame are assuaging their own fear in the face of an uncertain world. They need to believe the mantra, we’re the good guys, they’re the bad guys. People want tangible evidence that bad things won’t happen to them.

There are still people today looking to moralize tragic situations. Aside from viewing natural disasters as God’s judgment, people also do this in response to oppression. There are border prisons holding more people than they were designed to hold. Within these overcrowded holding cells, our country has warehoused people of every age without proper food, shelter, or medical care…to name just the major grievances. Some of these people are asylum seekers, some are citizens, and some are undocumented. Some people in this country categorize these captives, and the worst is suspected. This is the same kind of distancing we read about in Luke’s story. These people detained at our border aren’t worse people, even if they are undocumented. If our government desecrates the image of God in these people for their own financial gain, that doesn’t mean God endorses those grievous acts.

Parable of the Fig Tree

In what sounds like the biggest non-sequitur, Jesus talks about a fig tree that is about to be cut down because it isn’t bearing fruit. At first, this sounds like he’s contradicting his original point. Is he saying if they don’t shape up they will also have tragedy? I don’t think so. I believe he’s talking about something less obvious but possibly more important.

A fruit tree has one job…to produce fruit. A fig tree that doesn’t bear fruit is as worthless as a burned-out lightbulb. Often the kind of people who assign “God’s judgment” to those who experience tragedy, feel like they’re safe because they’re good people. This kind of moral high ground is built on the belief that they’re doing exactly what God wants. Their evidence is that things are going well for them. However, riches, wealth, success, ease–none of these are how we measure our relationship with God.

In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he tells them how they can measure their relationship with God. Galatians 5:22-23  lists the “fruit of the spirit” as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” As we reflect on the parable of the fruitless fig tree, we should solemnly reflect on this list. This list in Galatians describes the “fruit” of a mature Christian life.

Judgment of Others

Jesus does warn the crowd that they too could suffer, but worse than that, they can lose touch with God. They may keep believing they’re the voice of God, but it may become obvious to everyone except them that they are hollow, fruitless, and irrelevant. This isn’t to say that everyone who agrees with me politically is bearing fruit and everyone who disagrees is fruitless. It’s more subtle than that.

In the parable, there is a gardener who wants to give the tree every possible chance. This is a tree on the owner’s property that should already have fruit on it. This doesn’t represent some “heathen” over there. Jesus is talking about the people whose lives should reflect the relationship with God that they supposedly had. This fig tree also represents present-day Christians whose lives don’t reflect the Spirit’s attributes that Paul describes in the letter to the Galatians.

Jesus is giving us an elaborate object lesson addressing anyone who casts shallow judgment on others. This “us vs. them” kind of thinking discounts the reality that God loves everyone. We have a way of identifying the people that are just beyond God’s love. Once we do that, we can find evidence to support our belief. This crowd found that distance in the untimely deaths of these Galileans. God’s mercy is for everyone. Jesus wants them to see the error in their thinking so they don’t become numb. Jesus asserts that there’s a timeline on helping this tree bear fruit. Let us read this parable Jesus tells and experience the sense of urgency.

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Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.

Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

This book is aptly named Hebrews because it draws comparisons between this new life of following Jesus and the faith of the ancient Hebrews. This chapter recalls the exodus where Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. It talks about those who walked in the wilderness on their way to the promised land. They didn’t all make it. We know the exodus story is a story of grace, but it seems grace wasn’t part of everyone’s story. Some were killed and some died before they crossed over to the promised land. Some turned away from God, some made up their own rules, and some doubted—those are the people who didn’t enter God’s rest.

This text has a double edge. It compares us to these ancient wandering people who were heading to the promised land. It then bluntly reminds us that we can’t hide our faults or our weaknesses from God. Not only that, but our innermost intentions and motivations—the inner beliefs that drive us, about which we ourselves may be blind, God can see those as well. The facade that fools our pastor—or our congregation, doesn’t fool God. The parts of ourselves that keep us up at night—God sees all of it.

The text doesn’t expose this as a threat, or a slap in the face, but rather to give us hope. It’s only after we fully digest this truth that the “news” can truly be “good.” This isn’t news we should make sure “those people” hear. This is the news we need to hear every day. We are far from perfect and God sees the exact nature of our wrongs—even before we are ready to tell them.

This is where the text takes a sharp turn. The good news is, even knowing this about us—or because of it—Christ came for us. The work of Jesus is similar to the work of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Jesus lived, died, rose again, and he extends the offer to follow him to the “promised land”. The first stop on this trip is the wilderness of our own imperfect selves, our frailty, and yes, our sin.

And here we find ourselves in this chapter of Hebrews. The author draws this parallel, but takes it a step further. We don’t need to fear judgment. We are told to approach God boldly. Jesus understands the struggle, the pain, the frailty–he gets it. This is a promise that we can live, one day at a time, knowing we have access to grace. We can be confident that God will extend grace and forgiveness when we need it. With that assurance, we approach God boldly, because we know God will meet us with love.

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Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places. The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you, and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil, for who can govern this great people of yours?” It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or for the life of your enemies but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed, I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you, and no one like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.

1 Kings 3:3-14

Up until this point his father, David, was the second king Israel had and David was the greatest. He was victorious in war, the people loved him, and he rose to greatness from humble beginnings. It was a rags to riches story and that story ended right before we pick it up here. Solomon was chosen to be the next king. He probably felt like he was living under a very large, successful shadow. David was “a man after God’s own heart”—those are big shoes to fill.

Solomon Goes His Own Way

There was a lot of good and a lot of bad that happened during David’s reign, but one consistent good thing we read about is how important worship was to David. When the ark of the covenant was rescued David danced with the people. David had the idea to build a temple so that God would have a permanent place of worship among them.

One way to get out from under someone’s shadow is to intentionally be different from them. This could be how Solomon ends up making a habit of worshiping God in the place where people of the other religions are worshiping. This should have been punishable, possibly even grounds to disqualify him from being the next king. It’s tantamount to breaking the first two commandments.

God Enters the Story

When God appears to Solomon in the dream, he doesn’t start with punishment, retribution, or a lightening bolt. There’s not even a mention of Solomon’s questionable worship practices. Like the parable of the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to find the one that wandered away, God meets Solomon on the hills where the other religions practiced their rituals.

God offered Solomon an extravagant gift—anything he wants will be given to him. Solomon replies by telling God about the faith of his father before making his request. Maybe Solomon believes he’s living in David’s shadow even as he responds to God or maybe he feels like his worship practices won’t give him enough cred with God for an offer like this, even though God initiated this encounter. Solomon asks for wisdom so that he can govern well. God blesses Solomon’s selflessness by telling him that he will also receive the things he didn’t ask for: wealth and honor.

God meets us all where we are. You may be breaking from tradition, you may not be in the ideal place, but God meets you where you are right now. Look for the areas in your life where you sense God’s love. What question do you think God is asking you? How will you respond?

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Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart,And with fasting, weeping and mourning;And rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the Lord your God,For He is gracious and compassionate,Slow to anger, abounding in loving-kindnessAnd relenting of evil.

Joel 2:12-13

The book of Joel is one place where we can see this call for repentance.  These verses are part of a prophecy concerning the nation of Israel that Joel received from God.  The prophecy is much longer, but these two verses stand out to me as a small window into God’s character.  These two verses start out with God asking the people to return to him.  He wants them to return, even now, but he wants them to return with genuine repentance.

Rending Their Hearts

The reference to rending their hearts and not their garments refers to a mourning ritual.  Rending or tearing their clothing was an outward act that was supposed to represent what was going on inside.  In this case, the mourning would be part of their repentance, or mourning the sins of the people as a whole nation.  This would be an outward statement that they, as a people, wanted to return to worshiping God.  However, these verses are saying God wants them to rend their hearts rather than their garments—he doesn’t want the outward act if it’s not happening on the inside as well.  He would rather have sincerity over the ritual.

Meaningless Ritual

Like anything else in life, it’s possible to make even an act of sorrow into a meaningless ritual and these verses address that dichotomy.  It’s possible to go through the motions of worshiping God while relegating him to an insignificant corner of our lives. If we approach our spiritual life like a checklist, we can fool ourselves into thinking we’ve done something good, when in reality we’ve only gone through the motions. This command might be similar to the idea: I want you to love me with your heart and not just your words.

The good news about these verses is that although we may drift away from God or even be living in opposition to how God wants us to live, we can still approach him. The second half of these verses talks about how loving and gracious God is. Although this is written in a specific context at a specific time, the truth of God’s love and compassion is woven throughout the entire Bible. So, instead of the imagery of an angry old man, when we approach God we will find that he is approaching us with mercy and love, ready to help us in our time of need.

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