Change Your Hearts

13   ¹At that time some people were there with Jesus. These people told Jesus about what happened to some people from Galilee. Pilate* killed those people while they were worshiping. Pilate mixed their blood with the blood of the animals they were sacrificing* [to God]. ²Jesus answered, "Do you think this happened to those people because they were more sinful than all other people from Galilee? ³No, they were not! But if all of you don't change your hearts and lives, then you will be destroyed like those people were! ⁴What about those 18 people that died when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think those people were more sinful than all the people that live in Jerusalem? ⁵They were not! But I tell you if you don't change your hearts and lives, then you will all be destroyed too!"

The Useless Tree

⁶Jesus told this story: "A man had a fig tree. He planted the tree in his garden. The man came looking for some fruit on the tree, but he found none. ⁷The man had a servant that took care of his garden. So the man said to his servant, 'I have been looking for fruit on this tree for three years, but I never find any. Cut it down! Why should it waste the ground?' ⁸But the servant answered, 'Master, let the tree have one more year to make fruit. Let me dig up the dirt around it and put on some plant food. ⁹Maybe the tree will make fruit next year. If the tree still does not make fruit, then you can cut it down.'"

Jesus Heals a Woman on the Sabbath

¹⁰Jesus taught in one of the synagogues* on the Sabbath day.* ¹¹In that synagogue there was a woman that had a spirit [from the devil] inside her. This spirit had made the woman crippled for 18 years. Her back was always bent; she could not stand up straight. ¹²When Jesus saw her, he called to her, "Woman, your sickness has gone away from you!" ¹³Jesus put his hands on her. Then she was able to stand up straight. She praised God. ¹⁴The synagogue* leader was angry because Jesus healed on the Sabbath day.* The leader said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come to be healed on one of those days. Don't come for healing on the Sabbath day." ¹⁵The Lord (Jesus) answered, "You people are hypocrites* ! All of you untie your work animals and lead them to drink water every day--even on the Sabbath day* ! ¹⁶This woman that I healed is our Jewish sister.* But Satan (the devil) has held her for 18 years. Surely it is not wrong for her to be made free from her sickness on a Sabbath day!" ¹⁷When Jesus said this, all the men that were criticizing him felt ashamed of themselves. And all the people were happy for the wonderful things Jesus was doing.

Pilate Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea from 26 A.D. to 36 A.D. sacrificing Killing an animal as an offering to God. synagogue(s) Synagogues were places where Jews gathered for prayer, study of the Scriptures, and other public meetings. Sabbath day The seventh day of the Jewish week. It was a special religious day for the Jews. hypocrites Bad people that act like they are good. Jewish sister Literally, "daughter of Abraham."