Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Luke
Chapter 13: Except Ye Repent
Luke 13 is a summons to repentance and a warning against presumption. When men bring news of Galilaeans slaughtered by Pilate and of the eighteen crushed by the tower in Siloam, Jesus refuses to read the calamities as proof that the victims were worse sinners; instead He turns the mirror on His hearers: 'except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.' The parable of the barren fig tree pictures a patient God who seeks fruit, digs and dungs and waits one more year, but will not spare the fruitless forever. On the sabbath He looses a woman bound eighteen years by Satan, and shames the hypocrite who valued an ox above 'a daughter of Abraham.' He likens the kingdom to a mustard seed that becomes a great tree and to leaven that spreads through the whole. He calls men to 'strive to enter in at the strait gate,' warning that many will be shut out and hear 'I know you not whence ye are,' while others come 'from the east, and from the west' to sit down in the kingdom. And He weeps over the city that kills the prophets: 'how often would I have gathered thy children together... and ye would not!' The chapter calls us to repent while there is time, to bear fruit, to enter by the narrow gate, and to receive the One who came to gather us.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Luke chapter 13. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Jesus calls for repentance, warns against fruitlessness, looses a bound woman on the sabbath, likens the kingdom to small beginnings with great ends, urges men to enter the strait gate, and laments over Jerusalem. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
Except Ye Repent
Calamity is a call to repentance, not proof of greater guilt.
Bear Fruit
God patiently seeks fruit, but will not spare the barren forever.
Loosed on the Sabbath
Christ frees a daughter of Abraham bound eighteen years by Satan.
Strive to Enter In
Many will seek to enter and not be able; strive while there is time.
Except Ye Repent, Ye Shall All Likewise Perish (Luke 13:1-9)
Jesus turns two tragedies into a call to repentance, and warns by the barren fig tree that God's patience with the fruitless has a limit.
Why Cumbereth It the Ground?
"There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down."
Word Study
"repent," Greek metanoeo (μετανοέω). The word means to change one's mind, and with it the whole direction of one's life; it is a turning from sin to God. Twice Jesus warns, "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Repentance is not mere regret or a passing feeling of guilt; it is a decisive turnabout, a reversal of heart and course. It is the very word John the Baptist preached, and the word Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). Jesus makes plain that every hearer stands under the same summons: turn, or perish.
Explanation
Told of Galileans slain by Pilate, Jesus refuses the assumption that suffering marks the worst sinners; instead He turns the news into a summons: "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Calamity is a call to examine oneself, not others. The parable of the barren fig tree presses the point -- a tree given three years and still fruitless is spared one more season of digging and dunging, but the axe waits. God's patience is real but not endless; it is space granted for repentance, not permission to remain barren. Mercy delayed is mercy still, and it calls for fruit.
Gospel Focus
Some bring Jesus fresh news of horror: Pilate had slaughtered certain Galilaeans as they offered sacrifice, mingling their blood with their offerings. Behind the report lies the old assumption that such a fate must mean these men were worse sinners than others. Jesus firmly rejects that reasoning: "Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay." He adds a second case, the eighteen killed when the tower in Siloam fell, and again denies that calamity marks out the specially guilty. Instead He turns every tragedy into a mirror and a warning for those still living: "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." The lesson is not that the victims deserved it and the survivors did not, but that all men are sinners under sentence, and sudden death is a summons to every conscience to repent now, while there is breath. Then He tells the parable of the barren fig tree. A man plants a fig tree in his vineyard and comes three years seeking fruit, finding none. "Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?" But the keeper of the vineyard pleads for patience: "let it alone this year also," give it more care, dig and dung it, and see if it will bear. Here is the mercy of God, who seeks fruit from His people and, finding none, still stays the axe and grants more time and more grace. But the parable is a warning as much as a comfort: the reprieve is not endless. "If it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down." God's patience is real, but it has a limit; the space He gives is for repentance and fruit, not for delay. So the section presses two truths on every hearer: calamity is a call to examine and repent, not a scorecard of others' sins; and the God who now spares the fruitless tree will not spare it forever. Repent while the vineyard keeper still pleads for you.
Ought Not This Woman Be Loosed? (Luke 13:10-21)
Jesus frees a woman bound eighteen years, silences the hypocrite who begrudged the mercy, and likens the kingdom to a mustard seed and to leaven.
Whom Satan Hath Bound, Lo, These Eighteen Years
"And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him. Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened."
Word Study
"loosed," Greek apoluo (ἀπολύω). The word means to set free, to release, to let go, as one unbinds what is tied. Jesus says, "Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity," and then presses the ruler with the same picture: you "loose" your ox from the stall on the sabbath, "and ought not this woman... be loosed from this bond?" The word turns the healing into a liberation. She had been bound eighteen years, and Christ frees a captive whom "Satan hath bound." The sabbath, the day of rest, was the perfect day for such a release. He who is "Lord... of the sabbath" gives the deepest rest of all: freedom from the bondage of the enemy.
Explanation
Jesus heals a woman bent double for eighteen years, calling her "a daughter of Abraham" whom Satan had bound -- and when the ruler objects to a Sabbath healing, Jesus exposes the hypocrisy: they loose an ox to water it, but begrudge a suffering woman her release on God's day. The Sabbath was made for mercy, and its Lord acts to free the bound. Then two tiny parables answer any doubt about the kingdom's small beginnings: the mustard seed becomes a tree and a little leaven leavens the whole -- what looks negligible now will fill the earth by God's hidden, unstoppable power.
Gospel Focus
As Jesus teaches in a synagogue on the sabbath, He sees a woman bent double by "a spirit of infirmity eighteen years," so bowed she "could in no wise lift up herself." Without being asked, moved by compassion, He calls her over: "Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity." He lays His hands on her, "and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God." Eighteen years of bondage undone in a moment; her first act as a freed woman is to praise the God who freed her. But the ruler of the synagogue is filled not with joy but indignation, hiding behind a sabbath scruple: there are six days for healing; do not come on the sabbath. Jesus exposes the hypocrisy with a single, devastating comparison: every one of them unties his ox or ass on the sabbath and leads it to water without a second thought, "and ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?" They cared more for a thirsty animal than for a suffering woman; they would loose a beast but begrudge the loosing of one of God's own children. The sabbath was made for man's blessing, and no day is more fitting than the day of rest to grant a captive her freedom. His adversaries "were ashamed," and "all the people rejoiced." Then Jesus draws two little parables about the kingdom's growth. It is like "a grain of mustard seed," the smallest of seeds, that grows into "a great tree" where the birds lodge, and like "leaven" a woman hides in the meal "till the whole was leavened." The kingdom of God begins small and hidden, a stooped woman made straight, a handful of disciples, but it spreads with unstoppable, penetrating power until it fills the whole. From tiny, unpromising beginnings God brings forth His great and pervasive reign. Christ looses the bound, shames the hypocrite, and grows His kingdom from the smallest seed.
Strive to Enter In at the Strait Gate (Luke 13:22-35)
Jesus urges men to enter by the narrow gate before the door is shut, and weeps over the city that would not be gathered.
How Often Would I Have Gathered Thy Children Together
"And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."
Word Study
"strive," Greek agonizomai (ἀγωνίζομαι). The word means to struggle, to contend, to strain as in a contest; from it comes our word "agonize." Jesus commands, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate." Entering the kingdom is no casual stroll; it calls for earnest, whole-hearted effort against everything that would hold us back. This is not salvation earned by works, for the gate is opened by grace through faith in Christ; but it is a summons to serious, urgent striving, forsaking sin, denying self, pressing in, rather than the drifting presumption of those who will "seek to enter in, and shall not be able." The narrowness is not stinginess in God but the reality that only through Christ, and only by a real turning, does one enter.
Explanation
Asked whether few are saved, Jesus refuses idle speculation and issues a command: "Strive to enter in at the strait gate," for the door will one day shut, and many who ate in His presence will hear "I know you not." Meanwhile people will come "from the east, and from the west" to the kingdom while some heirs are shut out -- "the last shall be first." Then His heart breaks over the city: "O Jerusalem... how often would I have gathered thy children together... and ye would not!" The "how often" is the cry of the God who through all the ages yearned over His people; rejected, He leaves their house "desolate" until they bless Him who comes in the name of the Lord.
Gospel Focus
As Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem, someone asks a speculative question: "Lord, are there few that be saved?" He will not feed idle curiosity about numbers; He turns the question into a personal command: "Strive to enter in at the strait gate." The urgent issue is not how many are saved but whether you are striving to enter. The warning is solemn: "many... will seek to enter in, and shall not be able," for a day comes when "the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door." Then those left outside will knock and plead, "Lord, Lord, open unto us," and claim acquaintance, "We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets", but He will answer, "I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity." Mere nearness to Christ, hearing His teaching, sharing a meal, is not the same as knowing Him and being known by Him. There will be bitter grief, "weeping and gnashing of teeth," when the presumptuous see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophets in the kingdom while they themselves are "thrust out." And in their place will come a great throng "from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south", the Gentiles gathered in, "and there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last." The privileged who presume may be shut out, and the outsiders who come to Christ brought in. When Pharisees warn that Herod means to kill Him, Jesus is unshaken: "tell that fox" that He will finish His appointed work, casting out devils and doing cures, for His course and its end are in God's hands, not Herod's; "the third day I shall be perfected." No enemy can hasten or hinder the cross; He goes to Jerusalem on purpose, "for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem." Then comes one of the tenderest laments in Scripture: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets... how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!" Here is the very heart of God: the Lord who longs to shelter and save His people, grieving over a city that would not come. The picture of the hen gathering her brood is the Creator's own compassion made visible in Christ. Yet love refused becomes judgment: "your house is left unto you desolate." Still even here hangs a promise, "Ye shall not see me, until... ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Strive to enter now, do not presume, and come to the One whose arms are still stretched wide to gather you.
Chapter 13 in Review
Luke 13 is a chapter of repentance, patience, and pleading love. Jesus refuses to read the slaughter of the Galilaeans or the fall of the tower in Siloam as proof of the victims' special guilt; instead He presses every hearer, "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." The barren fig tree shows a God who patiently seeks fruit and grants one more year of grace, but will not spare the fruitless forever. On the sabbath He looses a woman bound eighteen years by Satan, and shames the ruler who valued an ox above "a daughter of Abraham." He likens the kingdom to a mustard seed grown to a great tree and to leaven that fills the meal. He commands men to "strive to enter in at the strait gate," warning that many will be shut out crying "Lord, Lord," while others come from every direction to sit down in the kingdom. And He weeps over Jerusalem, "how often would I have gathered thy children together... and ye would not!"
For the Apostolic reader the chapter is a searching summons. Repentance is the first word of the gospel, the very word Peter preached at Pentecost, and calamity is God's call to turn, not a measuring rod of others' sins. God is patient, digging and dunging the barren tree, but His patience is space for fruit, not license for delay. Behold in the loosing of the bowed woman the compassion of the Lord of the sabbath, who came to set captives free from the bondage of the enemy, and rejoice that His kingdom, begun so small in a stooped woman made straight and a handful of disciples, spreads with unstoppable power. Do not presume on nearness to Christ; hearing His word and sharing His table save no one who will not enter by the narrow gate and be truly known by Him. And above all behold the heart of God in Christ's lament: the Creator who longs to gather His children as a hen gathers her brood, grieving over those who would not come. Repent while the vineyard keeper still pleads, bear fruit, strive to enter in, and run to the arms still open to gather you.
- Calamity is a call to repentance, not proof of the victims' greater sin (13:2-5).
- God patiently seeks fruit, but will not spare the barren tree forever (13:6-9).
- Christ looses those bound by Satan; the sabbath is fit for setting free (13:12, 16).
- The kingdom grows from the smallest seed to fill the whole (13:18-21).
- Strive to enter the narrow gate; presuming nearness saves no one (13:24-27).
- God longs to gather His people, and grieves when they will not come (13:34).
Questions for Reflection
- Do you hear in every tragedy God's call to examine and repent?
- Is your life bearing the fruit the vineyard keeper seeks?
- Are you striving to enter the narrow gate, or presuming on mere nearness to Christ?
- Have you come to the One whose arms are stretched wide to gather you?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The call to repentance: Acts 2:38; 3:19; 2 Peter 3:9. The barren fig tree and fruitfulness: Isaiah 5:1-7; John 15:1-8; Matthew 3:8-10. Christ Lord of the sabbath: Luke 6:5; Mark 2:27-28; Isaiah 61:1. The mustard seed and leaven: Matthew 13:31-33; Mark 4:30-32. The strait gate and the door shut: Matthew 7:13-14, 21-23; 8:11-12. The lament over Jerusalem: Matthew 23:37-39; Psalm 118:26. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- Repent or perish, and the barren fig tree: Luke 13:1-9; Acts 2:38; John 15:1-8.
- Loosed on the sabbath, the mustard seed and leaven: Luke 13:10-21; Mark 2:27-28; Matthew 13:31-33.
- The strait gate and the lament over Jerusalem: Luke 13:22-35; Matthew 7:13-23; 23:37-39.