Luke 13:1-22

Easy-to-Read Version

Change Your Hearts

13 Some people there with Jesus at that time told him about what had happened to some worshipers from Galilee. Pilate had them killed. Their blood was mixed with the blood of the animals they had brought for sacrificing. 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 you don’t decide now to change your lives, you will all be destroyed like those people! ⁴And what about those 18 people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were more sinful than everyone else in Jerusalem? ⁵They were not. But I tell you if you don’t decide now to change your lives, you will all be destroyed too!”

The Useless Tree

⁶Jesus told this story: “A man had a fig tree. He planted it in his garden. He came looking for some fruit on it, but he found none. ⁷He had a servant who took care of his garden. So he 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 produce fruit. Let me dig up the dirt around it and fertilize it. ⁹Maybe the tree will have fruit on it next year. If it still does not produce, then you can cut it down.’”

Jesus Heals a Woman on the Sabbath

¹⁰Jesus taught in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. ¹¹A woman was there who had an evil spirit inside her. It 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, you have been made free from your sickness!” ¹³He laid his hands on her, and immediately she was able to stand up straight. She began praising God.

¹⁴The synagogue leader was angry because Jesus healed on the Sabbath day. He 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 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 a true descendant of Abraham.^[a] But Satan 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 those who were criticizing him felt ashamed of themselves. And all the people were happy for the wonderful things he was doing.

What Is God’s Kingdom Like?^(A)

¹⁸Then Jesus said, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it to? ¹⁹God’s kingdom is like the seed of the mustard plant. Someone plants this seed in their garden. The seed grows and becomes a tree, and the birds build nests on its branches.”

²⁰Jesus said again, “What can I compare God’s kingdom with? ²¹It is like yeast that a woman mixes into a big bowl of flour to make bread. The yeast makes all the dough rise.”