1. About this same time Jesus was told that Pilate had given orders for some people from Galilee to be killed while they were offering sacrifices.
2. Jesus replied:Do you think that these people were worse sinners than everyone else in Galilee just because of what happened to them?
3. Not at all! But you can be sure that if you don't turn back to God, every one of you will also be killed.
4. What about those eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were worse than everyone else in Jerusalem?
5. Not at all! But you can be sure that if you don't turn back to God, every one of you will also die.
6. Jesus then told them this story:A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. One day he went out to pick some figs, but he didn't find any.
7. So he said to the gardener, “For three years I have come looking for figs on this tree, and I haven't found any yet. Chop it down! Why should it take up space?”
8. The gardener answered, “Master, leave it for another year. I'll dig around it and put some manure on it to make it grow.
9. Perhaps it will have figs on it next year. If it doesn't, you can have it cut down.”
10. One Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in a Jewish meeting place,
11. and a woman was there who had been crippled by an evil spirit for eighteen years. She was completely bent over and could not straighten up.
12. When Jesus saw the woman, he called her over and said, “You are now well.”
13. He placed his hands on her, and at once she stood up straight and praised God.
14. The man in charge of the meeting place was angry because Jesus had healed someone on the Sabbath. So he said to the people, “Each week has six days when we can work. Come and be healed on one of those days, but not on the Sabbath.”