The readings for the third Sunday in Lent are taken from Ezekiel 33:7-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; and Luke 13:1-9.
Ezekiel is warned by God that a watchman is held responsible for warning people of danger. All three lessons this morning contain warnings. All of Lent, in fact, is an intensified warning, and every law God gives is a warning for our corrupt human nature. Warnings are a powerful means for turning us back from the corrupt, rebellious, self-destructive course of our life. In particular, all three lessons warn about actual versus pretended repentance and righteousness. A wicked person who repents isn’t wicked anymore; a “righteous” person isn’t righteous if he does wickedness. Israel complains that God is not fair because God’s relationship with us is based on what is substantive rather than what is only on the surface.
Paul reminds the Corinthians about the difference between what is substance and what is surface. All the people of Israel according to the flesh followed Moses out of Egypt, all saw the signs and wonders that God did, and all of them could see God’s presence with them in the pillar of cloud and fire and then in the tabernacle. But impenitent Israelites never left the bondage of Egypt. Israel according to the flesh was always going back to the bondage of idolatry and wickedness in their hearts (evident in so many texts: Exodus 14:10-12; 32:1-10; Leviticus 18:1-5; Numbers 11:1-6; 14:1-5; Acts 7:39; Hebrews 3:16-19). The history of Israel is preserved for us as an example—meant to be a powerful antidote for our own inclination to think that we can fool other people and God by being one way on the surface but a very different way in substance.
Luke records Jesus warning us against making judgments about other people based on what happens to them. Good and evil people die young; good and evil people live to old age. What matters is the substance of a person. Only God can make a good tree and only good trees can bear good fruit. Good trees cannot bear bad fruit nor can they bear no fruit. God’s work of regenerating our soul in the image of Jesus is what makes us a new, good tree. God’s Word, Spirit, and sacraments energize the good tree of our regenerate soul to bear good fruit. The first good fruit is a constant repentance from the works of our corrupt human nature. The bad fruit of our life is forgiven. The good fruit of our life is provided. When we are careless with the life God gives us, Jesus intercedes for us. We do well to appreciate God’s patience with us and let that appreciation be another force that works repentance in our life.