²Jesus said, “These people from Galilee suffered greatly. Do you think they were worse sinners than all the other Galileans? ³I tell you, no! But unless you turn away from your sins, you will all die too. ⁴Or what about the 18 people in Siloam? They died when the tower fell on them. Do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? ⁵I tell you, no! But unless you turn away from your sins, you will all die too.”

⁶Then Jesus told a story. “A man had a fig tree,” he said. “It had been planted in his vineyard. When he went to look for fruit on it, he didn’t find any. ⁷So he went to the man who took care of the vineyard. He said, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree. But I haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

⁸“ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year. I’ll dig around it and feed it. ⁹If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ”

Jesus Heals a Disabled Woman on the Sabbath Day

¹⁰Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on a Sabbath day. ¹¹A woman there had been disabled by an evil spirit for 18 years. She was bent over and could not stand up straight.

¹²Jesus saw her. He asked her to come to him. He said to her, “Woman, you will no longer be disabled. I am about to set you free.” ¹³Then he put his hands on her.

Right away she stood up straight and praised God.

¹⁴Jesus had healed the woman on the Sabbath day. This made the synagogue ruler angry. He told the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days. But do not come on the Sabbath.”

¹⁵The Lord answered him, “You pretenders! Doesn’t each of you go to the barn and untie his ox or donkey on the Sabbath day? Then don’t you lead it out to give it water? ¹⁶This woman is a member of Abraham’s family line. But Satan has kept her disabled for 18 long years. Shouldn’t she be set free on the Sabbath day from what was keeping her disabled?”

¹⁷When Jesus said this, all those who opposed him were put to shame. But the people were delighted. They loved all the wonderful things he was doing.

The Stories of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

¹⁸Then Jesus asked, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it to? ¹⁹It is like a mustard seed. Someone took the seed and planted it in a garden. It grew and became a tree. The birds sat in its branches.”

²⁰Again he asked, “What can I compare God’s kingdom to? ²¹It is like yeast that a woman used. She mixed it into a large amount of flour. The yeast worked its way all through the dough.”

The Narrow Door

²²Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching the people. He was on his way to Jerusalem.

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