The Times Change, But People Don’t: Grace and Repentance in Luke 13

May 18, 2026

The Times Change, But People Don’t: Grace and Repentance in Luke 13

By Jason Neill

Scripture reading: Luke 13:1-9

“The times change, but people don’t.” One of my college professors was fond of that saying. She thought it was so important that she made it an essay question on one of our exams. If I recall correctly, the question was phrased something like: “Provide reasons why the saying ‘the times change, but people don’t’ is a true statement.” I don’t remember how I performed on the exam, but I believe that quote is particularly applicable to this week’s parable.

To fully appreciate this parable, it’s important to set the context. Jesus ministered for three years, and this story takes place late in that third year. For the previous twelve months, He had focused His teaching ministry away from the crowds and primarily on the twelve disciples.

In this week’s passage, His disciples are present, but Jesus addresses a multitude after being asked about a tragic event. Some Galileans were offering sacrifices in the temple when they were killed by Pilate. The crowd naturally assumed that because these people died in such a horrific manner, they must have been extremely sinful. Jesus replied, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke 13:2-5, NIV).

Robert Thomas and Stanley Gundry write, concerning this passage, “The false notion, prevailing from the time of Job, that a person’s extreme sinfulness was always to blame for great calamity was flatly rejected by Jesus. Yet it was true that the suffering of a whole nation might be produced by that nation’s sin. Christ foresaw the approaching judgment of Israel and therefore warned of the consequences of failure to repent” (A Harmony of the Gospels, p. 144).

As I’ve mentioned previously, the word repent means “a change of mind.” If you want to dig deeper into this specific topic, I highly recommend G. Michael Cocoris’ book, Repentance: The Most Misunderstood Word in the Bible. He does a fantastic job of stripping away the traditional confusion around this word. So, what did these people need to change their minds about? They needed to change their minds about their sinful condition, namely, that they were sinners in need of a Savior. If they failed to repent, they too would perish like the Galileans.

As a quick side note: the word “perish” here does not mean to be eternally condemned to the lake of fire. It means physical death, as indicated by what happened to the Galileans and those the tower fell on; both groups physically died.

Now we transition to the parable, which is directed at the crowd that just asked him about the tragic event. “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down’” (Luke 13:6-9, NIV).

The three years in the parable coincides with Jesus’ three-yearministry. He had preached and performed miracles to attest to his identity, but the nation rejected him. Considering Jesus’rejection, which was reflected in his crucifixion, the nation of Israel would be judged (i.e., cut down) since it lacked “fruit” (i.e., belief in him). True to His word, that judgment fell on Jerusalem in A.D. 70, when the Romans destroyed the temple.  

It turns out my professor was right: the times change, but people don’t. We still look at tragedies today and wonder if the victims "deserved" it, or we assume we are safe simply because we haven't faced a similar calamity. But Jesus’ message to the crowd is the same message for us today.

The "fruit" God looks for is a change of mind about who He is and who we are in relation to Him. The fig tree was given a window of grace, one more year of cultivation and care, before the judgment fell. We live in that same window of grace today. The circumstances of our world may look different than they did in first-century Jerusalem, but the human need remains the same: a need to repent (change our minds about who Jesus is)and believe (trust) in him for eternal life.

Discussion Questions