Reimagining grace and growth.

A deep dive into the Gospel of Luke 13:1:9 on the Daily Bible refresh with Dr.

Brad Miller hello good people.

Welcome to Daily Bible Refresh.

My name is Dr.

Brad Miller.

So glad to be with you and hope that you'll join me on my mission to get the audible word of God into 2 million years.

That's a million people by the end of 2028.

We're here now in a daily reading of the Bible.

We use the Revised Common Lectionary to select the verse for the day.

That's a three year cycle.

We're in year C and this is the third Sunday of Lent.

We make the Bible understandable.

We use the message translation relatable.

We give you some points to ponder applicable but give you an action step.

We have a prayer.

We do all of that in under 10 minutes.

It's all brought to you by our website Voice of God Daily, which is the home of the ABC 123 Bible Study Guide.

Here's our reading for today from Luke 13:1 9 Reading from the Message Unless you turned to to God about that time, some people came and told him about the Galileans Pilate had killed while they were at worship, mixing their blood with the blood of the sacrifices on the altar.

Jesus responded, do you think those murdered Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans?

Not at all.

Unless you turn to God, you too will die.

And those 18 in Jerusalem the other day, the ones crushed and killed when the Tower of Siloam collapsed and fell on them?

Do you think they were worse citizens than all other Jerusalemites?

Not at all.

Unless you turn to God, you too will die.

Then he told them a story.

A man had an apple tree planted in his front yard.

He came to it expecting to find apples, but there weren't any.

He said to his gardener, what's going on here?

For three years now I've come to this tree expecting apples and not one apple have I found.

Chop it down.

Why waste good ground with it any longer?

And the gardener said, let's give it another year.

I'll dig around and fertilize and maybe it will produce next year.

If it doesn't, then chop it down.

Very interesting and introspective passage of scripture here.

Today we're going to challenge some common assumptions about tragedy, divine punishment and the nature of transformation.

Here's some points to ponder.

One is about dismantling toxic theology.

Jesus directly confronts the ancient and sadly present belief that tragedy and suffering are somehow divine punishment for sin.

When discussing both state violence that was Pilate's actions and natural disaster that was the tower collapsing, Jesus explicitly rejects the idea that victims somehow deserved their fate.

This speaks powerfully to our time challenging a prosperity gospel, negative and victim blaming theology.

How might we respond differently to to global crises, whether it's the pandemic, climate, disasters, political upheaval, or systematic violence?

If we reject the notion that suffering equals divine punishment, another point is about systematic violence and resistance.

The mention of Pilate mixing protesters blood with sacrifices isn't just a historical detail, it's a story of state violence against religious minorities.

Rather than spiritualizing, this Jesus keeps it political in our context.

This invites us to examine how our power structures, our own political structures, continue to perpetuate violence against marginalized communities.

What does it mean to turn to God in the face of systematic oppression?

Perhaps it's about turning toward justice, solidarity and active resistance.

Another point is about radical patience and transformative justice.

The parable about the fig tree or the apple tree offers an alternative to punitive approaches.

The gardener advocates for nurture over destruction, suggesting resources and care rather than punishment, and this models transformative justice.

Focus on providing what's needed for growth rather than rushing to judgment and destruction.

How might this approach inform our own work for social change and environmental justice, for instance?

Here's your action step.

Practice transformative patience.

That is, identify one situation in your life where you're tempted towards a quick judgment or some sort of a punitive response.

Instead, ask what resources, care or support might help transformation to happen.

Take one concrete step toward providing those resources.

This might mean advocating for restorative justice systems, or making a financial donation or volunteering your time or supporting some organizations that address causes of these social ills in our world.

How can you reimagine your community by responding to those who are struggling to bear fruit?

We're going to pray here in just a moment.

Just a reminder that we have a great resource for you to use in your life that I believe will bear fruit.

It's called the ABC123 Bible Study Guide and I really would like you to pick it up by going to our website, voiceofgoddaily.com it's free and use it as a compliment to the audible word of God that you hear on the daily Bible Refresh and use it for your own Bible study.

You will find it very helpful, very direct and to the point.

ABC 1, 2, 3.

You get it@voiceofgoddaily.com here's our prayer.

Oh God, you are a divine gardener, and we confess our quick judgments, our rush to assign blame, our tendency to see suffering as punishment.

Teach us your patient way of tending, your persistent hope for transformation, your commitment to providing what each one needs to grow.

When we encounter violence and tragedy, help us to resist easy explanations and focus instead on creating change.

When we're tempted to chop down and discard, guide us towards nurture and support.

Give us wisdom to recognize systems of harm, courage to resist struggles, structures of violence and love enough to believe in the possibility of transformation.

May we be agents of your patient grace, digging deep to address root causes, providing nourishment for growth and trusting in the slow work of change.

Amen.

Great to be with you here on Daily Bible Refresh.

My name is Dr.

Brad Miller.

I'll be with you again tomorrow.

I'm here every day.

Every day.

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Use them as resources in your life.

Hope that you'll join me again tomorrow morning.

We usually drop these episodes before 6am Eastern Time.

This time, bring a friend and please help me to reach a goal that I have of getting the audible word of God into two million ears.

That's a million people by 2028.

Until then, my name is Dr.

Brad Miller.

Remember that God's loyal love doesn't run out.

His merciful love hasn't dried up, it's created new.

Every.