A Mirror or a Window?
Stop Pointing Fingers and Pick Up a Mirror
Luke 13:1–9 | By Christopher Johnson
Let’s be real—we’re all pretty good at playing detective when something bad happens to someone else.
A natural disaster hits and someone says, “It’s God’s judgment.”
Someone loses their job and people whisper, “Maybe they weren’t working hard enough.”
A marriage falls apart and the assumption is, “They must’ve messed up.”
It’s like we need everything to have a reason, and preferably, a reason that makes us feel better about our own lives. But in Luke 13:1–9, Jesus has something to say about all that finger-pointing.
Turns out he’s not a fan.
When Bad Things Happen, Don’t Jump to Conclusions (Luke 13:1–5)
Some people bring Jesus news of a violent, tragic event—Pilate had some Galilean worshipers killed in cold blood. They seem to be fishing for Him to say, “Yeah, they probably had it coming.”
But Jesus doesn’t go there. Instead, He says, “Do you think they were worse sinners than all the other Galileans? Nope. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Then He brings up another incident—a tower fell in Siloam and killed eighteen people. Same response. Not because those people were more guilty.
What’s Jesus getting at?
Basically:
Tragedy doesn’t equal punishment.
And your job isn’t to figure out why it happened to them. Your job is to check in on you.
Mirror vs. Window
It’s kind of like this: Imagine you walk into a house. You can either look out the window and judge how messy the neighbor’s yard is… or you can look in the mirror and see that you’ve got mud all over your face.
Most of us are window people. We love inspecting someone else’s life. But Jesus is saying, “Hey—try the mirror.”
The Fig Tree: A Parable About You (Luke 13:6–9)
Then Jesus tells a little story. A guy plants a fig tree. For three years, it doesn’t produce any fruit. The owner’s ready to cut it down. But the gardener says, “Wait—give it one more year. Let me dig around it, fertilize it. See if it grows.”
So what’s the point?
The fig tree = us.
It’s easy to keep analyzing other people’s problems. But Jesus wants us asking, “What’s going on in my life? Am Igrowing?”
God is patient, but that patience is meant to help us grow—not to let us chill forever and hope nobody notices we’re just kind of... there.
Quick Story: The Guy Who Had All the Opinions
There was this guy who always had something to say about everyone else’s situation. Someone’s kid acted up? “They must be awful parents.” Someone lost a job? “Probably lazy.”
Then his own kid made some major mistakes. And suddenly, he realized how harsh he’d been—and how badly he needed grace.
That’s the point. We all need grace. We all need growth. And maybe—just maybe—we should spend less time judging others and more time letting God work on our hearts.
So... What Now?
Here are three things to take away:
1. Stop assuming you know why something bad happened to someone.
Jesus shuts down that thinking completely. Pain doesn’t always have a tidy explanation. Instead of asking, “What did theydo?” ask, “How’s my heart?”
2. Repent while you still have time.
The fig tree got one more year. That’s grace. But eventually, there’s a deadline. If you know there’s stuff in your life that needs changing—don’t wait. Do something now.
3. Check your own fruit.
Jesus said you know people by the fruit in their lives. So what’s growing in yours? Love? Joy? Patience? Or constant complaints, gossip, and criticism?
Wrap-Up: Where Are You Looking?
Jesus is basically saying:
“Quit looking out the window. Start looking in the mirror.”
Imagine how different things would be if we weren’t so quick to judge and instead asked God, “What do you want to work on in me?”
This passage isn’t about fear—it’s about grace. It’s Jesus saying, “Hey, I’m giving you time. Let’s make it count.”
So seriously—where are your eyes right now? On everybody else’s mess? Or on your own heart, where real change starts?
Jesus is giving you space to grow.
What are you going to do with it?
