What is the meaning of Luke 23:31? For if men do these things • Jesus speaks of the very acts being carried out against Him—arrest, mockery, scourging, crucifixion. • Though Pilate had declared, “I find no basis for a charge against this Man” (Luke 23:14), men were still treating the sinless Son of God as a criminal. • The Lord has already warned, “The axe lies ready at the root of the trees” (Luke 3:9), showing God’s justice can fall even when people judge it undeserved. • By saying “men,” Jesus underlines human responsibility; evil is not abstract—it is chosen (Jeremiah 17:9). while the tree is green • A “green” tree is full of life—picture-perfect for fruit and usefulness. In Scripture, the righteous are compared to such a tree (Psalm 1:3). • Jesus Himself is the ultimate Green Tree: completely alive to God, utterly innocent, bearing good fruit (John 15:1). • If violence and injustice are unleashed on the One who is perfectly righteous, that exposes the depth of human depravity (Acts 3:14-15). • The present moment, with the living Savior in their midst, was still a day of grace; yet people chose brutality. what will happen • The question pushes the listeners to imagine consequences. Judgment is not hypothetical; it is already marching toward Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44). • Scripture frames divine justice in escalating terms: “If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the wicked” (Proverbs 11:31). • Jesus’ rhetorical move invites sober reflection rather than arguments—He is urging repentance before calamity strikes (2 Peter 3:9-10). when it is dry? • A “dry” tree is brittle, fruitless, ready for the fire (Ezekiel 20:47). It pictures a society hardened in unbelief after rejecting its Messiah. • AD 70 stands in view: Roman legions would cut down Jerusalem, fulfilling Jesus’ lament: “Not one stone will be left on another” (Luke 21:6). • Individually, those who refuse Christ become spiritually dry, storing up “wrath for the day of wrath” (Romans 2:5). • In that coming day there will be no Green Tree present to defer judgment; the dryness makes the fire inevitable (Hebrews 10:26-27). summary Jesus’ words are a solemn equation: if sinful humanity will crucify the sinless Savior in a season still lush with God’s grace, the devastation will be far greater once that grace is spurned and hearts grow dry. The verse warns that rejecting the Righteous One now guarantees harsher judgment later—whether for a nation or for a single soul. |
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