“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:5).
Jesus’ purpose in this discussion with a group of Jews seems to be primarily that all are equal in the eyes of God and that the degree of sin does not affect the need for repentance. All sinners need to repent, and all sins require repentance on the part of the sinner.
If the Jews have an ulterior motive in bringing up the time when Pilate mingled Galilean blood with Jewish sacrifices, they fail miserably. Not only does Jesus defuse that situation, but He brings up another occasion on which eighteen were crushed when the tower in Siloam fell.
These situations did not occur because the people were excessive sinners—they were just occurrences and were not caused because the people were worse sinners than others.
To have a right relationship with God, all disciples must be willing to repent—that is, to forsake their sins and turn to God. Repentance, then, is a change of mind, resulting in a change of behavior.
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