What does Luke 13:5 mean?

Jesus repeats His warning. He is teaching a crowd about priorities in life. He began with a parable about a rich farmer who reaped such a great harvest he could retire. He died that night, however. In death, he had no use for his barns filled with grain and he had not poured any effort into his relationship with God. He valued meaningless, earthly treasure at the expense of his eternal soul (Luke 12:15–21).

Later, Jesus taught about human reconciliation. He told the crowd that if they were accused of a crime and headed to the magistrate, they should reconcile with their accuser quickly. It is far better to humble yourself and admit you did wrong than to be declared guilty and face prison and a large fine (Luke 12:57–59).

As Jesus finished that lesson, news spread that Pilate had murdered Galileans who had gone to Jerusalem to sacrifice at the temple. Jesus tells the crowd that these people did not die because of their sin. They were no greater sinners than anyone else in Galilee. He then reminds them of the time a tower at a reservoir in Jerusalem collapsed, killing eighteen. These victims didn't deserve their fate, either (Luke 13:1–4).

Jesus' point is that death comes to everyone, and sometimes that death is sudden and unfair. This is a further reason people need to repent of their sins and reconcile with God now. The message is the same to us. We have a limited amount of time on earth and we don't know when it will end (James 4:14; 2 Corinthians 6:2). Not everyone gets the chance to have a "deathbed conversion." It's far better to take advantage of the time we have, confess our sins, accept Jesus as our savior, and ensure we will live for eternity in paradise with God.