WHERE IS THE FRUIT?

LUKE 13:6-9

          And He began telling this parable: "A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any." "And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any.' "Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?"

          And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'

INTRODUCTION

          A new pastor preached his first sermon at his new church. He preached a wonderful sermon: “Repent, repent, repent! The kingdom of God is at hand. Go and repent.” Everyone loved the sermon, and some even said it was the best sermon they had ever heard.

          On his second Sunday in the pulpit, the new pastor preached the same sermon, “Repent, repent, repent! The kingdom of God is at hand. Go and repent.” Since most of the members did not remember last week’s sermon, once again many responded that it was the best sermon they had ever heard.

          On his third Sunday, the pastor again preached the same sermon, word for word. This time, his listeners began to stir and were disturbed. They approached the governing board of the church and directed them to look into the matter.

          On the fourth Sunday the new minister preached the same sermon once again, “Repent, repent, repent! The kingdom of God is at hand. Go and repent.” The church board called in the new pastor for a full explanation. His answer: Yes, he was able to preach other sermons. Yes, he did have other sermons. Yes, he did want to preach other sermons. The problem? He would preach another sermon as soon as the congregation repented!

I.      THE DESIGN OF THE FARM OWNER V. 6.

          It is doubtless that Jesus is called “The Master Teacher” and “the best Story Teller.” I have shared with you that the literal meaning of the word parable comes from two Greek syllables—para and ballow. Para means “alongside” and ballo means, “To throw,” “To cast out.” When you put the two together it means to “to throw alongside” or “to cast alongside.” A parable therefore is the usage of the familiar to teach the unfamiliar. It is a familiar story thrown alongside to teach a spiritual lesson.

          The reason for this parable, which Luke alone records, was to expand and enforce our Lord’s declaration in the verses preceding the parable. Therefore, to do justice to this parable, let us read the preceding context in verses 1-5.

          It was the custom in Israel to plant fig trees and other trees in a vineyard. Jesus here tells a parable about a fig tree which was planted in a vineyard, but which remained without fruit. Notice that this was no foreign or forbidden tree from a seed planted in the vineyard (Deut. 22:9). The owner has deliberately planted the fig tree in the vineyard where the soil is most favorable. The owner desires this particular tree by its nature to produce figs, and designs its position in a protected part of the vineyard where it will be skillfully cared for. The owner has made sure that there would be nothing in the vineyard that would inhibit this fig tree from producing fruit. The owner is certain that when the time comes, he will enjoy the fruit from this fig tree.

          The custom was that after the fruit-producing tree has been planted, the owner had to wait at least three years before the tree began to bear fruit. After that, according to the Law of Moses (Lev. 19:23) he would have to wait another three years before the fruit was considered clean. The owner had come to the tree after the first three years had passed. Year after year he came to look for fruit but found none. The tree was barren.

          The barrenness of this fig tree was strange because it had been planted in the best location and had received good treatment. It occupied a parcel of ground that could have been used for vines. Could you imagine the amount of time, energy, and money the owner has spent on this fig tree with the hope that a time will come that he would enjoy the fruit of his labor. Therefore, every year the tree remained barren and unproductive was a loss to the owner. It took moisture and nutrients away from the nearby vines. The fig tree was a debt and became increasingly so as the years went by. This reminds me of my wife's miniature garden at our backyard. She has okra and tomatoes, and almost everyday she goes back there to water them.

          This owner realizes that he could have planted another tree or vine, and within a few years enjoyed its fruit. The farmer has exercised patience all these years, but now his patience has run thin. Therefore, he says, enough is enough.

II.   THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE FARM OWNER V. 7

          There was only one reason for this farm owner to purchase and plant this fig tree, and that was at the appointed time he might gather fruit. After all the care, time, and money he had expended on this tree, he had every right to expect fruit. For almost six years he has waited patiently for this tree to bear fruit, but disappointment overtook his natural and reasonable expectation. Let us bring this home. Let’s say you are a parent and you have invested your money in your son or daughter’s education. You have enrolled him/her in one of the prestigious universities of the land. You have expended a huge sum of money in his/her education. However, when graduation time came, to your amazement the school has informed you that your son/daughter has become a crack cocaine addict, and therefore did not complete his/her education. What would be your reaction? It would certainly be one of shock and great disappointment. That is the exact reaction the farmer in this parable had with the fig tree. Three consecutive years of fruitlessness is proof of barrenness. The farmer has to resort to a radical decision. He commands the vinedresser, “Cut it down!” The soil was too valuable to waste on a fruitless tree, so it must perish, and its room be given to another tree. Because it not only takes up room but also exhausts the soil in which it grows, the owner wants the vinedresser to cut it down.

          Entitled to expect fruit, the owner’s expectations have been shattered. What is the interpretation of these three disappointing and fruitless years? Israel was the divine vineyard over which Jesus spent so much trouble during the three years of His earthly ministry. All through these years, Jesus had sought, by life, parable, miracle, and teaching to make Israel fruitful. Now and again there were signs of promise, but in the end there came His total rejection by the nation He had nurtured.

          The fig tree of Israel was willing to content itself with all the benefits of the sunshine and showers of divine privilege, but most unwilling to produce fruit for the Owner. Therefore, there came the imperative, “Cut it down!”

III.      THE DELAY ASKED OF THE OWNER. VV. 8-9

          Knowing that the farm owner has every right to be disappointed in the barrenness of the fig tree, the vinedresser intervened with a plea for patience. He wanted to give the tree one more year, during which he would loosen the soil around it and add fertilizer. Literally, the vinedresser was interceding, or begging for the life of the tree. The vinedresser in effect was saying, “Give me one year more to do something about this continual barrenness.” Notice that the vinedresser did not plead for the continued barrenness of the fig tree. He only asks for one year more to use stringent measures for stimulating the barren tree into fruitfulness. If by the end of the year, and the fig tree has borne fruit, the vinedresser is convinced that the owner would permit the tree to remain in its privileged position. However, if it continued in its barrenness, then of course, there is only one course of action to be taken; and that is to cut it down. All that the vinedresser asked for was a reprieve or postponement.

          This parable shows that it is impossible to belong to Jesus Christ and not bear some fruit in your life. You cannot belong to Jesus Christ and continue to live your old life of sin. The Bible says that Christians are bought with a precious price. The price is the precious blood of Jesus, which He poured on your behalf on the cross of Calvary.

          This parable of Jesus shows implied contrast. If the man who was in charge of the vineyard lavished special care on one fig tree for an extra year, how much more love and consideration will God shower upon you, and certainly upon His people? Although the parable does not state whether the owner reaped figs the following year or whether the tree was cut down, the point of the story is that patience is delimited by time—one year and that is all. God’s mercy is great, but in the end the Day of Judgment comes. The time of grace that God grants sinners must be used to repent and turn to Him. This parable raises the question about how displeased God is with lack of fruit in our lives.

          Jesus taught the parable of the fig tree in the historical context of Pilate’s gruesome deed of mixing the blood of Galileans with their sacrifices (vv. 1-5). Were these slain Galileans sinners who had met divine punishment? The answer Jesus provided was negative. Repent, said Jesus to His audience, or you too will perish. Were the eighteen people the Tower of Siloam fell on them greater sinners than others living in Jerusalem? Again, Jesus’ answer was no. He called His audience once to repentance and followed it with this parable we are dealing with today.

          What does the parable teach us today? This parable teaches us that those who know the grace of God and are secure in it should respond gratefully with a life of fruitfulness (Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14). You have come to Jesus with a heart that recognizes your need of His grace, and having now experienced His mercy, your story should be different from that of this unfruitful fig tree (Rom. 12:1-2). To whom Jesus has entrusted much, from him/her much will be required.

          The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews echoes a similar sentiment when he warns Christians in the second half of the first century to pay close attention to the gospel. “For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation” (Heb. 2:2-3).

          The point of Jesus’ parable is that when the allotted time for your repentance has expired, God’s judgment is finalized. The time God allots is a period of grace, reflecting His mercy toward us. God does not merely go the second mile. He will go a third mile, and if it need be, a fourth mile in order to save a sinner. However, when His patience is exhausted and God’s call for your repentance has gone unheeded, then judgment is unavoidable.

          God is patient but there comes a time when His patience runs out. God is patient, but there comes a time when it is too late to repent. There are some who jokingly say, “I will have a good time or enjoy myself, and when I am about to die, then I will repent.” That is a foolish presumption, because a time will come when you do not care to repent. Moreover, repentance itself is a gift from God to you at a specific point in time. Therefore, when you reject God’s offer for your life, His patience might have run its course.

          Therefore, you must respond to God before it is too late or before you become accustomed to sinful ways. This parable has an implication for every Christian. Often in sharing the gospel with others you give yourself a sense that there is much time for people to decide or repent. In a sense that can be true, for God it is His patience that delays His judgment. However, in a sense the patience of God can lull you to sleep. As you share Jesus with other people you can become complacent. It is true that the Holy Spirit is the Person who causes people to respond to Jesus, if you take a laid-back attitude, you will not be sensitive to opportunities to share as you could. Note how the caretaker kept trying to fertilize the fig tree. We too should keep feeding those who need to hear the gospel with the seed of truth.

          A rabbi was teaching his students a lesson on preparing for death and on repentance. One of the students asked, “Rabbi, when should a man repent?” The rabbi responded, “Repent a day before your death.” His students were confused. “How can a man know the day of his death?” they asked. His answer: “He cannot, and since he may die tomorrow, it is all the more necessary for him to repent today.”

          This should be the urgency with which you are to share the gospel of Jesus with others. A typical example is Hurricane Katrina. The scientists or meteorologists kept warning the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, and neighboring states that Hurricane Katrina was heading their way. Some people heeded their warnings and left town, but others were stubborn and unresponsive. That is the way we are to handle the word and grace of God. We should keep on sharing it with people. If they repent that is fine, if they refuse they have themselves to blame.