What Kind of Fig Tree Are You?
I would not call this an “obscure” passage, but it is not one I have heard preached on or written about in my memory. I do remember the fig tree that Jesus killed, Matthew 21:18 – 22. And I think there is an important message in this parable we need to hear for encouragement, hope, and even a little admonishment.
Luke 13:
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
There are many of us who went to church when we were younger. We listened to the youth leaders, read our bibles or heard scripture when we were supposed to. We took heed to the message and many of us accepted Christ as our savior when presented with the opportunity with sincerity, hope and good intentions. Then, as they say in the recovery rooms, when the pink cloud dissipated and life started happening all over again, we didn’t forget – really – we just put it in the back of our mind until we went to church or youth group again.
“Are you a Christian?”, someone would ask.
“Why, yes, yes of course I am”, we would reply.
But our lives didn’t look particularly different, we didn’t think in ways that were particularly different, our actions – while maybe a little more tempered – weren’t really all that different. But, we believed, and I think rightly so, that we were “saved” to use the Christian vernacular.
Romans 8 contains a lot of this declaration, for example:
Romans 8:33-34 (ESV)
33 Who shall bring any charge against God 's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 3:15 declares:
“That whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” (emphasis mine)
Though I confess I wonder about the wording in this translation, “may have” is not the same as “will have”. Are there conditions other than accepting Christ as our savior? That is not my personal belief, but I could see someone arguing the point.
GotQuestions.org says:
“The Holy Spirit indwells all believers (John 14:17; Romans 8:9) and baptizes all believers into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). For a believer to become unsaved, he would have to be "un-indwelt" and detached from the Body of Christ.”
I use that because it makes the point it fairly succinctly in using the term “un-indwelt”.
Speaking of points, here’s mine. From the Luke 8 mentioned above.
8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
In representation form, the Father is the one making the judgment saying “cut it down”. The Son is the one saying “let me work with it one more season”. This is reminiscent of Abraham having a conversation with God in reference to Sodom and Gomorrah found in Scripture in Genesis 19:23ff to the end of the chapter. Abraham is pleading the case from 50 righteous people to 10 righteous people to be found in Sodom. If God were to find just 10 righteous people God would not destroy Sodom. The funny thing is that Abraham had a head start on that number with Lot, his wife and two daughters (that’s four out of ten from the start). God’s judgment is always right, if not seemingly harsh to us weak sinners. But Christ’s mercy is ever present, unfailing and hopeful that we will come around. Jesus is definitely a “glass half full” kind of guy, right? (Thank you, Lord for that). I think we would place the Father in the “it is what it is” category. He’s just watching, observing and knows the laws He set up are at work.
How many times in my life did I count on that, and how many times in my life did I feel God was waiting for me? Personally, I always had the sense He was being much more patient with me than I deserved. My choices were as ungodly as it can get at times. I am certainly not proud of that; I marvel at God’s patience. And this is the point of our verse today.
He is waiting, His forbearance (patience) is beyond my understanding, and certainly way beyond what I deserve. BTW –
“In broader legal or everyday terms, forbearance means patience, self-control, or voluntarily refraining from enforcing a legal right or debt.” Google (emphasis mine)
Two things come up for me in all this. First, what a wonderful God that He would wait for me when I am clearly the subordinate. Secondly, He takes the price paid of Himself on the cross more seriously than I do – at times. If that is not a demonstration of how much He loves us, and how much He wants us home at the end of this “human experience”, then I am clearly misunderstanding what love is.
I suppose my “bottom line hope” (to coin a phrase) is that I can live better for Him each day. That I can throw less of myself in His face and reflect who He is in my life instead. Please Lord, let it be so. Maranatha!
