The Fruitless Fig Tree
Preaching
Preaching The Parables
Series III, Cycle C
1. Text
At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. [2] He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? [3] No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. [4] Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them -- do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? [5] No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."
[6] Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. [7] So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' [8] He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. [9] If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.' "
2. What's Happening?
First Point Of Action
While Jesus is with the crowds, he hears about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Jesus asks two questions, giving the same response to each. Question A: Were these Galileans worse than all other Galileans because they suffered in this way? Question B: Were the eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?
Second Point Of Action
Jesus tells them that they will all perish as those did unless they repent.
Third Point Of Action
Jesus tells the crowds a parable, a conversation between a man and his gardener. A fig tree in the man's vineyard has not borne fruit for three years.
Fourth Point Of Action
The man tells his gardener to cut down this tree because it is wasting the soil.
Fifth Point Of Action
The gardener advises him to give it one more year. The gardener will dig around the tree and put manure on it.
3. Spadework
Fig Tree
While more than 800 species of fig exist, the common fig, Ficus carica, has been cultivated in the Mediterranean area since ancient times. Many fig species require five to seven years of growth before they begin to bear fruit. However, F. carica starts to bear at an early age, sometimes in the first year. Two crops of fruit are possible within the same season.
F. carica, classified as a shrub, grows fifteen to thirty feet in height. Another species of Mediterranean fig, Ficus sycomorus, is a taller tree, growing to fifty to seventy feet. This sycamore fig is favored in the Middle East for its shade. However, its fruit is inferior to the common fig. This is the true sycamore referred to four times in Hebrew texts and in the New Testament story about Zacchaeus. (See Luke 19:4.)
Twice in Hebrew Scripture, mention is made of creating cedars as "plentiful as sycamores," suggesting that the sycamore is easy to grow. (See 2 Chronicles 2:15 and 9:27.) By contrast, the fig tree appears 24 times throughout the entire Bible. Generally the fruit of the tree is also mentioned with these references.
Fig trees tend to fruit best when the soil is on the lean, dry side so that their vigor is restrained somewhat. A fig tree that makes excessively vigorous growth due to over-fertilization with nitrogen, as from nitrogen-rich manure, is likely to produce little or no fruit.
As an important symbol both of wealth and of the richness of the promised land, the fig tree was used as an object of God's pleasure or displeasure. The king of Assyria coaxed, "Make your peace with me and come out to me; then every one of you will eat from your own vine and your own fig tree, and drink water from your own cistern" (2 Kings 18:31).
As a further sign of God's displeasure with an errant people, God "struck their vines and fig trees, and shattered the trees of their country" (Psalm 105:33). "All their host shall wither like a leaf withering on a vine, or fruit withering on a fig tree" (Isaiah 34:4b). See also Jeremiah 8:13.
The fruitful fig tree or the barren "fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree" all reflected God's pleasure or God's displeasure with the behavior of a nation or a people. See Haggai 2. Those who sat in the shade of a mature fig tree told of a time of prosperous peace. (See 1 Kings 4:25.
A good tree does not bear bad fruit. A bad tree bears no good fruit. Following good plant husbandry, Christ said through Matthew, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." (See Matthew 7:17-19.)
Everyone respected the owners and the gardeners of fig trees. "Anyone who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and anyone who takes care of a master will be honored" (Proverbs 27:18).
Repent
The powerful "repent" words (repented, repentance) are of lean use in the Bible. "Repent" occurs only eight times in Hebrew Scripture with no occurrences of "repentance." In the Gospels, each word occurs nine times. "Repented" appears four times in Hebrew Scripture and five times in the Gospels.
While use of "perish" and "destroy," the negative results of the choice not to repent, is heavy in Hebrew Scripture, their use also is light in the New Testament. Of the 135 instances of "perish" words (perish, perishes, perished) in the Bible, only nine appear in the New Testament. Luke uses these words in four references, two of which are in the present story.
Of the 449 instances of "destroy" words (destroy, destroys, destroyed, destruction), only 25 occur in the New Testament. Seven appear in Luke.
To feel enough remorse to turn around one's life is requisite to change, forgiveness, and salvation. Of the 112 references in scripture to the affirmative "forgive" words (forgive, forgives, forgiven, forgiveness), 57 appear in the New Testament. Of the 38 times "forgiven" is used, fourteen appear in the Gospels, all in Luke.
The sum of "save" words (save, saves, saved, saving, salvation) used in the Bible equals 408, a close second to the "destroy" words. Of these "save" words, 44 occur in the Gospels. Luke uses the "save" words in eighteen references.
The message of John the Baptist was "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near" (Matthew 3:2). After his arrest, something changes in Jesus. (See Matthew 4:12-17.) "From that time," Matthew and Mark report, "Jesus began to proclaim, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near' " (Matthew 4:17) and " 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news' " (Mark 1:15). Further, Jesus sends the disciples out to proclaim that all should repent. (See Mark 6:12.)
In the present Luke 13 story, Jesus' crisp clarity reflects another dimension of his complex character. He couples "repent" with the consequence of having failed to repent, "perish." Is this the harsh and urgent equivalent of today's "tough love"?
Repentance is the necessary confession. Forgiveness is the required response. (See Luke 17:4.) Compare this message with that found in 2 Peter: "The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
Tower Of Siloam
Jesus refers in an almost off-handed manner to the incident of the eighteen people who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them. The prophet Isaiah speaks of the waters of Shiloah. (See Isaiah 8:6.) This name, along with Shiloa, is a variant of Siloam.
In the New Testament, Siloam is mentioned in relation to the pool of Siloam where Christ sent the man who was blind for healing. (See John 9:7ff.) In the preface to the parable of The Fruitless Fig Tree, the town tower is the focal point. Siloam, which the writer of John defines as Sent, is situated in the southwest corner of Jerusalem in the Kidron river valley not far from Jordan. The reservoir, or pool of Siloam, was an important agricultural water supply as it fed two irrigation channels.
A tower carried a double meaning. It was used both as a defense and as a symbol of the authority and power of religious and civic bodies, as shown in the following passages: "[F]or you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy" (Psalm 61:3); "But there was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and women and all the lords of the city fled to it and shut themselves in; and they went to the roof of the tower" (Judges 9:51); and "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10).
The destruction of the city tower that resulted in the death of eighteen people presented an untimely contradiction. Now, as then, towers that we once counted on for actual security and symbolic strength have become tenuous. Aside from the reference to the Siloam tower tragedy, Luke tells us nothing more.
4. Parallel Scripture
While this nature parable has no Gospel parallel, cross-references given below may offer further insight into its meaning.
On Repenting
"If one does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and strung his bow" (Psalm 7:12). In contrast, see 2 Peter 3:9 above. This Peter passage portrays a patient God who, rather than destroy the unrepentant, is willing to wait for us to choose to repent.
Image Of The Faulty Fig Tree
"Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 3:10 and Luke 3:9). Threat of destruction again is present. In a season not ready for figs, the hungry Jesus causes the demise of a fig tree that did not provide him fruit. (See Matthew 21:18-20 and Mark 11:12-14.) Compare with Jeremiah 8:13, "When I wanted to gather them, says the Lord, there are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree...." Are these references to a faulty fig tree indicative of an impatient and pressured Jesus or to the fulfilling of Hebrew Scripture?
The following morning according to the Gospel references, Jesus uses the example of the now-withered tree to remind the disciples that when they pray, "[I]f you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you" (Mark 11:20-24).
Prestige Of Growing Fig Trees
Note the politics of the fig tree: "Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: 'Make your peace with me and come out to me; then everyone of you will eat from your own vine and your own fig tree and drink water from your own cistern' " (Isaiah 36:16). See also 2 Kings 18:31.
Let us note also the potentially esteemed relationship between the gardener and the owner: "Anyone who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and anyone who takes care of a master will be honored" (Proverbs 27:18).
5. Chat Room
The Gardener: "See here," my master said to me. "See here." He was angry. How many years have I been his gardener anyway? "See here," he said. Does he not trust me yet to do it right?
All I could answer was "Sir." I told him what I would do. You have to give these fig trees time. Most bear fruit quickly, some even within the same season. I like to give figs a fair chance -- three, sometimes four years. Give them a little extra care, a little manure, a little cultivation. I know what I am doing, but he is the principal here. He is my superior.
Californian Farmer: That could mean if a fig tree is not any good, it does not make any difference what you would do to try to save it. Is not your master's point that if you or I have not shaped up by now, we never will?
It could also, of course, mean you as a gardener. I am unclear about your expertise as gardener. I farm here in southern California. We raise a different variety of fig here, but you certainly must know that figs do not appreciate the super rich soil that extra manure would provide.
Something might have been amiss with your care if there was a need to weed around the fig. I wondered at first if your suggestion of weeding and manure was a remedy for negligence on your part.
Perhaps your offer to cultivate and fertilize was a desperate attempt to assure the fig tree owner that you know what you are doing. Even you agreed to cut down the fig if it did not produce in another year.
Gardener: It was my patience against his impatience. Did you notice that he said nothing after I offered to cultivate and fertilize?
Anonymous: Greetings. I have been following your chat. Did your master in fact leave the conversation unfinished? I do not think so. I suspect the look on his face was final. If you are not productive, slash. If you are not working to expectations within a certain time frame, slash. Do not waste our time or space. If your advancing age causes you to work at a slower pace, leave. We will replace you.
California: The human soul constantly needs tending. What happened to the God we know who is accepting? That God is ready to give us one more chance.
Anonymous: It hinges on the word, "unless." Unless you change your ways, it will be too late for you. Christ said it twice. With that little word, all the doom turns around to hope.
Here are several questions for anybody else out there in cyber-space. Who is this Jesus who scares the wits out of us by reminding us not only of one but two horrible things that happened to the Galileans? Why did he bring up the suffering of the Galileans at Pilate's hand? Why did he remind the crowd of the eighteen who were killed when the Tower of Siloam fell?
Joseph of Siloam: I can respond to that. I am Joseph of Siloam. Remember that some among those gathered told Jesus about the deaths of the Galileans. For all I know, this was the first that Jesus had heard about it.
Maybe his response to that suffering was to recall another catastrophe. To cite the senseless deaths of the eighteen innocents from our town may have been a natural human response, a ticking off of the calamities. Jesus' response may have been a sign of the pressure Jesus felt to get his job done.
John of Galilee: Jesus' mention of the tower tragedy did appear to be almost off the cuff. He said, "Or those eighteen...." But the memory was a common bond, never to be forgotten. Jesus need not have said anything else to be understood.
Jesus did appear pressed. He was serious, solemn. He raised his voice at the rampant hypocrisy of leadership. He had a message for change and would use whatever illustration was at hand.
Joseph of Siloam: How ironic that the very place we flocked to for safety, our town tower, would become a place of death. I ponder if everything that happens to us is causal? Is everything ultimately our fault? Is everything retribution? What is by chance and what is by design? How much, indeed, are we in control of our own lives?
Anonymous: That does not sound like the Jesus I know. His words suggest that all of us, even the innocent, need to change our ways. Everyone needs to change. We are human. We stray from the intended course. Yet, we know the deaths of the eighteen had nothing to do with a greater or lesser degree of alienation from God or each other or themselves. The tragedy happened and they just happened to be there.
Joseph of Siloam: Jesus startled us. "Unless you repent, you will perish," he was trying to tell us. The tower was a cryptic image of death. He leashed my attention. Then Jesus remembered himself and told a story. You know how it is. You try to tell folk something straight out, but they do not get it. Then you catch their attention with a story. Jesus knew that worked.
California: Jesus' words are harsh. I want God to give me another chance forever. I slough off, but I keep trying. If I felt that God ever would give up on me, I would give up on myself. I hope we do not have to follow that fig tree parable to the letter. Were I a living plant, I would want some gardener to have enough faith in my possibility not to give up on me. I cannot thrive under a shadow of fear. I need hope.
Anonymous: This is a difficult parable for us to hear. Who wins here, the owner of the fig tree or the gardener?
California: Well, I of course want the garden to win. It is the gardener who has hope, who knows what the fig needs. I am practical enough to know, however, that some figs must come out. The plant is no good.
Anonymous: On another level, what does it take to nurture a church to bear fruit? When should we call it quits and close the doors? What does it take for us to change to productive living? What does this parable say about God and God's faith in us?
Joseph of Siloam: This parable does reach far beyond my town. This wonderful story is about compromise -- about having a dream, realizing that this dream might not come to fruition, setting limits as to how long you are going to pursue your dream, and having the flexibility and the courage to change course if need be. It is about making choices and living with the outcome.
Anonymous: I agree that the parable addresses compromise. It also expands my concept of God and God's role in my life.
California: Tell us more.
Anonymous: I tend to over-simplify the creator, but God is too complex to slip into categories. God is the landowner with the capacity to grasp the whole setting. God is the one who has high expectations and who requires results. God also is the nurturing gardener who cares for each part of creation with such intensity that God will extend hope as far as possible. Maybe God is also that fig tree, for without the right mix of circumstances, God's plans cannot come to fruition.
California: I too am a composite of seeming opposites. I am both the gardener and the landowner, sometimes in conflict and sometimes finding harmony. Unlike God, however, I need to turn away from my wrongdoing before it becomes my irreparable undoing.
At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. [2] He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? [3] No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. [4] Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them -- do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? [5] No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."
[6] Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. [7] So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' [8] He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. [9] If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.' "
2. What's Happening?
First Point Of Action
While Jesus is with the crowds, he hears about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Jesus asks two questions, giving the same response to each. Question A: Were these Galileans worse than all other Galileans because they suffered in this way? Question B: Were the eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?
Second Point Of Action
Jesus tells them that they will all perish as those did unless they repent.
Third Point Of Action
Jesus tells the crowds a parable, a conversation between a man and his gardener. A fig tree in the man's vineyard has not borne fruit for three years.
Fourth Point Of Action
The man tells his gardener to cut down this tree because it is wasting the soil.
Fifth Point Of Action
The gardener advises him to give it one more year. The gardener will dig around the tree and put manure on it.
3. Spadework
Fig Tree
While more than 800 species of fig exist, the common fig, Ficus carica, has been cultivated in the Mediterranean area since ancient times. Many fig species require five to seven years of growth before they begin to bear fruit. However, F. carica starts to bear at an early age, sometimes in the first year. Two crops of fruit are possible within the same season.
F. carica, classified as a shrub, grows fifteen to thirty feet in height. Another species of Mediterranean fig, Ficus sycomorus, is a taller tree, growing to fifty to seventy feet. This sycamore fig is favored in the Middle East for its shade. However, its fruit is inferior to the common fig. This is the true sycamore referred to four times in Hebrew texts and in the New Testament story about Zacchaeus. (See Luke 19:4.)
Twice in Hebrew Scripture, mention is made of creating cedars as "plentiful as sycamores," suggesting that the sycamore is easy to grow. (See 2 Chronicles 2:15 and 9:27.) By contrast, the fig tree appears 24 times throughout the entire Bible. Generally the fruit of the tree is also mentioned with these references.
Fig trees tend to fruit best when the soil is on the lean, dry side so that their vigor is restrained somewhat. A fig tree that makes excessively vigorous growth due to over-fertilization with nitrogen, as from nitrogen-rich manure, is likely to produce little or no fruit.
As an important symbol both of wealth and of the richness of the promised land, the fig tree was used as an object of God's pleasure or displeasure. The king of Assyria coaxed, "Make your peace with me and come out to me; then every one of you will eat from your own vine and your own fig tree, and drink water from your own cistern" (2 Kings 18:31).
As a further sign of God's displeasure with an errant people, God "struck their vines and fig trees, and shattered the trees of their country" (Psalm 105:33). "All their host shall wither like a leaf withering on a vine, or fruit withering on a fig tree" (Isaiah 34:4b). See also Jeremiah 8:13.
The fruitful fig tree or the barren "fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree" all reflected God's pleasure or God's displeasure with the behavior of a nation or a people. See Haggai 2. Those who sat in the shade of a mature fig tree told of a time of prosperous peace. (See 1 Kings 4:25.
A good tree does not bear bad fruit. A bad tree bears no good fruit. Following good plant husbandry, Christ said through Matthew, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." (See Matthew 7:17-19.)
Everyone respected the owners and the gardeners of fig trees. "Anyone who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and anyone who takes care of a master will be honored" (Proverbs 27:18).
Repent
The powerful "repent" words (repented, repentance) are of lean use in the Bible. "Repent" occurs only eight times in Hebrew Scripture with no occurrences of "repentance." In the Gospels, each word occurs nine times. "Repented" appears four times in Hebrew Scripture and five times in the Gospels.
While use of "perish" and "destroy," the negative results of the choice not to repent, is heavy in Hebrew Scripture, their use also is light in the New Testament. Of the 135 instances of "perish" words (perish, perishes, perished) in the Bible, only nine appear in the New Testament. Luke uses these words in four references, two of which are in the present story.
Of the 449 instances of "destroy" words (destroy, destroys, destroyed, destruction), only 25 occur in the New Testament. Seven appear in Luke.
To feel enough remorse to turn around one's life is requisite to change, forgiveness, and salvation. Of the 112 references in scripture to the affirmative "forgive" words (forgive, forgives, forgiven, forgiveness), 57 appear in the New Testament. Of the 38 times "forgiven" is used, fourteen appear in the Gospels, all in Luke.
The sum of "save" words (save, saves, saved, saving, salvation) used in the Bible equals 408, a close second to the "destroy" words. Of these "save" words, 44 occur in the Gospels. Luke uses the "save" words in eighteen references.
The message of John the Baptist was "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near" (Matthew 3:2). After his arrest, something changes in Jesus. (See Matthew 4:12-17.) "From that time," Matthew and Mark report, "Jesus began to proclaim, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near' " (Matthew 4:17) and " 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news' " (Mark 1:15). Further, Jesus sends the disciples out to proclaim that all should repent. (See Mark 6:12.)
In the present Luke 13 story, Jesus' crisp clarity reflects another dimension of his complex character. He couples "repent" with the consequence of having failed to repent, "perish." Is this the harsh and urgent equivalent of today's "tough love"?
Repentance is the necessary confession. Forgiveness is the required response. (See Luke 17:4.) Compare this message with that found in 2 Peter: "The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
Tower Of Siloam
Jesus refers in an almost off-handed manner to the incident of the eighteen people who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them. The prophet Isaiah speaks of the waters of Shiloah. (See Isaiah 8:6.) This name, along with Shiloa, is a variant of Siloam.
In the New Testament, Siloam is mentioned in relation to the pool of Siloam where Christ sent the man who was blind for healing. (See John 9:7ff.) In the preface to the parable of The Fruitless Fig Tree, the town tower is the focal point. Siloam, which the writer of John defines as Sent, is situated in the southwest corner of Jerusalem in the Kidron river valley not far from Jordan. The reservoir, or pool of Siloam, was an important agricultural water supply as it fed two irrigation channels.
A tower carried a double meaning. It was used both as a defense and as a symbol of the authority and power of religious and civic bodies, as shown in the following passages: "[F]or you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy" (Psalm 61:3); "But there was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and women and all the lords of the city fled to it and shut themselves in; and they went to the roof of the tower" (Judges 9:51); and "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10).
The destruction of the city tower that resulted in the death of eighteen people presented an untimely contradiction. Now, as then, towers that we once counted on for actual security and symbolic strength have become tenuous. Aside from the reference to the Siloam tower tragedy, Luke tells us nothing more.
4. Parallel Scripture
While this nature parable has no Gospel parallel, cross-references given below may offer further insight into its meaning.
On Repenting
"If one does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and strung his bow" (Psalm 7:12). In contrast, see 2 Peter 3:9 above. This Peter passage portrays a patient God who, rather than destroy the unrepentant, is willing to wait for us to choose to repent.
Image Of The Faulty Fig Tree
"Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 3:10 and Luke 3:9). Threat of destruction again is present. In a season not ready for figs, the hungry Jesus causes the demise of a fig tree that did not provide him fruit. (See Matthew 21:18-20 and Mark 11:12-14.) Compare with Jeremiah 8:13, "When I wanted to gather them, says the Lord, there are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree...." Are these references to a faulty fig tree indicative of an impatient and pressured Jesus or to the fulfilling of Hebrew Scripture?
The following morning according to the Gospel references, Jesus uses the example of the now-withered tree to remind the disciples that when they pray, "[I]f you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you" (Mark 11:20-24).
Prestige Of Growing Fig Trees
Note the politics of the fig tree: "Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: 'Make your peace with me and come out to me; then everyone of you will eat from your own vine and your own fig tree and drink water from your own cistern' " (Isaiah 36:16). See also 2 Kings 18:31.
Let us note also the potentially esteemed relationship between the gardener and the owner: "Anyone who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and anyone who takes care of a master will be honored" (Proverbs 27:18).
5. Chat Room
The Gardener: "See here," my master said to me. "See here." He was angry. How many years have I been his gardener anyway? "See here," he said. Does he not trust me yet to do it right?
All I could answer was "Sir." I told him what I would do. You have to give these fig trees time. Most bear fruit quickly, some even within the same season. I like to give figs a fair chance -- three, sometimes four years. Give them a little extra care, a little manure, a little cultivation. I know what I am doing, but he is the principal here. He is my superior.
Californian Farmer: That could mean if a fig tree is not any good, it does not make any difference what you would do to try to save it. Is not your master's point that if you or I have not shaped up by now, we never will?
It could also, of course, mean you as a gardener. I am unclear about your expertise as gardener. I farm here in southern California. We raise a different variety of fig here, but you certainly must know that figs do not appreciate the super rich soil that extra manure would provide.
Something might have been amiss with your care if there was a need to weed around the fig. I wondered at first if your suggestion of weeding and manure was a remedy for negligence on your part.
Perhaps your offer to cultivate and fertilize was a desperate attempt to assure the fig tree owner that you know what you are doing. Even you agreed to cut down the fig if it did not produce in another year.
Gardener: It was my patience against his impatience. Did you notice that he said nothing after I offered to cultivate and fertilize?
Anonymous: Greetings. I have been following your chat. Did your master in fact leave the conversation unfinished? I do not think so. I suspect the look on his face was final. If you are not productive, slash. If you are not working to expectations within a certain time frame, slash. Do not waste our time or space. If your advancing age causes you to work at a slower pace, leave. We will replace you.
California: The human soul constantly needs tending. What happened to the God we know who is accepting? That God is ready to give us one more chance.
Anonymous: It hinges on the word, "unless." Unless you change your ways, it will be too late for you. Christ said it twice. With that little word, all the doom turns around to hope.
Here are several questions for anybody else out there in cyber-space. Who is this Jesus who scares the wits out of us by reminding us not only of one but two horrible things that happened to the Galileans? Why did he bring up the suffering of the Galileans at Pilate's hand? Why did he remind the crowd of the eighteen who were killed when the Tower of Siloam fell?
Joseph of Siloam: I can respond to that. I am Joseph of Siloam. Remember that some among those gathered told Jesus about the deaths of the Galileans. For all I know, this was the first that Jesus had heard about it.
Maybe his response to that suffering was to recall another catastrophe. To cite the senseless deaths of the eighteen innocents from our town may have been a natural human response, a ticking off of the calamities. Jesus' response may have been a sign of the pressure Jesus felt to get his job done.
John of Galilee: Jesus' mention of the tower tragedy did appear to be almost off the cuff. He said, "Or those eighteen...." But the memory was a common bond, never to be forgotten. Jesus need not have said anything else to be understood.
Jesus did appear pressed. He was serious, solemn. He raised his voice at the rampant hypocrisy of leadership. He had a message for change and would use whatever illustration was at hand.
Joseph of Siloam: How ironic that the very place we flocked to for safety, our town tower, would become a place of death. I ponder if everything that happens to us is causal? Is everything ultimately our fault? Is everything retribution? What is by chance and what is by design? How much, indeed, are we in control of our own lives?
Anonymous: That does not sound like the Jesus I know. His words suggest that all of us, even the innocent, need to change our ways. Everyone needs to change. We are human. We stray from the intended course. Yet, we know the deaths of the eighteen had nothing to do with a greater or lesser degree of alienation from God or each other or themselves. The tragedy happened and they just happened to be there.
Joseph of Siloam: Jesus startled us. "Unless you repent, you will perish," he was trying to tell us. The tower was a cryptic image of death. He leashed my attention. Then Jesus remembered himself and told a story. You know how it is. You try to tell folk something straight out, but they do not get it. Then you catch their attention with a story. Jesus knew that worked.
California: Jesus' words are harsh. I want God to give me another chance forever. I slough off, but I keep trying. If I felt that God ever would give up on me, I would give up on myself. I hope we do not have to follow that fig tree parable to the letter. Were I a living plant, I would want some gardener to have enough faith in my possibility not to give up on me. I cannot thrive under a shadow of fear. I need hope.
Anonymous: This is a difficult parable for us to hear. Who wins here, the owner of the fig tree or the gardener?
California: Well, I of course want the garden to win. It is the gardener who has hope, who knows what the fig needs. I am practical enough to know, however, that some figs must come out. The plant is no good.
Anonymous: On another level, what does it take to nurture a church to bear fruit? When should we call it quits and close the doors? What does it take for us to change to productive living? What does this parable say about God and God's faith in us?
Joseph of Siloam: This parable does reach far beyond my town. This wonderful story is about compromise -- about having a dream, realizing that this dream might not come to fruition, setting limits as to how long you are going to pursue your dream, and having the flexibility and the courage to change course if need be. It is about making choices and living with the outcome.
Anonymous: I agree that the parable addresses compromise. It also expands my concept of God and God's role in my life.
California: Tell us more.
Anonymous: I tend to over-simplify the creator, but God is too complex to slip into categories. God is the landowner with the capacity to grasp the whole setting. God is the one who has high expectations and who requires results. God also is the nurturing gardener who cares for each part of creation with such intensity that God will extend hope as far as possible. Maybe God is also that fig tree, for without the right mix of circumstances, God's plans cannot come to fruition.
California: I too am a composite of seeming opposites. I am both the gardener and the landowner, sometimes in conflict and sometimes finding harmony. Unlike God, however, I need to turn away from my wrongdoing before it becomes my irreparable undoing.
