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At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 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? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."

Then he told them this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 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?' He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.' "

Theme


Patience is a virtue, but in today's society is seems to be in short supply. The extremely busy pace of contemporary life makes us less and less patient, with ourselves, others, and certainly with God. We want others to perform on our time schedule and in the process often forget our need to do what God asks of us in a timely manner. God is very patient and is always willing to wait, but there is an absolute need for us to complete what God asks of us, as assuredly as we expect others to meet our expectations. As with those who discover some consequence for not fulfilling our demands, so God's fatal judgment will fall on all of us if we fail to respond. Thus, we must heed the signs and be reconciled with God today. The consequence for our inaction will be catastrophic; we will lose God forever.

Spiritual Food For The Journey


We are all familiar with contracts. A contract is an agreement between at least two different parties where each person or group agrees to perform a certain task, pay a certain amount of money, or provide a certain service that is needed by the other party. Contracts come in many different forms, but the most common is in a written document. Most of us have a contract for the place we live -- a mortgage or a rental agreement. We agree to pay a certain amount of money each month and in return the contractor of the home or apartment owner is to provide a residence. We use contracts when we purchase most high priced items, including cars and electronic equipment. Most of us have a contract or two with certain credit card companies.

There is another form of contract which is more subtle but certainly even more important than any written agreement. Verbal contracts are made all the time, whether we realize it or not, and these are very important for they involve our lives each day. Married people live under a contract made the day they professed their vows to each other. Couples promise fidelity, love, honor, and companionship until the day they die. Each time we promise to pick someone up, meet a person at a designated spot, run an errand, or visit a sick relative or friend we have made a verbal contract. We usually do not think of these daily occurrences as contracts, but most assuredly they are agreements where at least two parties are counting on each other.

Contracts that work well service all concerned, but those that are broken are problematic for those involved. The consequences for failure in contracts differ depending on the nature of the agreement. If we fail to make our house or car payment there may be a period of grace, but ultimately the item upon which we owe money will be taken away, repossessed, and we will lose both the item and our investment. Because the consequences of failure in written contracts are high, people are generally faithful to these agreements. The consequences of failure in a verbal agreement do not, on the surface, appear to be that great and thus the incidence of non-compliance is high. If we fail a friend or family member the result may be some frustration, anger, or even a temporary parting of company, but somehow the severity of what we have done does not register with us; the consequences do not appear to be problematic.

Christians have a contract with God which was "signed" on the day of our baptism. Whether we understood the agreement at the time or not, God promised to be present, to lead, guide, direct, and to show mercy and consolation. We, in turn, were to love God, follow the Lord's commandments, and live in his presence always. This verbal contract between humans and God is violated every day through the infidelity of sin, but there is a way to renew the agreement. Reconciliation is the process whereby humanity is restored to its wholeness; the estrangement caused by sin is removed and we are once again brought close to the source of life.

Reconciliation is an everyday need for humanity, but the Lenten journey is the perfect time to renew our commitment to this most necessary action and experience. God demonstrated mercy to Israel time and time again; the people were always provided with another chance. The Christian community has been provided a similar opportunity through the salvific passion, death, and resurrection of Christ, but there will be a time of judgment and it is necessary that people prepare today for the eschaton which will most assuredly come. We need to renew our contract with God on a daily basis. If we refuse or say, "I'll get to it tomorrow," it may be too late. Let us seek reconciliation today. We must begin with ourselves, journey to others, and finally seek and experience the forgiveness of God. Then we will be fully ready to experience the Easter joy and celebrate the Resurrection.

Application Of The Parable To Contemporary Life

Sermon Openings
1. The name Robert Stroud is not one commonly known in ordinary conversation. Yet, this man's name and his contribution to humanity will live on in the minds of many under a different title, The Birdman of Alcatraz. Robert Stroud was not what one would call an agreeable man. As a young person he was always getting into trouble; fights, arguments, and various altercations were common in his youth. When he was only nineteen he was in a barroom brawl and killed a man. Stroud was convicted of second degree murder. Because the crime had occurred on federal property, he was sent to the Federal Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas, to serve his sentence.

One might think that being in such a horrible environment as a Federal prison would lead Robert Stroud to reform, to get his life in order. Stroud, however, continued his former ways, being even more disruptive and troublesome. One day in the prison a fight broke out among the inmates. Several guards got into the fray to restore order. In the process Stroud stabbed one of the guards using a little wooden knife which he had crafted in his cell. The guard died from the attack. The warden at Leavenworth thought the attack so onerous that he recommended that Stroud be executed for his offense; the jury at his trial agreed. Robert Stroud was scheduled to be executed in the electric chair.

Although it seemed his fate was sealed, God had a plan for Robert Stroud. The plan necessitated that he live and thus an intercessor arose in the form of Stroud's mother. Like any loving parent Mrs. Stroud did not want to see her son die, especially such an ignoble death as execution in the electric chair. The only person who could commute Stroud's sentence was the President of the United States. Thus, Mrs. Stroud journeyed to Washington, D.C., to see President Woodrow Wilson. Mrs. Stroud was not able to see President Wilson, but she did see the First Lady, who spoke to her husband on Stroud's behalf. Woodrow Wilson commuted Stroud's sentence -- life in prison in solitary confinement. Robert Stroud was thus sentenced to spend the rest of this life without seeing any human beings, except the guard once per week when he was allowed the privilege of a shower. Even his meals were slipped through a special opening in his cell door.

God had a plan for Robert Stroud; God had not given up. The manifestation of God's plan began quite innocently one day when a small bird came and perched on the window sill of his cell, which looked out onto the Kansas countryside, Stroud's only contact with the outside world. Over time the bird came back. One bird turned into many birds. Stroud received permission to house these creatures in his small cell. He read voraciously all the material he could obtain on birds and their care, especially diseases to which these animals were susceptible. Stroud conducted numerous experiments over several years. His study, research, and findings were collected into a book published in 1939 as Stroud's Digest on the Diseases of Birds. At the time it was the most comprehensive study ever done on bird diseases and their cures.

Robert Stroud was a troublemaker; he was twice convicted of murder. Yet, God never gave up on him. God had a plan, a mission for Robert Stroud. In the end the plan was revealed and the mission was successfully completed. In the parable of the barren fig tree we hear of how Jesus never gives up on us; he will give us a second, third, hundredth chance to find God.

2. Once upon a time two beautiful flowers lived beside each other in a garden. One was bright yellow and the other was bright blue. From the first moments of their existence these two flowers received profuse praise from the world for their vigor and beauty. "I love your face," said the sun to the yellow flower. "I love your eyes," said the sky to the blue flower. "I love your overall beauty," said the butterfly. "I love your pollen," said the bee. "And I your nectar," said an ant. "I love the shade that you provide," said the grasshopper. The two flowers basked in their glory and all the accolades that were given them. "Never stop," they said to the world.

One day the yellow flower began to do some work. "What are you doing?" asked the blue flower. "I am making pollen," came her answer. "You shouldn't be doin' that. It will make you old before your time." The yellow flower did not heed the warning but continued to make her pollen. The next day the blue flower was complimented by the sky but the sun said nothing to the yellow flower, which seemed a bit withered and worn. "What did I tell you?" said the blue flower. "You must spend all your time making yourself beautiful or no one in the future will care about you." The blue flower primped her petals and primed her color. The yellow flower was content to make pollen.

Several days later a young man was strolling through the garden. He spied the blue flower and picked it. "This must come to my house," he said. "What did I tell you?" said the blue flower to the yellow. "Now I will adorn this man's house while you will sit in the hot sun and wilt." In time when the man was finished with the blue flower he discarded it; the flower was no longer. In time when nature had finished with the yellow flower, there was a whole field of yellow blossoms.1

Master storyteller John Aurelio illustrates in his tale of the two flowers the difference between those who prepare and those who rest comfortably without a care in the world. The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree warns us that we must make our preparations, because although God is ever merciful and gives us the second, third, the hundredth chance, the day of reckoning and judgment will come. We must be ready!

Points Of Challenge And Questions To Ponder

1. With whom must we seek reconciliation in our lives? Which verbal contracts have we let slip recently? What must we do to renew our commitment to ourselves, our neighbor, and God?

2. Have we been people of patience? With whom have we failed in this important task -- our spouse, children, neighbors, colleagues at work?

3. In our need for renewal what place has God on our priority list? Do we think if we "patch things up with others" God will understand? When was the last time we sat down and asked God for forgiveness?

4. Do we have the ability to forgive ourselves and move beyond past hurts? Can we accept God's forgiveness and realize that he wants the best for us?

5. Can we believe that God, as described in Francis Thompson's epic poem, "The Hound of Heaven," never leaves a stone unturned in a diligent search for our soul? Do we believe that God never gives up on any of his children?

Exegesis And Explanation Of The Parable


Luke uses two local and recent incidents, where death came swiftly and unexpectedly to apparently innocent people, and a short parable to present an important message on the need for repentance. While it is clear in reading this passage that divine retribution for sin has not been invoked and that God's mercy and patience have been extended to Israel, the overall theme presented is that the people must repent for the time is short. Luke effectively utilizes the two stories of death to heighten the critical nature of the situation, namely that time is running out for Israel. The parable and its leading incidents transform a pronouncement of judgment into a call for repentance. A warning is issued; the time is short. God's patience cannot be granted indefinitely; judgment will come to Israel.

In the first half of the Gospel pericope, 13:1-5, Jesus uses two recent events, apparently well known to his listeners, to make some important points on retribution and judgment. Apparently the Galileans were pilgrims (some exegetes say they were Zealots) traveling to Jerusalem, who had committed what either was in fact or what Pilate imagined to be an insurrection, and were therefore, slaughtered by the Roman governor. The deaths of the Galileans at the hands of Pilate and the collapse of the tower at Siloam are not reported by any other ancient texts. However, Josepheus in his Antiquities and Jewish War speaks of the ruthlessness of Pilate, thus demonstrating his capability for such action. Some commentators believe that these incidents are a reference by Luke to the fall of Jerusalem and the horrors of the Jewish War, 66-70 A.D., events understood by people in the apostolic age as a judgment against Israel. The questions Jesus poses and then answers concerning these two incidents teach his listeners that whether it is due to the vindictive severity of Pilate or to an unforeseeable accident, as with the tower at Siloam, the victims were not singled out for death due to divine retribution, but rather, they provide a salutary reminder that the whole nation is heading for a more comprehensive disaster. Just as the Galileans and Jerusalemites perished suddenly, so also those who heard Jesus would perish if they did not repent. Jesus is not warning of physical death, but rather uses death as a metaphor for the coming judgment. The image is shocking; the need for repentance is clear.

The bright side of the warning of 13:1-5 is that Jesus affirms that these calamities are not the work of God. Luke dismisses the common but unfounded belief in divine retribution, but he does so without offering any simplistic answers to atrocities and calamities. Jesus' questions assume the popular notion of the Scriptures (Job 4:7 and John 9:2 are examples) that sin is the cause of calamity. If God is responsible for everything that happens, and the Lord's will is always done, then calamities must be the result of human sinfulness. The fallacy in such logic is the notion that God is the immediate cause of all events, leaving no room for human freedom or freedom in the created order, and, therefore, for events God does not control. Jesus exposes the fallacy of such reasoning while at the same time driving home the point that life is uncertain, death is capricious, and judgment is inevitable. Any of us may stand before our maker at a moment's notice.

Commentators suggest that 13:1-5 serves the additional function of alerting Jesus' followers to the fact that he is heading for a fate similar to the unfortunates who died through no fault of their own. Jesus is heading to Jerusalem and his rendezvous with death at the hands of Pilate. Like the Galileans and Jerusalemites, Jesus' passion and death will come about through no fault of his own. It is certainly not coincidental that the evangelist identifies Pilate as a murderer. He wishes to prepare his readers for future events, painting Jesus as the innocent victim of a ruthlessness and godless tyrant.

The second half of the pericope, the parable of the barren fig tree, presented an image common to Jesus' listeners. To the Jews the fig tree and the vineyard suggested the bliss of prosperity and peace characteristic of the land at its best. In the Hebrew Scriptures the vine and fig tree symbolized peace (1 Kings 4:25), security (Micah 4:4), and hospitality (Zechariah 3:10). The loss of fruit was symbolic of complete destruction (Jeremiah 8:12-13). When a new fig tree was planted, Jewish law (Leviticus 19:23) allowed it to grow for three years before its first fruit was taken. In this parable the tree has been growing for six years; the owner has given it three full years to produce fruit, but the tree is apparently barren. Fig trees are costly; they use many valuable nutrients from the soil and they take up space. An unfruitful tree was a financial drain; its removal was common sense to escape economic ruin. Some scholars suggest that Jesus' listeners may have associated the parable with the song of the vineyard in Isaiah chapter 5, where Israel is compared to a vineyard, that although planted and nurtured with great care, nevertheless produced wild grapes. These same exegetes believe that Jesus' words were intended for the immediate situation in Israel. As the fig tree wasted space and human effort, so Israel was unfruitful in its ability to follow the Lord. The present attempt to bring Israel to God is the last; Jesus' presence and work afford the last chance for the people.

The parable presents several important points. First, the owner's attempt to find fruit speaks of God's expectation for Israel. The privileged position as God's chosen people comes with a price; the people must respond. Next, the parable suggests that the tree must be cut down for two reasons: it does not bear fruit and the ground must be freed for more productive use. God's expectation for Israel is two fold; the people must repent and they must be active in their praise and worship of God. The unfruitfulness of inaction is disdained. The parable clearly demonstrates that the owner is responsive to the plea for mercy from the gardener, but there is a limit set for the tree to produce. God's manifest mercy is clear, but it is equally certain that judgment will come. The fact that the gardener himself admits that justice is drastic if the final measures are not successful is highly significant.

This parable lends itself well to allegory. Israel, the fig tree, had received a choice spot in God's vineyard and was highly privileged, but the privileged position brought with it responsibility that Israel failed to meet. Jesus, the gardener, has worked for three years, the time of his public ministry in Galilee and Judah,2 to cultivate the nation in hopes that it will bear fruit, but he has nothing to show for his efforts. God, the owner of the vineyard, wants the tree removed, but Jesus asks that the tree be given one more year, one more opportunity to produce a yield. The fact that the tree was not summarily cut down, as would have been Jewish custom for failure to provide fruit, was certainly comfort to Jesus' listeners, but there is a limit even to God's patience. If the nation does not repent and begin to blossom it will be cut off from God.

This parable challenges the people of Israel to act. The Galileans died by the malice of a human being and the eighteen Jerusalemites died by chance; they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But the fig tree will die expressly for its inactivity and unproductiveness. In the long run this becomes the greater sin. The guilt that comes from one's own procrastination or lack of decisiveness is greater than that implied by death at someone else's hand or unexpected calamity. Jesus' parable thus stresses that the last period of grace has been granted to reform such procrastination. The point of the story is that when the allotted time for human repentance has been exhausted, God's judgment is finalized. The time God allots is a period of grace, reflecting the Lord's mercy toward the human race. God will go the second, third, the hundredth mile to save the sinner, but when the Lord's patience is exhausted and the call for repentance unheeded, judgment is unavoidable. The warning is clear, as metaphor, parable, or allegory -- the people have a short time to prepare for judgment. The people have been spared to date in the Lord's hope that they will produce. If Israel does not use the time remaining wisely, it will be thrown into prison with the debtor (12:57-59), perish like the Galileans and Jerusalemites, or be cut down like the fig tree.

Context Of The Parable

Context In The Church Year

Traditionally the three great Lenten activities have been fasting, almsgiving, and prayer, but Christians have always used this season of grace to seek reconciliation. After going with Jesus to the desert to be tempted by Satan with the great allurements of the world -- power, wealth, and prestige -- and having gone to the mountain to witness Jesus' transfiguration and to seek our own internal transformation, now the Church asks that we review our lives and see where reconciliation is needed. The parable of the barren fig tree and its preceding dual stories of tragic death tell us of the need to be reconciled. God, the ever merciful and just judge, wants us to return home and will give us every possible chance, but there is a limit even to God's patience. There will come the day of judgment and we must be ready.

It is through the wisdom of the Church that we are presented with the challenge in today's parable. Lent is the ideal time to take stock of our lives, review where we have been and where we want to go, and make some decisions about the future. Moving forward requires that we leave the past behind, including the excess baggage that comes from the weight of sin. Today's parable presents us with the opportunity to be reconciled, within our own person, with others, and ultimately with God. If we can, then we will bear fruit and be ready for the judgment that will eventually come.

Context With Other Gospels

The stories of the Galileans and Jerusalemites who experienced death and the parable of the barren fig tree are unique to Luke's Gospel. The only parallel in the Scriptures is found in the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree in Mark 11:12-14 and Matthew 21:18-21. Some scholars have suggested that a connection is present, but the evidence for such a conclusion is not strong. The Marcan and Matthean passages are not parables but rather describe Jesus' action outside Jerusalem when he was hungry and sought food from a fig tree. While the message of repentance and judgment are not unique to Luke, their presentation in this particular way is exclusive to this evangelist.

Context With First And Second Lessons
First Lesson: Isaiah 55:1-9. The prophet Isaiah, using beautiful imagery, speaks in this passage of the great feast God will prepare for those who seek the Lord, forsake their wicked ways, and turn to God for mercy. God invites all who are thirsty and have no money to a great banquet. In response to God's faithfulness to Israel, the prophet proclaims the need for people to heed the Lord and walk in God's ways. God will renew the everlasting covenant with Israel, but the people in turn must be faithful and uphold their end of the contract. God is generous in forgiving and will be merciful, but the people must respond and seek the Lord.

Isaiah's prophecy serves to bolster the message of the parable of the barren fig tree. The Christian community, the ancestors of those with whom God made the great covenant, can be assured of God's presence, assistance, and mercy, but the people must respond to God and follow the Lord's precepts. The day of judgment will come, despite the infinite mercy of God, and if people are not ready they will be cut off from the Lord's love and lose eternal life.

Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. Paul writes to the Christian community at Corinth with a warning of their need to stay on the correct path. He relates in brief the history of Israel's unfaithfulness to God and the consequent punishment of death for many of the nation. As the Galileans and Jerusalemites serve to warn Jesus' audience in Luke's pericope, so Paul tells the Corinthians that these events serve as a warning of what will happen if wicked acts are not removed from their community. Paul firmly believed that Jesus would return in his lifetime; thus he tells the people that they must use the examples given them, recognize them as warnings, and change now in order to avoid the great calamity that will befall those who have forgotten about God. God will provide the people with the strength they need to endure, but they must do their part, return to God, and eliminate evil from their lives.

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1. Paraphrased from "A Tale of Two Flowers," in John Aurelio, Colors! Stories of the Kingdom (New York: Crossroad, 1993), pp. 79-80.

2. Some scholars believe that the three years in the parable refer not to Jesus' public ministry, but rather indicate the long time that Israel waited for the coming of the Messiah.