Nov 20, The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree, Luke 13:6-9

Nov 20, The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree, Luke 13:6-9

We have all sinned. We cannot blame every earthly accident on sin. Jesus refers to the Galileans who were killed and the ones on whom the Siloam tower fell. Did they die because of sin? No. We are all sinners. We all need to repent. Jesus repeats the phrase “But unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke 13:4, 5). This is the message of the parable, repentance.

The fig tree often refers to the Jewish nation. For the parable to mean repentance, the fig tree does not have to represent Israel. It could mean any person. The Jews also need to repent. This message of John the Baptist and Jesus, repentance, was an offence to the Jews. They were God’s special people. They were the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. John called them a brood of vipers. Jesus called the Jewish religious leaders the children of the devil.

We all need to repent or we will perish. Even Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist with the baptism of repentance. Jesus had never sinned but showed us the right and righteous thing to do. The fig tree is given a second chance. If it bears no fruit after a second chance, then it will be cut down. Judgment would come upon the Jewish nation for its rejection of Jesus, but God’s patience endures.

 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.’—Luke 13:6-9