What do you do with a fruitless fruit tree?

Luke 13:1-9 gives us a sobering yet hopeful reminder of what will happen with fruit trees that don't bear any fruit.

Jesus had to field some tough questions from the crowd about some random acts of violence. So what happened? Well, there were some church goers who were murdered by local law enforcement as they were performing their religious ceremonies. Can you imagine if your local police barged into your church and took out some choir members as they worshipped the Lord? Maybe these people deserved it somehow? Maybe they were some sort of cult?

Then there was a freakish accident on the 5 o'clock news where a tower fell and killed 18 men that were hanging out in the wrong place at the right time. Definitely another tragic event!

So, everyone was trying to explain these seemingly senseless deaths and had stumbled across the thought that maybe these victims were actually being judged by God as they may have been far worse than your average Joe. As tragic accidents and senseless murders occur in our day and age, we also struggle to understand the reason for them don't we?

So how did Jesus respond to this reason presented to Him for these deaths? (Keep in mind, Jesus = God so let's see what God thinks about this line of reasoning.) Luke 13:1-5 gives us some insight:

About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were sacrificing at the Temple in Jerusalem. "Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than other people from Galilee?" he asked. "Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And you will also perish unless you turn from your evil ways and turn to God. And what about the eighteen men who died when the Tower of Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will also perish."

For both tragedies, Jesus gives us a resounding "No" for this line of reasoning. God wasn't necessarily judging these folks because they were worse sinners than everyone else. But rather, Jesus says we will all perish unless we repent and turn from our sin towards God. Then Jesus goes on to explain further using a parable in verses 6 - 9:

Then Jesus used this illustration: "A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, 'I've waited three years, and there hasn't been a single fig! Cut it down. It's taking up space we can use for something else.' "The gardener answered, 'Give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I'll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, you can cut it down.'"

Maybe your first reaction to this parable is to be on the side of the gardener. Why is this mean old owner of the garden going to rip out a fig tree that hasn't produced fruit for three years? How cruel you say? Well, fig trees are notorious for taking quite a bit of the nutrients from the soil. They are very needy trees and, to not remove a tree that isn't producing any fruit from the garden is to jeopardize the rest of the health of the garden. Put it that way, we'd probably begin to think how generous the owner has been to let it go for three years. Are you this patient with under-performing plants in your own garden or landscape?

Then the gardener does something even more amazing. He convinces the owner to let it go one more year. The gardener lobbies the owner to give it once last chance and even signs himself up to work extra hard to get the tree to produce. While it's the tree that is not producing, the gardener is going to take it upon himself to spend extra time cultivating the tree and adding plenty of fertilizer. The gardener will spend extra time tending to the tree to ensure it produces fruit.

Boy, there are so many thoughts that come to mind thinking about this passage. God is gracious and patient. As the Owner and the Gardener, He pays us special attention to us and works overtime to give us what we need to bear fruit. The passage probably mostly applies to non-believers (i.e. those that need to repent and turn to God before its too late), but can be applied equally to believers as well.

Are you bearing fruit? Is God as the Owner getting disappointed by your lack of fruit? If you've yet to bear fruit, what year of the (4) year timeline do you think you are in? If you are in that final year, be encouraged! God as the Masterful Gardener is really paying extra special attention to you and giving you the needed fertilizer. Accept His attention and special care. Turn to Him and receive the nutrients of His Word. Bear the fruit you were design to bear.