What's Jesus got against the Fig Tree?

Lk 13:1–9.

Repent or Perish 13:1There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree 6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’

The book of Luke and Acts.… An orderly account of the life of Jesus Christ and the early church, Luke 1:3... it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

The additions of Men… There are some things within your bible that were added by man over the years for convenience.

Headings… The headings of passages are one. Like the heading of todays passage “Repent or Perish” or “The parable of the Barren Fig Tree”

Chapter and Passage numbers… The chapter and passage numbers were also added by men to make scriptures more identifiable.

Chapters 12 to 13… Jesus is addressing thousands of people at the beginning of Chapter 12. He continues to address the same crowd in the first two passages of chapter 13. Man just put chapter number 13 there. You will see that todays passages tie directly to what He has already been preaching.

Look for context when studying scripture… When you read a passage it is important to read what come before and after it to get the context. Sometimes as far back as several chapters are important to understand the big picture.

Last weeks message… At the end of last weeks message we briefly looked at Luke 12:57-59. Lets look at it again today.

Settle with Your Accuser Lk 12:57–59. 57 “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. 59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

The reason they brought up Pilate and the Galileans… Jesus’s earlier question to the crowd sheds light on why the crowds brought up Pilate and the Galileans. Jesus’s said to judge for themselves what was right.

The crowd judgement begins with others… So if you are going to judge between what's right and wrong, why not start with others?

Is that what Jesus intended for the listener to do?... No, not at all. The point was for the listener to judge themselves.

Their first reaction to his message… Their first reaction to Jesus’s message was to look into the lives of others. What are they doing wrong, what do they need to do.

Jesus’s messages in our lives should always be to us first.

The message needs to work in us first… What does it matter what His message does out here, if it doesn't land here. It needs to land in our lives long before we concern ourselves with weather or not those around us have received it.

He responds with a question and the an answer to His question… Jesus responds to them with a question, and then immediately answers it.

When Jesus ask’s a question… When Jesus asks a question, its best to believe He already knows the answer. The answer to His question, isn’t for Him, it for you.

Jesus knew their hearts and minds… If the recipients were paying attention to what Jesus said, they would have realized He just read their hearts and minds.

Another sign of who He was… This is another sign. Jesus is pointing to who He is by reading their hearts and minds.

Ps 7:9 Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous— you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God!

1 Ch 28:9 “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought.

Jesus is God… Not only can Jesus read their hearts and minds, He does. He tests them. He can act as God does and He does act as God. Because He is God

The sign is for us to believe… Jesus was giving them evidence and signs about who He is. Those signs were for them and they are for us.

Examine their under standing of God… Since Jesus revealed the way they were thinking and corrected them lets examine their understanding of God.

Luke 12:2 ...you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

Their faulty belief… So what is the underlying belief in this attitude? At least some in the crowd believed that suffering in the life of a person was evidence of their sins and God judgement.

Why is that a problem… You might be thinking, so what, they thought others had sinned and God judged them but they were wrong. What's the big deal?

The problem is their view of God… This is a false view of God. In this view of God, If suffering is evidence of Gods punishment, then everyone who experiences suffering is being punished by God.

Sickness, calamity, death… If you believe that than anytime someone gets sick or experiences trouble or even dies than its Gods judgement on the sinner.

But what if your righteous and experience suffering?.. Corinthians says that we become the righteousness of God through Christ.

2 Co 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The righteous wont suffer?... So if we are the righteousness of God than we wont experience any suffering right ? Wrong.

Jesus Himself said there would be trouble in this life… That doesn't make sense either. Jesus Himself said there would be trails and tribulations. Persecution even.

Jn 16:33 In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Why is this so dangerous?… If you believe suffering is judgement, and you experience suffering, than your only conclusion can be that you are not in right standing with God. Remember righteousness, is what we become through Jesus Christ. So then if you are being judged by God, because your not in right standing with Him, then Jesus must not have done a work in your life, and you must not be saved. Do you see how this view can spiral out of control to the point you don’t even know if you saved or not. All because of this faulty view of suffering.

For example Job… After Job experiences tremendous suffering his three friends accuse Him of sin. But Job was actually in right standing with God when the enemy brought all that suffering upon Him. If God had not corrected Job’s friends and they went back to lives their own lives where suffering occurred they would eventually have reached the conclusion that they were being judged.

What if they repented and suffering continued… What if they then would have repented of every wrong deed in their life and got right with God only for their suffering to continue? Where would their minds have gone to then? Well maybe God is just cruel. Maybe there is no hope for me because He’s not loving and just. Do you see the slippery slope?

The enemy’s strategy… The whole time the enemy is content to sit back and watch as men’s minds turn against God and decide that He is the author of all the bad in their lives. You can’t tell me that there are not people who have had bad things happen and have not come to this conclusion. If you read through to the end of Job the devil never pops back in and lets Job know hey by the way it was me who did all the stuff to you, you don't have to blame God for it.

We need to understand who were are in Christ… Get ahold of the truth you have become the righteousness of God. Right that on your heart and don’t ever go anywhere without it. Do not let doubt and the enemy come in and steal the truth of your relationship to God.

Jesus tell them plainly what they must do… “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” He tells them this twice, both in verse 3 and in verse 5. This must be pretty important. I doubt Jesus was prone to rambling like I am, He said exactly what He meant, twice, because it needed repeating.

Judge yourselves… Hey guys wake up, the person you need to judge is you, not others. And if you fail to do so there are grave consequences. Scripture says to work out you own salvation with fear and trembling. Its a matter of the utmost importance. You work it out because it’s your salvation.

Jesus then himself brings up the tower that fell and killed 18 people… It’s important to note that Jesus spoke to the crowds about real life current events. The words in this book are not out of date, instructions for a time long past. The truths Jesus’s reveals are eternal, timeless and effective. You can apply them every day. And where the book doesn't directly lead us, the Holy Spirit will, whom Father sent us at the request of Jesus.

John 14:25–26 ““These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

Lets look again at the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

Luke 13:6-9 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’

How does this parable fit in?… What does the fig tree in the vineyard have to do with the crowds false judgment of others? Jesus told us twice in the passages we already read today. Repent or you will likewise perish.

Lets look at John the Baptists ministry as He prepared the way for Jesus.

Lk 3:7–9.7 He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 9 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Its the same message in a different package… Jesus is delivered the same message to them only now its in the form of a parable. So that if they are serious enough about being right with God, they will work out the truth of what He is saying, and apply it to their lives.

John called out their hypocrisy in Luke 3… John said to the crowds “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come”. Brood of vipers, den of deadly poisonous snakes. Why on earth would He call Gods people poisonous snakes. Because, like Hypocrites, those who are one thing but pretend to be another, Gods people had been living a sort of double life.

Abrahams life… They thought their relationship to Abraham was the source of their saving covenant with God. When all along it was Gods relationship to Abraham that saved Abraham, and it would be their relationship to God that would save them. Abraham was not righteous because of what He did, Abraham was righteous because of God.

Genesis 15:6 “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”

God declared Abraham as righteous. And why did God count his as righteous, because both his heart and his actions faithfully followed God’s direction.

Jesus called out their hypocrisy… Instead of concerning themselves with their own right standing with God, they were concerned with others.

What has the vineyard owner looking for?… The vineyard owner showed up looking for what? Fruit. So what kind of fruit was Jesus’s saying should be evident in their lives?

Luke 3:8 “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.

What does bearing the fruit of repentance look like?… John gave these directions to the crowds.

Luke 3:10–14 “And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” Mercy Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” Justice Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”” Justice

Jesus put it this way

Matthew 23:23–24 ““Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!”

Keeping with repentance are these things… In other words I should be Mercy, I should be Justice, I should be Forgiveness. I should be Love. Love is all these things, and many more.

But why?... Why would I be Mercy and Justice and Faithfulness?

Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

We forgive because He first forgave us. While we were yet still sinner Christ died for us.

1 John 4:11 “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The setting of the vineyard… The vineyard is a significant setting for the parable. There is a tremendous amount of work and care that goes into caring for the vineyard.

Is 5:1–6.5 Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. 3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? 5 And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

You need Good land.

You have to clear the the land. He cleared rocks. Trees and weeds need to go as well.

You have to plant the crop.

You have to protect your crops. He built a watchtower and put up a wall.

You have to be prepared to process it. He hewed out a wine vat

You have to maintain your crops. He pruned and hoed to keep thorns and briers from overwhelming the crops.

You have to water the crops. If there is no rain that can be a daunting task if it is even possible.

Why you go through the work… All these thing are done to produce a crop. Because the crop has great value to the cultivator.

The vineyard is a special place to the owner… It’s someplace He has invested so much of Himself to see a harvest.

A special tree planted… And in the vineyard He plants a very unique tree. A fig tree.

The fig tree… The fig tree produce two harvests a year. One in the Spring and another in the at the end of summer. It was a very common plant in Israel. Almost everyone grew them. I think of them as being even more common of a household plant to grow than even tomato's here. And they are far more nutritious. They were a staple food in their everyday diet. When Israel prospered the fig tree produced plentifully. When they did not, it did not prosper.

Its own special place… In this special place that the vineyard owner has cared for is a spot for the fig tree in particular.

Who is the fig tree… The fig tree represents Israel collectively. Individually it represents us all.

Our place in the vineyard… There is a special place for each one of us in Gods vineyard. In this place where He looks over every detail God has a certain spot for each one of us. You are not an accident. You are the loving purpose of God.

The uniqueness of the the fig tree… If you pay attention He planted a fig tree there. He could have planted any other thing, but He didn't. Don’t look at the vines in the vineyard and think, I wish I bore fruit like the grapevine. Your the fig tree. Your the tree the Lord planted right where your at, to bear the fruit of the fig tree.

The three years… Did you notice the owner of the vineyard had visited for three years? How long was Jesus’s ministry. Three years.

This is year three of Jesus’s ministry… Jesus is saying these things as He makes His way towards Jerusalem and ultimately Passion week.

The early and the late harvest… The fig tree has an early harvest and a late harvest. So Here Jesus is toward the end of His ministry. Looking over the fig tree, the lives He is about to die for, for the fruit of repentance. Will they receive God and turn away from themselves? Has all my care for them yielded anything in their lives.

Closing

Jesus is waiting… Church Jesus is waiting. Calling beckoning us. That not even one us us may be lost. What does He say to the owner of the vineyard who wants to cut the tree down. Just give me another year. A little more time. There is still a chance. There is hope for this one. I myself will care for this tree so that it may live.

Those that have not surrendered… My message for you today is this. If you have not yet excepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. There is still time. He is in this place today caring for and tending to you, the Tree of His special purpose.

Take heart in knowing that God has not given up on you. You can surrender your life to Him today.

Those who the Master pruner can prune… If you have received a personal relationship with Jesus my message is this. Is it living and intimate. Have you let Him nurture and prune you.

Pruning is the process of removing parts or a tree or plant so that is yields the harvest you desire. It stresses the plant at first but in the end the plant is healthy and stronger for it. Will you surrender to Him and allow Him who gave so much of Himself to prune you.