DIGGING DEEP NO. 1069 February 4th, 2025 The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree Luke 13:6-9, Mark 11:12-14

One thing Jesus did very well was use parables to send His messages across. An unproductive fig tree in a vineyard is pretty much ‘useless’. What would we expect a farmer to do with a plant that did not produce any fruit? We would expect him to cut it down and try again with a different plant. Jesus recognized the sense of such an approach and used this very same concept in the parable in Luke 13:6-9. Now, if a tree hasn’t produced fruit for three years in a row, a remedy might be needed and this is dependent on the tree owner. The tree might not be dead but incapable of producing, the tree probably needs proper care, feeding and/or time.

Significance of the Parable

The parable of the fig tree teaches us some important lessons, some of which we shall look at today.

1) We all need the Advocate (Mark 11:12-14) – How many times has the Advocate been there for us over and over again? The bible says Jesus was hungry, and seeing the fig tree had leaves, he thought it would have fruits, unfortunately the tree didn’t have any fruits and it was immediately cursed. The interesting thing is it wasn’t even the season the fig tree was supposed to produce fruit. What does this tell us? If we look back at the text of the day, one fig tree got another chance to grow, while the other, even though out of season didn’t get a second chance. Why do you think one tree got away and the other didn’t? The Fig tree in the parable got away because it had an advocate, it had someone stand in the gap for it, and it had someone reassure the owner that in one year things will change. What this means is if the advocate is against you then that is it, no one can reverse pronouncements made by Him. I pray that the advocate will always be on our side. Don’t take the second, third, fourth chance for granted. You might not get another.

2) The Master is patient with us (Psalm 145:8-9) – In the parable, the master had passed by the barren tree for three years before he said anything about it. Then, he was willing to wait another year while the vineyard keeper fertilized the tree before exercising final judgment on the tree. Our Master is patient. There are two sides of God in this parable. Side Note: Do we see any importance to the person of vineyard keeper. Who is/can be a vineyard keeper?

1. a) The calming side: God is not looking for the opportunity to simply wipe us off the face of the earth. He is patient with us as Ps 145:8-9 He does not expect an immediate hundredfold harvest from new Christians. He does not want any to perish, therefore He waits patiently.
2. b) The scary aspect: This parable addresses the carefree that some have. How many times have Christians justified ungodly behavior by saying, oh, I have been doing this for a long time and God has not spanked me. Some believe that because God has not brought down immediate judgment, their actions must be alright. They are like the mockers of II Peter 3:3-4. Remember that God is patient. He rarely brings down immediate judgment. Rather, He waits and gives time for repentance. If your actions violate God’s word, do not view God’s lack of judgment as approval, rather view it as patience giving you time to repent.

3) Time isn’t Guaranteed (Revelation 16:15) – What each of us must recognize is that we really have no idea where we are on this time frame. I have no idea what factors God takes into account as He bears with us patiently. Are we in our first year, second year, or third year? Or are we in that final year in which God has about had enough? The fact is, we just do not know, which is why we need to be working and fruit-bearing all the time. Don’t act based on how another brother or sister living in sin is, everyone’s timing is different. We never know when the Lord’s judgment may come on us individually or on the world as a whole. Therefore we need to be people conducting ourselves in holiness and godly conduct bearing fruit.

4) As patient as the Master is, His patience will run out (Matthew 25:25-30) – Sometimes He will allow the keeper of the vineyard to persuade him on to another year. But eventually, the unfruitful tree will be cut down. He does not want it to be used up the ground. If I understand the gardening practices correctly, vineyard keepers would sometimes plant fig trees in the corners of their vineyards where grapes were not growing. They would do this to keep from wasting any part of their property. However, there was a tradeoff. The fig tree would use some of the ground’s nutrients. As long as the fig tree bore fruit, the tradeoff was fine. But why would a vineyard keeper maintain a fig tree that was leaching out the ground’s nutrients from the grape vines if it would not even bear any fruit? This calls to mind Jesus’ statement in Matthew 12:30. If we are not gathering to Jesus, we are scattering abroad. If we are not bearing fruit for the Lord, then we are simply using up the ground and leaching the nutrients away from the fruit-bearing vines. Our Master is patient. He will allow this for some time, but He will not allow it forever. There will come a time when He will cut down the unfruitful tree so it will no longer be a bad influence on the rest of His vineyard. Most of us may already know what the fruit is we are to produce. However, by way of reminder let’s look at two passages. First, look at personal fruit. Gal 5:22-23 describes the fruit of the Spirit, which we must produce in our lives to glorify God; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Conclusion

Let’s look at Matthew 25 again. What are you doing with your talent, what are you feeding yourself, are you producing the right fruit? As we conclude this lesson, I want you to remember that God is the judge and His patience will run out at some point.

Rom 6:1-2 says “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”