LUKE 13: 6-9
6 And he spoke this parable: A man had planted a fig tree in his vineyard, and he came looking for it, and did not find it. 7 And he said to the vine: Behold, I have come to seek this fruit. years, and I can’t find it; stop; Why does it also make the land useless? 8 And he answered and said to him, Lord, leave it this year, until it digs around and makes it fruitful. 9 And if it bears fruit, yes; and if not, you will cut it later.
REFLECTION:
This parable told by Jesus comes from what is expressed in Luke 13: 1-5, in which he receives the news of the death of several Jews who lived in Galilee and died because of Pilate, but he says to them: Do you think that these Galileans, for having suffered such things, were they more sinful than all the Galileans? But he also tells them: No; Rather, if you do not repent, they will all die equally, and he tells you what happened in Siloam, where a tower fell when it killed eighteen people, and asks them: do you think they were more guilty than all the men living in Jerusalem? , the call is to repentance, and he begins to tell the parable of the fig tree.
Jesus tells them that a man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, for three years he looked for the respective figs, since it did not bear fruit, then he told the winemaker that the cut, because he wanted to take advantage of the space. occupied by him, but the winemaker asked the owner to leave it one more year, as he will dig around and compost, and if it bears fruit, that’s fine, but if it bears no fruit, then ‘I’ll cut it.
Now, what is the central theme of this parable? It is the fruit worthy of repentance, believing and obeying the Messiah. The fig tree represents Israel (Joel 1: 7), the cultivator is Christ, the Lord is God and the figs are the fruits worthy of repentance; Israel was the vine that God planted in a specific place, and it did not bear the expected fruit, so he said: Cut! This parable is the consonance of the wicked husbandmen when Jesus tells them: That is why I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from them and given to a nation that produces its fruits (Matthew 21:43).
The Jews thought that, just because they were physical descendants of Abraham, they would not need to repent for the forgiveness of sins, they should recognize Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world; They thought that those who were killed because of Pilate succeeded because of their wickedness, since they had no reason to repent. Jesus says to them: No; Before, if they do not repent, everyone will die equally, this does not mean that a person who has a cruel death, it is because he is more guilty than others, in the Scriptures we have many cases of people who died cruelly and were pious people (Hebrews 11: 36-37). John the Baptist, preparing the way of the Lord, said: and now the ax is also placed in the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (Matthew 3:10).
Although the parable was mainly addressed to Israel, we see how in 70 AD the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem for their disobedience, we can also apply it individually to those who decided to give their lives to Christ, because God is telling us otherwise . if we bear the fruits that he desires, we will also be cut off. Apparently, for many people who claim to be Christians, this truth does not seem so relevant, because when you consider that listening to sermons every Sunday, reading the Bible regularly, praying and giving tithes and offerings to your local church is enough, but God calls for all of us to bear the fruit of God, this issue is very important in Christian doctrine. Jesus Christ said this in the Sermon on the Mount: So every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Then, by their fruits you will know them (Matthew 7: 16-17). The first fruit as Christians that God wants us to owe is the love that comes from the Holy Spirit.
Helpful Hint: Read Luke 13