"A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard;
and he came and sought fruit thereon; and found none."
Luke 13:6
In this short story which the Lord Jesus told to His disciples in order to teach them a spiritual lesson…
and he came and sought fruit thereon; and found none."
Luke 13:6
In this short story which the Lord Jesus told to His disciples in order to teach them a spiritual lesson…
He spoke of a man who owned a field. And in his field he planted a fig tree. Figs were a popular fruit in Israel, and almost everyone ate them. So, as was common in those days, many people grew as much of their own fruit and vegetables as possible, and this man was no exception.
Wanting figs for his family, he went to the trouble of planting a tree on his property. However, it takes a lot of work to plant a tree. Yet if it bares fruit, all the effort would be worth it. But to the landowner's disappointment, the tree failed to produce a single fig.
This went on for three years. No fruit. Nothing! Think of the frustration the owner of the field experienced
wanting figs for himself, while the tree provided him with none. Year after year he waited for the sweet fruit to come from its branches, but the tree remained barren.
Frustrated, the field's owner thought to himself, "Why am I allowing this unproductive tree to take up
precious space? I'll chop it down and plant another tree in its place." But along came the gardener. He
must've been a lover of trees because he immediately interceded in the tree's behalf.
"No," the gardener pleaded, "Don't chop it down. Give me a chance to give it some tender, loving care.
I will put extra fertilizer around it, and dig around it, so it gets extra water, and I will nurture it along." The gardener then reasoned further, saying, "If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down."
Although this story is primarily about Israel and the nation's need for repentance, and its need to produce
what is often referred to as the "fruits of repentance" (so say many biblical scholars), during our Bible class I thought it would be good to put this parable into the modern day perspective of the church. How we, as Christ's disciples, need to nurture one another with the same kind of loving care the gardener wanted to do with that barren tree.
Therefore, our Bible class took this story and focused on how we, as being a part of the "body of Jesus," should look for ways to nurture and assist our fellow Christians in their walk with the Lord. How those who are struggling with their faith and don't seem to be maturing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord, should be given individual care whenever possible, to help them along.
Just as the gardener in this parable was willing to show patience and to extend mercy to that barren fig tree, we need to do the same with those who are unproductive and barren in their walk with the Lord. "We're too quick to take the axe to them," I said. "We need to be patient with our brethren who are slow to grow," I added.
In closing, we looked at the Messiah's words as found in John's gospel account, how Jesus said that His
desire for His disciples is that we bring forth lots of good spiritual fruit, and that our fruit should endure. But He also warned that, if we fail to "bear fruit," even when we are given extra time and care, we could end up being cast aside to wither away (see John 15:1-13).
D.B.
Wanting figs for his family, he went to the trouble of planting a tree on his property. However, it takes a lot of work to plant a tree. Yet if it bares fruit, all the effort would be worth it. But to the landowner's disappointment, the tree failed to produce a single fig.
This went on for three years. No fruit. Nothing! Think of the frustration the owner of the field experienced
wanting figs for himself, while the tree provided him with none. Year after year he waited for the sweet fruit to come from its branches, but the tree remained barren.
Frustrated, the field's owner thought to himself, "Why am I allowing this unproductive tree to take up
precious space? I'll chop it down and plant another tree in its place." But along came the gardener. He
must've been a lover of trees because he immediately interceded in the tree's behalf.
"No," the gardener pleaded, "Don't chop it down. Give me a chance to give it some tender, loving care.
I will put extra fertilizer around it, and dig around it, so it gets extra water, and I will nurture it along." The gardener then reasoned further, saying, "If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down."
Although this story is primarily about Israel and the nation's need for repentance, and its need to produce
what is often referred to as the "fruits of repentance" (so say many biblical scholars), during our Bible class I thought it would be good to put this parable into the modern day perspective of the church. How we, as Christ's disciples, need to nurture one another with the same kind of loving care the gardener wanted to do with that barren tree.
Therefore, our Bible class took this story and focused on how we, as being a part of the "body of Jesus," should look for ways to nurture and assist our fellow Christians in their walk with the Lord. How those who are struggling with their faith and don't seem to be maturing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord, should be given individual care whenever possible, to help them along.
Just as the gardener in this parable was willing to show patience and to extend mercy to that barren fig tree, we need to do the same with those who are unproductive and barren in their walk with the Lord. "We're too quick to take the axe to them," I said. "We need to be patient with our brethren who are slow to grow," I added.
In closing, we looked at the Messiah's words as found in John's gospel account, how Jesus said that His
desire for His disciples is that we bring forth lots of good spiritual fruit, and that our fruit should endure. But He also warned that, if we fail to "bear fruit," even when we are given extra time and care, we could end up being cast aside to wither away (see John 15:1-13).
D.B.
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