Luke 13-B “Why should it use up the ground?”

S = 13:7-9 “‘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?’ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year…’”

O = The master comes seeking fruit for the third year. According to the Law, a landowner was not allowed to seek fruit for the first three years. In the fourth year, the fruit was dedicated to the Lord, then in the fifth year the own could harvest the fruit for his use. If this fruit being sought is for the Lord’s offering then this is the sixth year since planting. Three years of unfruitfulness is a pretty hard pattern to overcome…and in fact the tree cannot without help. Do we sometimes feel like this about ourselves…doubting that we could ever be fruitful? I know there have been times when I wondered why the Lord didn’t just “cut me out of the ground.” Perhaps there are relationships with a spouse, a child, a parent, a neighbor, that never seems to bear fruit and now we just want to get rid of it…to dig it out of our life’s garden. I know there have been times that I felt that way. But here we see the relational mercy of God in action. He is committed to digging around us (to remove the hindrances to growth) and piling on manure so we can have what is needed for fruitfulness. He doesn’t cast us off in frustration—but faithfully focuses us and feeds us so that we might finally offer something back to Him. This is a story that is not finished—a parabolic cliff-hanger. The ending is up to us to fill in and it hinges simply on our responding to his love with love.

A = I need to make sure that I respond to his love and mercy and allow the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in my life. This is spiritual maturity—not independence, but trust in God’s love and a desire to be all he wants me to be because I love him and he has chosen me. I need to show more mercy in my relationships, not tending to “cut them out of the ground” when my needs and expectations are not met.

P = O Lord, thank you for not giving up on me! Sometimes the digging hurts and the manure stinks but it is all guided by your patient love and mercy. May I not fight and struggle against the work you are doing in my this week. May your work also be received and responded to in those I love. Produce your fruit in me this week for I cannot of myself do so…but you can! Amen.