The Barren Fig Tree
Luke 13.1-9: 1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
8“‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, cut it down.’”
Two Recent Events of Local History
At the very moment Jesus is talking about the signs of “the present time” (Luke 12.56), two local news events give him a new opportunity to call his Jewish listeners to repent. In the first incident, a group of Galileans who had come to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices apparently caused some sort of (messianic?) unrest on the Temple grounds. Pontius Pilate, the Roman procurator, massacred the people involved.
Jesus’ answer has often wrongly been taken as a theological refutation of the common belief that every earthly misfortune is necessarily punishment for a sin. But that is not his point at all. For Jesus, the error of these people does not consist in their believing that God is behind this tragedy, but in their thinking that God struck down those who were the guiltiest. Jesus sets them straight. The other Galileans are just as guilty as the victims of Pilate and therefore are all just as liable to be punished in the same way: massacred by the Romans.
What has happened in the Temple is a sign of the times, a sign of the judgment that is already on the way. Jesus’ listeners must perceive in this tragedy a warning of divine providence inviting the survivors to repent in order to avoid God’s punishment which is hovering over the whole nation, the disaster to which a political messianism will lead the entire people.
Jesus then, in turn, mentions another recent local tragedy and does not deny that it is a divine punishment: a tower of the walls of the holy city collapsed and buried eighteen inhabitants of Jerusalem under the rubble. It would be, says Jesus, another mistake to think that these eighteen Jerusalemites were guiltier than the survivors. All are guilty, and what happened to these eighteen should serve as a warning and as a call to repentance for the whole city.
These two warnings are prophetic. The Jews, for a large part, will refuse to repent. Forty years later, during the Jewish-Roman War of 66-70, hundreds of thousands of Jews (1,100,000, according to Flavius Josephus, during the siege of Jerusalem alone) will perish, either by the sword of Roman soldiers or crushed under the ruins of the capital. The Greek adverb homoios, “in the same manner” or “likewise” (Luke 13.5) can thus be taken literally.
Along with John the Baptist, Jesus proclaims that it is absolutely essential to repent and that this repentance must not at any price be put off til later. The purpose of this call to repentance is to gather together the true people of God (the true Jews) within the nation of Israel. The chosen people had strayed far from God; the only remedy is to turn back to him. This turning back always includes two aspects: a break with the past (turning away from evil) and a commitment (turning in obedience to God). When the Jew, begotten of Abraham, is converted to righteousness (an authentic practice of the Law) and to love of God and neighbor, then he will be a true Jew, begotten of God. “Works of repentance” (Luke 3.8) are necessary to belong to the spiritual descendents of Abraham.
The parable
Let’s begin by drawing out the point of this parable—the verdict that Jesus wants his listeners to pronounce on the story. The main idea is the barrenness of the fig tree. It has been three years since the tree should have produced fruit, and yet it has yielded nothing. These three years allow the owner to be certain that the tree is barren; there is no hope left that it will give figs.
The digging of the soil and the use of fertilizer would be unusual, because the fig tree demands very little care. The suggestion of the vineyard keeper would have been a little surprising to the Palestinians who made up Jesus’ audience. Does the vineyard keeper really think that what he proposes to do will actually work? There is good reason to doubt it. It is as if he wants to do make one last great effort to do the impossible.
At the end of this short story, the listeners must admit that the owner of the vineyard has made the right decision. The fig tree deserves to be cut down and should be spared only if it produces fruit during the year of grace that it has been granted. The whole weight of the story falls on the implicit threat in the last words of the vineyard keeper: Luke 13.9: 9 “If not, cut it down.”
Jesus leaves it to his readers to make the application. It is fairly easy to figure out, once we put it in the right context. Jesus is exhorting his generation to take advantage of the final extension of time that has been allotted to them.
The parable quite obviously contains allegorical elements which, even though they are secondary, cast light upon the situation of the Jews.
As in the prophecy of Joel (Joel 1.17), the fig tree symbolizes Israel, the choice vineyard of the Lord (Isaiah 5.5-6; Jeremiah 2.21; Ezekiel 17.6; 19.10-11; Psalm 80.9-17). The images of the vineyard and the fig tree are synonyms and form a pair; they are used together (Hosea 9.10; Micah 7.1; Jeremiah 8.13). And, in the parable, it is in the good soil of a vineyard that the fig tree has been planted, as is common in Palestine. All of this tells us that the parable has to do with the relationship between God and the Jewish theocracy.
The three years are a time of complete testing. After three years, it is safe to conclude that the barrenness is incurable. In the Old Testament, God always had the same unpleasant surprise when he came to look for fruit in Israel. Isaiah 5.7: 7 The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed: for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
In the past, Israel had received many blessings from the Lord. In return, God was entitled to expect that the people bear fruit: obedience to the Law of Moses, fervent and sincere worship, undivided faithfulness in his service, active love of neighbor. The results were not what God had the right to expect (Matthew 3.8; 7.15-23). God comes to Israel in the first century looking for the fruits of righteousness and godliness and instead finds… the distorted. legalistic religion of the scribes and Pharisees.
Israel’s sterility calls for severe punishment, and it is clear that the verdict has already been pronounced against the nation. The decision has already been made, the sentence has already been rendered. An impending danger is hanging over the fig tree like the sword of Damocles. John the Baptist had preached: Luke 3.9: 9 “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Already, God could have destroyed the chosen people who had been barren and rebellious for so long.
But God is merciful to the point of suspending the decision he has already made to punish and of granting a last period of grace for the people to repent. God knows perfectly well that the judgement will take place and that the destruction of the theocracy is inevitable. But, in spite of his past history of disappointed hopes, he wants to try the impossible to save Israel. This reprieve is the last one, but at least there is a last one; after all, there could have been none at all.
In the historical fulfillment, this last “year” of grace will last about forty years, almost one generation, until 70 A.D. During this time, God will put at Israel’s disposal all the means of its salvation: the miracles, the extraordinary teaching, the marvelous wisdom of Jesus, as well as his death, resurrection and ascension; the pouring out of the Holy Spirit; the miracles of the early church; the apostolic preaching of the Gospel. Luke 11.49: 49 “Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles.’” So much loving care bestowed upon Israel to draw them out of their impenitence.
That is the kind of God we have: a God who hopes against hope, who lengthens the time of repentance to the point of causing the faithful to become impatient. 2 Peter 3.9: 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
History will confirm the warning of Jesus. A large portion of the Jewish people will turn a deaf ear to his voice and will let the time of grace go by without repenting. Even worse, they will fill up the measure of their sin by killing the Messiah and by persecuting his messengers (Luke 11.49) while laughing at the very idea that God could judge them. In 66-70, the patience of God will run out, he will send the Roman army (“his” army, Matthew 22.7) to take vengeance on the impenitent nation (Luke 21.20-24).
We would be wrong to take the patience of God for weakness and to obstinately continue in disbelief. Now is the time that God gives us to repent, but repentance will not be possible forever. That is why we must know how to act promptly and decisively when our spiritual well-being is at stake. Hebrews 4.7: 7 “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” God is the only master (owner) of time. We cannot say that we have plenty of time, for time does not belong to us.