Author: Gary Witcher

Parables Fifteen

When winter passes and spring approaches, our thoughts turn outdoors.  Many of us start thinking about farming or at least about raising a garden.
How many of us plan on planting something that will be productive in some way? How many of us plant something with the hope that it will produce absolutely nothing, not even nutrients for the soil?
"A certain man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard;" Jesus says in Luke 13:6-9, "and he came looking for fruit on it, and did not find any.
"And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any.  Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?'
"And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down."'
The earthly story given in this parable is a simple one.  None of us would continue to care for a fruit tree that shows no sign of ever producing anything.  Three years is more time than most of us would wait.
The heavenly message is not hard to grasp, either.   All of us are living on borrowed time.  God expects for us to be fruitful Christians. He has given us more than enough time, but He is willing to extend the deadline a little longer to give us one more chance.   But that deadline WILL come some day.
There might be some discussion about the identity of the landowner and the vineyard-keeper.   The landowner   could be God and   the vineyard-keeper Jesus.  Or the owner could be either Jesus or God and the workman any Christian who tries to convince the world to obey the Gospel.
Either way, there is no question about the identity of the fig tree. It represents each of us.  As the master passes by us in search of fruit, what does He find?  Does He find productivity, or does He find excuses and promises about a better harvest next year?
Just what do we mean, anyway, when we talk about bearing fruit?
"For this reason also, since the day we heard of   it," Paul writes in Colossians 1:9-12, "we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience, joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us  to share in the inheritance of the saints in light."
If we want to bear fruit, we must study the word of God.  There is no other way to obtain the spiritual wisdom, understanding and knowledge referred to in this passage.  This makes sense, because in Luke 8:11 Jesus identifies spiritual seed as the word.  Paul makes the same association in 1 Corinthians 3:6 when he compares the work of an evangelist with that of a person who plants or waters.
In John chapter 15 Jesus teaches about being fruitful, although in this passage we are compared to a grapevine instead of to a fig tree.
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser,” the Lord instructs in the first two verses.  "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit."
"Abide in Me, and I in you," the Master adds in verses 4-6.  "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."
In the following verses, Jesus associates this fruitfulness with abiding in His word and having a loving attitude.
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you," He states in verse seven, "ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you."  In the next verse He points out that we must be fruitful if we want to follow Him.
In 2 Peter 1:5-7 we find a list of qualities sometimes known as the Christian graces.
"For if these qualities are yours and are increasing," verse 8 says, "they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."   
Take the time to read 2 Peter 1:5-7 and see what your life should be like if you are concerned about not being unfruitful.
This should be a concern of all of us, since the day will come when the patience runs out.
"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness," according to 2 Peter 3:9,10, "but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up."
We should point out one more thing before leaving this parable. Notice the risk that the vineyard-keeper is willing to take because of his love and concern for this unfruitful plant.  His performance is judged by how much fruit is produced.  It is against his best interest to waste time and space on an unfruitful tree.  But his interest is not selfish.  All he cares about is the tree.
How do we thank our vinekeeper for his concern?  Jesus loves us and gave his life for us.  Do we reward Him with excuses and unfruitfulness?

In Luke chapter 14 Jesus is invited to eat with one of the leaders of the Pharisees.  In verse seven He notices how the guests are all trying to pick for themselves the best seats at the table.  The Lord then admonishes the people to seek not the places of honor, but rather the seats of lowest position.
"For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled," Jesus points out in verse 11, "and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."
The Master then turns His attention to those who would host a feast, suggesting that they invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind, since these people cannot return the hospitality.
"And you will be blessed," Jesus states in verse 14, "since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
Then, beginning in verse 16, Jesus tells a parable dealing with the attitudes of various people who are invited to a feast.
"A certain man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many;” the Lord explains in verses 16-24, "and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, 'Come; for everything is ready now.'
"But they all alike began to make excuses.  The first one said to him, 'I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.'
"And another one said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.'
"And another one said, 'I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.'
"And the slave came back and reported this to his master.   Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.'
"And the slave said, 'Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.'
"And the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the highways along the hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.   For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.'"  
One of the interesting things about excuses is that they sound pretty convincing to the one who is giving them, but they are very weak in the eyes of the one who receives them.
First of all, these people knew about the dinner before they conducted their other business.  What they are saying, then, is that the dinner is of no importance to them.
Secondly, when was the last time you made a major purchase and then went to take a look at it or try it out?   Isn’t the order usually the other way around?
Yes, these excuses are very flimsy when examined closely.   But what about the excuses we give to God?
God has prepared the feast.  All of the work is His.  All of the expense is His.  All He asks is that we accept the invitation.  But, no, we insist on offering excuses.  We insist on doing things our way.
God has sent His Son to die for us.  He has sent His Word to guide us.  All He asks is that we study that Word and obey it.   Every bit of this is for our own good.
So why are we so quick to offer excuses when we should be obeying the truth that will set us free?

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."