THE PARABLE OF THE EXPENSIVE FIG TREE

IN LUKE 13:6‒9

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A Paper

Presented to

Dr. Darrell L. Bock

Dallas Theological Seminary

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In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Course

NT320A Gospel of Luke

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by

Richard Bradley Morris

December 2013

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PART 1: COMMENTARY

The Parable of the Expensive Fig Tree (Luke 13:6‒9)

Introduction

Luke 13:6‒9 wraps up Jesus’ extended discourse to a crowd of thousands which began at

Luke 12:1 (before the scene shifts in 13:10). God’s grace and severity, along with the appropriate

human response to him are mingled together throughout 12:1‒13:5. Jesus portrayed God as the

one who can harm humans more permanently but who knows humans more intimately than

anyone else (12:4‒7). This same God will not forgive blasphemous words against the Holy

Spirit, and yet the Spirit gives words to persecuted disciples (12:8‒12). This same God demands

an accounting for impoverished people (12:13‒21), delights to give the kingdom to an

insignificant few (12:32), and exacts debts to the last penny (12:57‒59). Therefore, humans

properly respond to this God in humble dependence (12:1‒3, 12, 22‒34) while remaining

cognizant of the brevity of their existence (12:35‒48, 54‒56).

Once the reader arrives at chapter thirteen, the need for repentance is front and center.

After ousting a common Jewish ideology, which equated great misfortune with great sin, Jesus

turned two tragedies back on his audience of Jewish (determined by the tragedies) men and

women by demanding their immediate repentance (13:1‒5). If they do not repent a similar fate

may await them physically (the pain accompanying the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD) but certainly

spiritually. This discussion precedes a parable that might be entitled “The Parable of the

Expensive Fig Tree” (13:6‒9).

A vineyard owner has invested six years into a fig tree with zero return (13:6‒7). He sees

the tree as something which just sits in the ground sucking up the nutrients from the soil—he’s

had enough (13:7)! But by the intervention of the groundskeeper, and with more time and more

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resources put into the tree, the tree may produce fruit; maybe (13:8‒9). The main idea of the

parable is that unrepentant people ought to repent before it is too late because God limits his

forbearance before he executes judgment.

A. The Patience-Depleted Owner and the Nutrient-Depleted Soil (vv. 6‒7)

Verse 6 The paragraph (Luke 13:6‒9) begins with an introductory statement by the

narrator indicating that the audience should appreciate what follows as a fictitious story that

illustrates a truth rather than a factual account (BDAG s.v. παραβολή 759.2); these introductions

for parables are common throughout Luke (e.g. 5:36; 6:39; 8:4; 12:16). Since the story is

designed to illustrate, it does not stand alone and should be read through the lens of the previous

paragraph (13:1–5). In that paragraph Jesus used two current events—Pilate’s violent

suppression of a few Galilean rebels and the collapse of a building structure in Siloam that killed

eighteen people—to emphasize the audience’s need to urgently respond to his call for

repentance. Therefore, this parable concerns repentance.

Nearly the entire background for the characters’ actions and dialogue is established in

this first sentence. The audience quickly develops the mental imagery of a man planting in his

vineyard (or orchard) a fig tree some indefinite amount of time before he began checking it for

fruit (the combination of the imperfect εἶχέν with the perfect participle πεφυτευμένην create a

pluperfect finite tense equivalent; see ExSyn, 647). The fig tree is planted and some time passes.

Eventually, the man decides to go up to the tree in order to (ζητῶν was taken as adverbial

participle of purpose) look for fruit and he does not find any fruit.

The attentive reader may notice what on the surface seems like a parallel with Matthew

21:18‒21 and Mark 11:12‒14, 20‒25. In Matthew and Mark, Jesus was hungry and went looking

for figs in a leafy fig tree. Unsuccessful in his quest (he did not find figs), he pronounced a curse

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on the tree and in Matthew it withered immediately to the astonishment of the disciples (21:19),

but in Mark the disciples saw the tree had withered on the next day (11:20). Both Evangelists

used this story to introduce one of Jesus’ sayings on the subject of faith.

A number of differences suggest the parable of the fig tree was not dependent upon the

event recoded in Matthew or Mark. First, Luke used two characters (the owner and gardener)

while Matthew and Mark presented Jesus alone with the fig tree (his disciples as mere

onlookers). Second, the tenor of the parable in Luke is one of gracious urgency—the tree which

should have been bearing fruit may be given more time—while Matthew and Mark displayed

Jesus in an unusual shrewdness (it was not even the season for figs; Mark 11:13). Third, the

event recorded in Matthew and Mark was used to introduce a saying concerning faith, while

Luke’s parable is left open-ended cornering the audience to either repent or remain unrepentant.

Fourth and finally, there is little common language between this parable and the other Synoptics’

account (Nolland 1993b: 717).

There was historical precedent for planting fig trees in vineyards. Within the Old

Testament vines and figs were together seen as a sign of affluence (1 Kings 4:25; Micah 4:4;

Zech 3:10; cf. Nolland 1993b: 718 and cp. Bock 1994 vol 2: 1208 fn. 13). Pliny the Elder (first

century AD) noted that grapevines were grown on different tree species, including fig trees, with

the rationale that grapes harvested from the tops of these trees produced choicer wines; but even

Pliny noted this was a debated practice in his time (Natural History 17.35 §§ 199‒200).

This could very well have been one of the concerns of Jesus’ fictitious vineyard owner

(to produce choice wine) known to the audience. In other words, ideas of affluence, high-class

wines, and entrepreneurship may have been conjured up from within the shared cognitive

environment of the audience through this parable; they may have envisioned a well-to-do person.

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But as the parable progresses the audience learns that the primary concern of the owner was the

health of the tree and the fact that it was exhausting his resources.

Verse 7 As a consequence (BDAG s.v. δέ 213.2) to the owner’s failed quests for fruit, the

owner rehearses the background from the previous verse (“I would come looking but would find

nothing;” the presents are taken as iterative denoting with vividness the owner’s repeated

behavior) and instructs the gardener to cut the fig tree down but adds one new detail—namely,

the extent of time he has been seeking fruit from this tree (both the accusative case of τρία ἔτη

and the preposition ἀπό indicate the extent of time he waited; cf. ExSyn, 201 and Louw-Nida

67.131).

Three years is a significant amount of time. As it was indicated in the previous verse, the

owner planted the tree well before he began looking for fruit (pluperfect finite tense equivalent).

It was customary in Jesus’ time and lawful according to the Mosaic Law to leave a newly planted

fig tree untouched for three years (Pliny, Natural History 17.35 § 200; Lev 19:23). In other

words, the owner may have waited three years before he began looking for fruit from this tree for

an additional three years. Therefore, Jesus may have intended for the audience to imagine a total

time lapse of six years before the fictitious story takes place (perhaps this discourages the urge to

read the duration of Jesus’ ministry into “three years”). Like the nutrients from the soil around

this tree, this owner’s patience has been exhausted and just about used up (BDAG s.v. καταργέω

525.1; cf. Carroll 2012: 279).

The owner’s instruction is for the gardener to cut down (ἔκκοψον) the fig tree and now

(the emphatic καί left untranslated in most translations). (The omission of οὖν by several

manuscripts has no bearing on the interpretation of the parable; see Metzger, TCGNT, 137).

Accessible to Luke’s readers, but not necessarily accessible to Jesus’ audience, was the echo

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between this parable and the call to repentance by John the Baptist earlier in Luke: “Even now

the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut

down (ἐκκόπτεται) and thrown into the fire” (3:9). This callback likely explains Codex Bezae’s

insertion of the words φερε την αξινην (“Bring the ax!”) before the command to cut down the

tree is given. Those individuals familiar with this callback to John’s ministry will know that a

tree cut down is imagery for judgment. And now the parable begins to come into greater focus.

The final detail to be considered under this verse concerns the imagery of the fig tree and

the vineyard in the Old Testament. Nolland (1993b: 718) appropriately notes: “Though

frequently maintained, there is really no OT use of the imagery of the fig tree for Israel (or

Judah) unless we count the passing image of fruitlessness in Jer 8:13.” Bock (1994 vol 2: 1208)

cautiously points to a possible allusion to Micah 7:1, but even this reference is unsatisfying since

the prophet finds himself (possibly speaking for the nation) likened to a previously harvested fig

tree, not the completely barren tree of the present parable. Beyond this, the parable makes little

comment on the vineyard except on how the fig tree affects the vineyard (Luke 13:7); thus

allusions to Isaiah 5 prove unhelpful.

All in all, a specific OT referent for the present parable is not possible. But through an

examination of these OT references (Isa 5:1ff; Jer 8:13; Mic 7:1ff), a window is given into the

shared consciousness of Jesus’ Jewish audience. In other words, it is nearly impossible for Jesus’

audience to have missed the thrust of his words. When Yahweh finds his people to be fruitless—

lacking the deeds of social justice he requires—he has just cause to judge them collectively and

individually.

It is important to note that Jesus is not concerned with the mechanics of salvation; how

salvation is achieved. He is concerned with the right actions which evidence one’s right

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disposition before God. In other words, it may be inappropriate to read this parable as though it

were only for unbelievers. It should stir the heart of any person who is presently unrepentant no

matter what they claim to be their relationship to God.

B. The Proposal of Pardon by a Pessimistic Gardener (vv. 7‒8)

Verse 8 In vv. 6‒7, the owner’s repeated behavior with the fig tree was described. Fed up

with the fruitless tree, he decided to have it cut down. It’s wasting space and soil nutrients in his

vineyard. End of story so it seems. But to the listeners and the readers’ surprise, the parable does

not end there. The gardener, for no reason expressed in the text, responds back to the owner’s

command with a request of his own; he intercedes on behalf of the tree!

The gardener requests for the owner to leave the tree alone for one more year and

describes the care he will give to the tree in the intervening year. He will break up the soil around

the tree. This act would ensure proper drainage (since fig trees prefer well-drained soils

according to the University of California’s Master Gardener Program; under “Fig”) and

absorption of nutrients from the manure. Then he will apply and probably mix in manure to the

broken-up soil around the trunk of the tree (I have tried to make the gardener’s work as vivid as

the historical presents require; Bock 1994 vol 2: 1209 fn. 16). Apparently such intensive care for

fig trees is not typically needed; fig trees are relatively low maintenance compared to other types

of fruit trees (Joachim Jeremias, The Parables of Jesus 1972: 170).

A number of commentators begin their assumption at this point that the gardener’s

intercession was successful (Bock, Carroll, Evans, Garland, Jeremias, and Nolland). But such an

assumption cannot be substantiated (cp. The Story of Ahikar). This is a parable where the original

listeners and later readers are left sitting on the edge of their seats.

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Was the gardener successful in convincing the owner to mercifully allow the fig tree to

remain in his vineyard? What about the outcome of the tree? Will the tree after such special care

finally produce the fruit the owner demands and thus forestall its demise? Jesus did not want to

answer those questions. Everyone is left wondering. To assume the extension is granted is to

resolve tension which should remain. There is no doubt that the parable makes the careful

listener a bit queasy in her stomach.

Therefore, it is at this point that this commentary parts company with the scholars

surveyed. The purpose of Luke 13:6‒9 is to heighten suspense and to make even more urgent

Jesus’ call to repentance. “Do I have more time to repent?” someone might ask. This parable

suggests that the audience and the nation the audience represents have had more than enough

time to produce fruit in keeping with their repentance (see the next verse). Therefore, to presume

upon the kindness of the Owner and to go about unrepentant is to arrogantly head toward

judgment. Now, this very moment, the listeners and readers must make a decision because they

do not know if the Intercessor has bought them more time.

This reading of the parable (along with 13:1‒5) presents Jesus in a light unfamiliar to

most Americans, believers and unbelievers alike (see Bock 1996: 369‒370). Jesus was not some

soft sophist during his teaching ministry theorizing about how to live the best life now. His

teaching snuck up on people, pounced on them, and forced them into the corner. They could

either yield to the implications of his teaching or fight against them. But to remain volitionally

and cognitively neutral after hearing Jesus was not an option.

Verse 9 Establishing the text of this verse is of first importance. A number of manuscripts

try to order and add to the words εἰς τὸ μέλλον εἰ δὲ μή γε in a way that ameliorates the UBS-NA

reading. But the harder reading, the one that does not supply an apodosis for the first clause, is to

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be preferred. In addition to this, the current reading is supported by these strong witnesses: P75

.B, L and some Coptic (the pauci notation was excluded from the NA28 apparatus) ,א

The gardener is still in the process of interceding for the tree in v. 9. According to the

gardener’s proposal, once the gardener provides special care for the tree, only one year will be

allowed to pass before the tree faces its fate.

There was a flashback in v. 7 to the teaching of John the Baptist with the imagery of the

tree cut down (3:9). But this parable’s close connection to the teaching of John becomes even

clearer in v. 9. In Luke 3:8, John calls the people to “do fruit” (ποιήσατε…καρποὺς). And then

the crowds, tax gatherers, and soldiers all ask John essentially the same question (3:10, 12, 14),

“What shall we do?” (τί ποιήσωμεν). The reader may notice the same vocabulary “do fruit”

(ποιήσῃ καρπὸν) in the present verse. Once again, it is imperative to note that those people who

had followed John and then followed Jesus for any considerable amount of time would recognize

what was going on in the parable.

Modern Evangelicals may be tempted to read these verses too spiritually. Some may ask,

“What does repentance look like?” And, “What fruit does the Lord seek?” In the context of the

ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus the fruit is obvious. Right-relatedness to the Heavenly

Father evidences itself in a person’s right-relatedness to other people. To put it differently: the

fruit the Owner comes seeking is the demonstration of love that is the result of a divine change of

status (cf. Luke 7:36‒50). The nation of Israel and, therefore, the people who compose that

nation—it is not either-or—had not been caring for the underprivileged and their neighbors.

Judgment came knocking because they had closed their hearts to their neighbors.

Most translations provide an apodosis for the protasis at the beginning of v. 9: “Then if it

bears fruit next year, very well, but if not, you can cut it down” (NET, cf. ESV, NET, NIV etc.).

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But some attempt to make do with the ellipsis: “It may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can

cut it down (NJB, cf. HCSB). Each translation for the most part captures the uncertainty

communicated by the third class condition began in the protasis (cf. ExSyn, 696ff). The fictitious

gardener really cannot guess whether or not the tree will finally produce fruit. And the fact that it

is not accompanied by an apodosis may show the unlikelihood for the tree to produce fruit after

such an extended time of barrenness. What is assumed for the sake of argument (first class

condition) by the gardener is that the tree will not bear fruit with an extended period of time, and

will eventually fall subject to the original intention of the vineyard owner.

Summary

All in all, the owner of the vineyard had demonstrated his patience in waiting for the fruit

of the fig tree. Once his patience has waned, he readies his axe. But the gardener speaks up

hoping to delay the owner’s intention one more year by suggesting some attentive care to the

tree. If the owner does not heed his request, the tree was coming down that day. But if he does

heed the request of the gardener, the tree has only one more season to “do fruit.” Hopefully the

owner will be merciful, hopefully.

It should be noted that a number of items were not “pressed” in this commentary. Words

and concepts that are typical Christian fodder for interpretation were mostly left alone. For

example, the owner was not taken to be God the Father, and the vinedresser was not taken to be

Jesus. The tree was not forced to represent either Israel or individual Israelites. And the proposal

was not taken to be the successful intervention of Jesus for the nation.

Riding upon the heels of 13:1‒5, vv. 6‒9 emphasize several themes that reappear

throughout Luke: (1) God’s graciousness toward his creatures—the owner has given the fig tree

ample time to produce fruit; (2) God’s inspection of his creatures’ works—the owner came to the

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tree repeatedly checking for fruit; (3) God’s limited patience before he exacts judgment and

discipline on his creatures—the owner drew the line at six years but could possibly be persuaded

to wait one more year; (4) the intervention of someone on behalf of another—the gardener does

not do as the owner demands but requests an alternate course of action; (5) the urgency to repent

right now while there is still time—no one knows if the gardener successfully intercedes on

behalf of the tree and the impatience of the owner is tangibly felt; (6) the importance that

repentance be accompanied by fruit—what the owner wants is fruit, the very thing the tree

should be producing; and (7) the unrepentant must eventually undergo judgment—if the owner

and gardener do not see the fruit they desire, then the tree is a goner.

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PART 2A: SERMON OUTLINE

“The Parable of the Expensive Fig Tree” (Luke 13:6–9)

Homiletical Proposition: Fall on his mercy or fall to his judgment! (13:6‒9)

Introduction

1. (Attention)…We were out of time and out of luck (my little league baseball team).

We were out of time and out of luck. I remember it like it was yesterday… It was one of

the last years I played Little League baseball. My team had fought hard and had rallied together

in the last few innings to close a huge gap of being five runs behind to being tied with the other

team. Every single guy on my team refused to sit down in the dugout. We were cheering, we

were encouraging our teammates on in everything, and we knew that with one more inning we

could probably earn the one run to give us the win.

But, wait! There was one guy on the team who wasn’t on his feet, who wasn’t cheering,

who wasn’t encouraging the other teammates, and who really didn’t care if we pulled ahead that

day. His name was Zack Markey. I cannot remember another guy’s name on that team but I

remember Zack. It just goes to show that if you do something unprecedentedly stupid you will be

remembered!

I don’t know what was under his jockstrap that day. But since we had been tied for quite

some time, the umpire went to each dugout to see whether or not the coaches and the kids

wanted to play on. The other dugout was 100% in; they thought they could win. When the ump

got to our dugout, we all looked at each other and said, “Of course we want to keep playing!”

That is, everyone but Zack. Zack yells out to the umpire, “You know I read the rulebook. And it

says that our games are limited to only so many hours. And if the game surpasses that time, the

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umpire just calls it a tie.” And he looks at his watch and says, “We’re already 30 minutes past the

allowable time.”

And that’s how the game ended. I do not remember our complete stats that season. But

after losses I know it read “one tie.” All thanks to Zack Markey.

2. (Need)…You would give anything for more time.

In that situation, every one (but Zack) would have given anything for more time. And I

bet that beneath your desires for more money, more comfort, or more anything else, you have a

deep, deep desire for more time. You would give anything for more time.

You would have given anything for more time with your father, or maybe your mother.

You would have given anything for more time with your wife, or with your husband. You wish

you had more time to spend with your children since they are shooting up before your eyes and it

seems like you’re missing so much of their daily changes. You wish you could have more time to

complete your work at work. But the boss, and the teacher or professor, will not give in for one

minute. No rest; everything is due and nothing can be pushed back.

If you knew today were your last day, and you believed in a God who holds people

accountable, well you would probably want more time to straighten out what’s crooked in your

life. More time to rid your life of the sin God has bringing to mind so often. More time to prove

your love for God and others, beyond your profession of it. You don’t want to be thrown into

God’s presence unprepared or unarmed with a certain amount of self-righteousness (or self-

justification), right? But God, like your boss, like your teacher, like all your relationships, and

just like Zack, watches our life tick-tock on by.

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3. (Subject)…God limits his patience with unrepentant people.

Friends, today I’m talking about just that but in a special sense. The big idea, the main

idea if you should lose me at any point today is: God limits his patience with unrepentant people.

When we arrogantly choose to live our lives independent from God, self-reliant, and ignoring all

the signs that we will one day face judgment, God confines his patience with us. God will allow

you, me, and us to run down the clock on his kindness. He will not let us go on unrepentant

forever. This sermon should serve as an exhortation and warning to all of us who are right now

living in any stubbornness and rebellion. Let me tell you: you can either fall on his mercy right

now, or fall in his judgment later. You decide.

4. (Text)…Today we will be in Luke 13:6–9.

So open your Bibles and turn with me to Luke chapter thirteen. And we will be in verses

six through nine. We will look at several other verses in Luke and throughout the Bible to

elucidate this little parable told by Jesus. Again, that’s Luke chapter thirteen, verses six through

nine (repeat once more).

5. (Preview)…We will see: (1) a vineyard owner has a problem; (2) there are two proposed

solutions to this problem; and (3) how this problem and its solutions confront us.

The sermon has an easy structure to follow that will help us read the text accurately. First,

we will encounter a certain fictitious vineyard owner who has a problem on his hands. Second,

we’ll see that the vineyard owner proposes one way to take care of his problem, but his gardener

proposes another way. So, there are two possible solutions to the owner’s one problem. Third,

we will see how this owner’s problem and the proposed solutions to this problem confront us.

All in all, we will be confronted by this uneasy, making you sick-to-your-stomach truth in these

four little verses: God limits his patience with unrepentant people. So, you can either fall on his

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mercy right now (by returning from your rebellion and stubbornness), or fall to his judgment

later. But the choice is yours today.

Body

I. Problem: “There’s no fruit!” (13:6‒7b)

A. The owner comes to the tree looking for fruit (Illustration: As a child I would run out

to the garden every day to inspect what my family had planted).

B. But the owner doesn’t find anything.

C. Move-to-Wider-Scriptural-Imagery: God looks for faithfulness among his creatures

(Luke 12:35‒48; Isa 5:4).

D. Move-to-Relevance: You are found lacking when God comes looking.

1. The ways I fall short.

2. The ways you fall short.

3. The ways we fall short as a congregation.

II. Solution One: “Cut it down right now!” (13:7b‒c)

A. The owner commands the groundskeeper to cut it down; it’s wasting the soil

(Illustration: Living in Washington State, we were required to have our trees assessed

to prevent property damage).

B. Move-to-Wider-Scriptural-Imagery: God limits his patience with unrepentant people

(Exodus 32:1‒14).

C. Move-to-Relevance: God limits his patience with me, you, and us.

III. Solution Two: “Please, give it a little more time!” (13:8‒9)

A. The gardener requests an extension and special care (Illustration: My baseball team

begged the umpire for more time).

B. Move-to-Wider-Scriptural-Imagery: God sometimes relents from judgment because of

intercession, but sometimes he does not (cf. Exod 32:1‒14; cp. Jeremiah 15:1‒4).

C. Move-to-Relevance: You are not immortal (cf. Psalm 90:12).

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IV. Application (homiletical proposition): Fall on his mercy or fall to his judgment! (13:6‒9)

A. Jesus’ parable leaves the audience with a cliff hanger.

B. Jesus’ parable emphases the need for urgent repentance (cf. 13:1‒5). (Illustration: I

learned at a young age better to confess early than to be found out later!)

C. The message to that audience is the message for you today: Fall on his mercy or fall in

his judgment!

1. God will not hold out forever.

2. Repentance, the kind God wants (and enables), prevents disaster (Specific

examples of repentance).

3. The choice is yours.

Conclusion

1. (Review structure)…We talked about the owner’s problem, his two possible solutions,

and how his problem and possible solutions confront us.

In our limited and solemn time today, we examined the “The Parable of the Expensive

Fig Tree” or what others call, “The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree.” We saw how a certain

vineyard owner had a problem on his hands—an unproductive fig tree. He had waited patiently

for so long but the tree had yet to yield a single fig. But his patience had limits. He would give

the unyielding tree no more time; it had depleted his soil and his patience. His solution was to

chop down the tree immediately. But the gardener proposed an alternate solution. “Give the tree

a little more time,” and adds, “I’ll give it some special care.” But like I said, the parable leaves us

hanging out to dry. Will the owner relent from his course of action or not? Will the tree finally

yield (or produce) fruit? We don’t know.

This parable taught us that God comes looking for faithfulness among his creatures. And

he will not wait forever. And you do not have forever to wait. So, with your back against the wall

of time and God staring you in the eye, what choice are you going to make. I urge me, I urge

you, I urge us to fall upon his mercy today and repent. And I warn me, I warn you, I warn us that

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if we do not fall upon his mercy today, we will fall to his judgment later. More time briefly

delays the fate of the unfruitful, unyielding—the unrepentant.

2. (Refresh image)…Eventually God will call an end to your game (baseball).

God will eventually call an end to all of our games just like that umpire did that day. But

I promise you: I cannot, you cannot, and we cannot “tie” with God. We can either fall on his

mercy, or we can fall to his judgment. The choice is in your hands right now. Let’s pray.

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PART 2B: BEHIND THE SCENES

Problems with Relevance

The first problem concerns the relevance of the parable altogether. While we can extract

theological truths and great principles to live by, the original audience Jesus spoke to

were Jews. A layer of intrigue is added when we consider Luke’s audience to be Gentiles.

So does this parable accurately capture what Jesus said one time, or is it a message that

Gentile Christians need to hear today? Obviously, it is both.

The first problem leads to the second. If this parable is relevant for Gentile Christians,

how should we understand the limited patience of God toward unrepentant people? Does

this mean we will experience catastrophe and hardship in this life? Most of my audience

operates in the mindset that our eternity is secure presently. So what is God’s judgment

for Christians? (It reminds me of 1 Corinthians 11.)

And the second leads to the third, the parable from my reading is pessimistic. It was

pessimistic for that generation of Jews. But how do I stay true to the text while believing

that the unrepentant in my congregation have—because the Spirit does live within

them—have the ability to produce fruit? The parable offers no guarantee that the owner

will relent from his plan or that the tree will finally began “doing fruit.”

It may be obvious but I tiptoed around the “impatience” of God. I used language like,

“God confines his patience.” First, I did not want to present God as impatient since the

Bible and most of us would regard that as a sin. Second, I do not know if God’s patience

is infinite. Third, I do not want to leave any person in the congregation with the

impression that they can exhaust God’s patience, like they exhaust the patience of a

family member. I do not see how to package this in a way that maintains the urgency of

the text but clearly communicates what God is like.

Beyond those four items, there is the issue of a vineyard and fig tree. I would think that

most of my audience has never been to a vineyard and has never seen a fig tree. I think I

tasted a fig once back in college. The texture of the tree trunk, the smell of the soil and

manure, the sound of a breeze blowing through a vineyard, and the taste of figs could be

lost upon my audience. In other words, we are not an agrarian society.

What I May Leave Out and Why

I am not sure I would preach Luke 13:1‒9 together. There are a lot of historical and

ideological issues going on in vv. 1‒5. I would hopefully have given time to that

paragraph in a previous message before getting to this parable.

I would leave out the discussion of the Matthew and Mark “parallel” account because it

does not contribute to the main idea or teaching of this text.

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I may leave out the technicalities about fig trees being planted in a vineyard. In other

words, I would severely limit my comments on v. 6 to a passing reference that it is

normal for fig trees to be planted in a vineyard.

I may leave out, or restrict, the technicalities about care for a fig tree even though that

may seem essential to the parable. I try to avoid preaching sermons where I sound like I

did my research and yet the information has no bearing on life.

I am undecided on whether to address (or how to address) the third class and first class

conditions which end the parable. And if I were to bring it up, how do I make repentance

sound unlikely but then expect them to repent? I suppose I can appeal to the impossibility

of repentance apart from the enablement of God. Yet this reads in a theological point that

is absent from the text.

Other Applications

I felt that I captured the main thrust of the sermon in my homiletical proposition. Other points I

could touch on:

See Jesus as one who demands decisions! This point was considered in the exegetical. All

in all, I would call the listener to see Jesus in the light of his teaching, which corners us to

make decisions either yielding our unrepentant heart or stubbornly holding on to it.

Consider your standing before God! This would be a generic call to both believers and

nonbelievers. If I have done this well, then I hope to comfort the afflicted and to afflict

the comfortable. People would basically examine whether or not the tangible deeds which

reflect right-relatedness to God are apparent in their lives.

Note then the kindness and severity of God! I noted in the introduction of the parable

how Jesus mingles together God’s kindness and severity. I would love to do a sermon

where the takeaway is to uphold both the kindness of God (the patience of the owner) and

the severity of God (the instruction to cut down the tree). So many factors influence our

view of God and we tend to gravitate toward some of God’s characteristics over others.

When I was younger I tended toward his severity. Now a little bit older, I tend toward

God’s kindness sometimes to the exclusion of the other.

Stop putting off your salvation! This would be a similar sermon preached to the outline

above, but geared toward nonbelievers and those who think they are believers but are not.