By Kevin Harris, pastor of the Illawarra Community Baptist Church in Wollongong, NSW
He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
Luke 13:6-9
Don’t you hate waste? I don’t mean it in the sense of rubbish but in the sense of squandering opportunity, frittering away time, consuming resources with nothing to show for it.
It may be the government wasting taxpayer dollars on failed schemes. It may be someone squandering their inheritance. It may be a youth hooning in his father’s car and having it impounded and destroyed. It might be a student misusing his time at uni rather than gaining the skills he will need to be productive in life.
Another example of squandering is throwing away one’s life. The average Aussie spends 49 hours and 21 minutes each month watching traditional TV, which does not include the 47 million hours of live-streamed Broadcaster Video on Demand programming that we collectively spend every month.1 What? God gives me an average of 730 hours every month, and I’m going to spend 15% of them in front of a TV?
In today’s passage, the Lord Jesus describes a vineyard-keeper who hated useless, fruitless squandering. His fig tree was just taking up space. Once it was mature enough to be producing figs, he had come to take a look, only to walk away disappointed that there were no figs. After three years of this, he had had enough. ‘Cut it down,’ he ordered his gardener, ‘Why cumbereth it the ground?’2
His impatience with the tree is completely understandable. Even today, owning a piece of land that is not producing anything is becoming rarer in our western society.
But his gardener pleads for one last chance to coax fruit from that useless fig tree. The story ends there, leaving us to wonder how the owner replied.
The parable is meant to show idolatrous Israel. Not only had she been unfaithful to the Lord, but she’d also been unfruitful. Scripture makes it clear that Israel was blessed by the Lord in order to evangelise the world. Instead she had been worthlessly taking up space. God had been patient with her, and was ready to cut her down if she persisted in her stubbornness. Sadly, they didn’t repent, and in AD 70, judgment fell upon the nation.
Father, this parable makes me reflect on my own life. Reveal to me whether I’m cumbering the ground, squandering life, wasting privileges. Am I an ambassador of heaven who is accomplishing nothing during my brief sojourn on this earth? Oh, how You have been patient with me! Forgive my fruitlessness. Fill me afresh with the Holy Spirit that I may bear the fruit of the Spirit.3 Help me to abide in the Lord Jesus that I may bear much fruit to Your glory.4 I ask this in the Name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
2 This word cumbereth refers to making the ground completely idle.
3 Galatians 5:22-23
4 John 15:1-8
This article was written by Kevin Harris Dapto pastor of Illawarra Community Baptist Church.