The Parable Project: Barren Fig Tree (Ep 124)

Introduction and Welcome

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Jason: Thank you for listening and welcome back to the podcast. We are your host, Jason.

Laura: And Laura.

Jason: Yep. We're back with another parable Project episode, and this time we're going to dig into the parable of the barren fig tree, and that is a pun that will make sense in a moment. Jesus tells a story of a fruitless fig tree, a frustrated landowner, and a compassionate gardener.

This isn't about agriculture, it's really about us. This parable is a divine wake up call wrapped in mercy. It asks the question that every believer must face, am I just planted or am I producing fruit? So grab your Bible, join me and Laura, and let's step into the vineyard together and see what Jesus has to teach us.

Life Updates and Personal Stories

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Jason: So welcome back, Laura.

Laura: Thanks, Jason. It's been a while.

Jason: It has been a while and I apologize for that. You know, life going on and stuff, you know what's going on.

Laura: oh, tell me about it. Moving week is next week, so

I'm just

Jason: I know you're pretty darn close to move date.

Laura: Yes. I am so excited, but also very, very nervous.

Jason: Yeah. It's to be expected, but I believe, I believe you're gonna have a pretty wonderful testimony after this. I mean, you're basically moving because. It's a God calling into a new season of life and I think that's gonna be good for you.

Laura: I think so too.

Jason: But about the same time that you're driving, I'll be driving up to Utah to visit my family.

A little adventure of our own happening here. So that's exciting.

Laura: Absolutely.

Jason: Where by the time this airs, we'll both be done.

Laura: Sitting back where we need to be.

Jason: Right. But that's, that's wonderful. So. Well, it's good. I'm excited for you. I'm happy for you. Um, yeah, you have to let us know next time we get together. We will. We'll, we'll ask you how you're doing.

Laura: Sure thing.

Jason: All right, so we'll get rolling into this.

Setting the Context for the Parable

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Jason: I kind of wanna set the stage before we read the scripture because I think it's important for the listeners to understand some context. And you probably know this, but this Luke 13 begins after actually two tragedies. Just before this parable there, there's two incidents that happened.

The, the crowd is kind of in this mourning of grief. Um, the first being, pilot wanted to build this aqueduct from the pools of Solomon directly to the city of Jerusalem. Right? And he paid for it using money from the Temple Treasury. Money that had been given to God, and that made the people a little upset.

And so the Jews sent this delegation to go beg Pilate to put the money back. And he responded by sending soldiers dressed as commoners into the crowd. And at his signal they began attacking the people taking their money. So we have this evil done by the hands of man, right?

Laura: Exactly.

Jason: And then the second one is the tower in Salam.

It collapsed, killed 18 people. So we have this tragedy done by what appears to be a natural disaster, and this crowd is asking Jesus, why do these things happen? Were these people worse than the sinners? And, and is that why they died? That's where that kind of picks up in Luke 13. So, getting into, sorry, I'm, I'm wrapping my mind around my thoughts here.

And they're getting, they're getting stuck on each other, the cultural context. So fig trees. You know this fig cheese were a symbol of what?

Laura: Usually the fig tree is a symbol of a person. From what I can tell in my studies that. When the fig tree is pro producing fruit, it is indicative of people who are producing fruit living for the Lord. Whereas on the other hand, if they are not producing fruit or are barren, in this case, they are people who are getting ready to be judged.

Jason: Right. So spiritual condition, we'll summarize it that way. Maybe, um, specifically Israel's spiritual condition because Israel was, they were God's people. And I found references to Israel and this reference of the fig tree tree. And like Hosea nine, Jeremiah eight, Micah seven. Again, it's kind of all over the place.

Laura: Isaiah five.

Jason: Yes, Isaiah five, but Isaiah five, actually one through seven actually expands that to also talk about the vineyard, which refers to Israel as his vineyard and then the spiritual condition of them as the bad fruit. He, he laments it despite all his care yielded bad fruit.

Laura: Right.

Jason: So that kind of sets us up for Luke 13 verses six through nine, where the audience would've understood all of this and that that would've caught their attention and they knew it was more than just agriculture.

So, I don't know, I just wanted to set that stage. Um, do you mind reading the scripture?

Reading the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

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Laura: I can totally do that. Then Jesus told this story, a man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it. He was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, I've waited three years and there hasn't been a single fig. Cut it down. It's just taking up space in the garden. The gardener answered. Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year and I'll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.

Jason: Yeah.

Discussion on Judgment and Grace

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Jason: So what, what was the first thing that popped when you read over that, what's the first thing that came to your mind?

Laura: The thing that kind of struck me is the difference between the judgment and the grace. Uh, the landowner very judgmental. The tree hasn't produced fruit. Get rid of it. And the gardener goes, wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Don't get rid of it yet. Give it another chance. So it kind of, to me indicates the difference between. Being under the law versus being under grace.

Jason: Ooh, that's good. I like that. Of course, the first thing I went to was, what's a symbolism here? And I picked out a few things. You've got the fig tree, we talked about that Israel's condition. But you know, as you said, it also speaks to the individual, meaning you, me, the listeners. So we, we've all been the given the soil of grace, the light of God's truth, the living water of God's word.

So God expects us to bear some good fruit. And then you have the vineyard owner, you know, if Israel is the vineyard. God's people. Then the vineyard owner, I'm thinking is probably God the father. You know, the guy who planted us.

Laura: I would agree with that.

Jason: And then the gardener is our intercessor. It's the guy standing between us and judgment, the judgment that we rightfully deserve.

But he pleads for more time, offers to dig and fertilize and enrich the soil. So that's gotta be Jesus.

Laura: Absolutely. And I'm gonna kind of go, I'm gonna kind of go off on a trail here.

Jason: Love it. We're starting early. Go for it.

Laura: Okay. So. I just spent the last five years teaching at a Christian school, uh, Lutheran by denomination, but not getting into that anyway, so every year, uh, one chapel service, each grade level had to lead, chapel and give the chapel message. Well, this past year I decided that I was going to do the story of Zacchaeus, uh, with my kids, and I wrote a script. And in my mind, Jesus is kind of walking and talking in the story of Zacchaeus, and he gets to this sycamore tree that Zacchaeus, who is too short to see over. The crowd has climbed in order to catch a glimpse of Jesus. And as Jesus is walking and talking, he stops at the fig tree or the sycamore tree rather. And he looks up at Zeu and he says, come down. I'm going to your house today. I'm having lunch with you. Now, Zacchaeus, for those who don't know, was a tax collector. He was hated by everybody. was, he was a thief basically. And throughout his time doing all the tax collecting, he had taken so much from people and. I mean, there is a reason why people always say sinners and tax collectors, they were regarded. I mean, they got their own category. Come on.

Jason: They they did. That's, that's really bad.

Laura: So Jesus stops by this sycamore tree that he knows Zacchaeus is already in because come on, he's Jesus, and says, zeu, get out of the tree. We're going to your house for lunch. And in the course of having lunch with Zacchaeus. Showing him grace, showing him mercy that he does not deserve. Zacchaeus life is transformed and he says, I am going to donate half of everything I have to the poor and I am going to repay everybody I have stolen from four times as much as I took. Now, zeu was a rich guy. He got rich by stealing from people, but by being shown the grace of Jesus. He was able to turn that around. I promise. I have a point with this. Um, but as I was writing the script, Ima um, and the way the Lutherans run their service is they have an Old Testament reading and a New Testament reading. And the New Testament reading was the parable of the barren fig tree. And I'm sitting there looking at the parable of the barren fig tree. Looking at the story of Zacchaeus that I wanted to tell, and I'm like, wait a minute. It's the same story. Zacchaeus wasn't producing fruit, but Jesus was like, let me give him a little extra attention. Let me give him some extra fertilizer. Okay, maybe not exactly fertilizer, but you know what I mean. Let me spend some time with him see if I can get him to produce fruit. Not by coercion, but just by cultivation. And he was able to, so salvation came to Zacchaeus house that day, just like in this story or in the parable of the baron fig tree, the gardener was able to get, while it doesn't say what the gardener was able to do, but in this case, the gardener did get zeu to produce the fruit. So I used that as my student who was pretending to be Jesus was walking.

He stopped. He told the story and then called Zacchaeus down and I just kind of tied it all back in together and I'm like, okay, that correlation is pretty cool.

Jason: Yeah, that makes sense. And you know what, I think the outcome of this story is not important because we, I mean, we, we are given the opportunity whether we take it or not. Whether we, we allow that enriched soil, that extra tension attention, um, make us fruitful, that's on us.

Laura: Absolutely. the commentaries in my Bible do correlate the fig tree to Israel itself.

So.

Jason: interesting. Okay.

Laura: I mean, it is open-ended of course, but, uh, Israel is often portrayed as an unfruitful fig tree, uh, that God was going to judge. And then as I was doing, so, uh, one of the cross-references takes us to Matthew 21, 18 through 19, which is where Jesus actually curses the fig trait,

Jason: Oh yeah, that's a good one.

Laura: during, during Holy week. Which as I was kind of mapping it out, I think it was Tuesday of Holy Week, um, he was, Jesus was returning to Jerusalem. Hungry, sees the fig tree, and it looks like there should be figs on it because it's presenting well. But he gets over and there's no figs. So he purses the fig tree and says, nobody will ever eat from you again. And. Specific tree withers up?

Jason: Yep. And it's a representation of the spiritual emptiness, the fruitlessness of the Pharisees and the Seduces, and all the spiritual leaders of that time.

Laura: Yeah,

Jason: So I like that story. In fact, I don't know if you've seen any of the season five have chosen, but that's a particularly good, good part of it. I'll

Laura: Oh, I bet it is that. I, I need to go back and watch, but I've just been so focused

on trying to get moved and the new school district I'm gonna be in has all these

things and yeah, I'll get there.

The Importance of Bearing Fruit

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Jason: So, Laura, I'm gonna get real for a moment if that's okay.

Laura: Well, I would not like it if you were fake, but go ahead.

Jason: That's fair. Um, 'cause this is kind of the, the inverse or the, the opposite side of the coin you were talking about, because some people. Some people have been planted in churches for years, maybe surrounded by teachings, by worship, by community, by doing their small groups, singing at worship, all that stuff.

And yet there's no fruit, no evidence of repentance. They lack love, joy, and peace. No transformation. The tree is there, but the fruits missing. And you look at it and you see all of the christiany things that we're supposed to be doing. They're doing it, but the heart isn't there. And yet. Even these people have the attention of Jesus asking the Father to wait just one more year while he tries to enrich the soil of their soul, pour into their hearts, encourage 'em to bear good fruits, and God is really patient.

I mean, but it doesn't, it's not without limits. I mean, we learned that in Revelation. I mean, he, he gave 'em a lot of chances, but then when, when time's up, it's up, you're, you're done. Um, so I mean, the question I have for the listeners is, are you standing in the vineyard? Or you're actually bearing good fruit 'cause there's a big difference.

Laura: Oh, there's absolutely a difference. That just reminded me of a verse in second Peter, chapter three, verse nine. The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. So that does tie back in. That does tie back into the parable the gardener's like, wait, wait, wait, wait. Not yet. They're not ready now. God being, God being omniscient as he is, does know who will and will not make that choice. But he also knows who will. So he, from what I understand, is giving everybody a chance Who's going to make that choice? Giving them the chance to do so.

Jason: Yeah, and I think that's the heart of this parable is that God's mercy is real. His patience is, is amazing, but it's not unlimited. I mean, that's my takeaway at least.

Laura: Right. And that does tie into revelation because I mean,

all the chances, chance after chance, after chance, and then all of a sudden,

Jason: Done sorry

Laura: Thano, snap.

Jason: And I, I think Jesus in this is holding up a mirror to his audience and, and to us because I mean, we, when we read these, you know, he is talking to an audience, but his, we're also his audience in the context of reading the Bible. But, but he's holding up a, a mirror to his audience as a wake up call to examine our lives.

And ask, where is my fruit? Am I producing it? And, and I think we get this mixed up with pride, like look at the great fruit I produced. Because if we're doing this in terms of I'm doing really good things and people see and it's wonderful versus I'm doing really good things and God sees and it's wonderful.

Laura: Right.

Jason: I think we have to be careful when we're asking ourself, where's the fruit? Because the, the fruit is meant for God to see, not us. I mean, that's part of the, the Sermon on the Mount is, you know, don't let your right hand see what your left hand is doing or left right. Get those two mixed up

Laura: Which, which, whichever way, I mean, most people are right-handed, so.

Jason: know, and, and he basically says that the, the Pharisees, when they're praying in public and making a spectacle, they've received their reward, the admiration of the crowd, and that's all they get.

Laura: Absolutely.

Practical Applications and Final Thoughts

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Laura: But I do wanna make a point of letting our listeners know that this parable is not supposed to be fear mongering. So to speak. It's not supposed to get us afraid and think, am I really saved? Am I really living for, you know, am I really going to heaven? Because the only thing that counts for salvation is faith. We are saved by grace through faith and the works, the things that we're talking about here go along. They are evidence of that faith. It doesn't, it doesn't necessarily produce that. 'cause I know a lot of people could look at this and go, Ooh, so if I'm not, they might, there are some people who might come to this passage and go, not doing enough for God.

Am I saved? Am I gonna go to heaven? If I don't do enough, if I don't put in enough time, if I don't sing in the choir, if I don't join the lot, all the groups, if I don't do. So people start getting afraid sometimes that they're not doing enough.

Jason: Yeah, and I mean obviously Jesus isn't, isn't just a gardener here he is standing in the way of much deserved judgment and condemnation. We all should know that as Christians and it's not about spiritual appearances, it's, it's. It's not about religious rituals. It's he wants receipts. And those receipts, the evidence of a changed heart and a life transformed by his generous gift of grace is the good fruit and he's gonna be tilling the soil and enriching it for us all.

Whether or not we allow that is, is where that salvation comes in. 'cause if you don't allow it, sorry. The only way to the father is through him.

Laura: Exactly. You know, and. Because I know there are like, even my grandfather fell into the trap of I have to be at church every time the doors open.

Jason: Right.

Laura: And I'm like, what? That doesn't make you a better Christian. Yeah.

Jason: And that's part of Luke three verse eight Begins with produce fruit in keeping with repentance. It's not about perfection, it's about progress moving towards Christ, not just standing still. And you gotta be willing to grow. And, and, and growing doesn't mean you show up at church on time or early. It means that you're, you're, you're carrying Jesus when you go home from church.

Laura: Absolutely. And. And it, it is a process. I mean, there are some people who meet Jesus and automatically their lives are completely, radically different and they are completely changed from who they were before. Think Saul turning into Paul, but then on the flip side, there are those who it takes a while. Even with that relationship to cultivate that fruit, to cause that fruit to grow doesn't mean any, it doesn't mean one's any less saved than the other, but as long as they are focused on Jesus and focused on what he's done, that fruit will grow grow the fruit ourselves.

Jason: Yeah, and I mean, if just one fig fruit, one fruit showed up. That's gonna make the father happy. We can always build on that. But if just one piece of fruit on a tree shows up, let's progress.

Laura: Absolutely.

Jason: So I'm all about, you know, it's if, if you're feeling stagnant, just know that God hasn't given up on you. He's sent the gardener, his son to tend to you to intercede, to fill you with the right stuff. So you can bear fruit. You just gotta be willing to open the door.

Laura: Absolutely, and also be focused on the right things because I'm gonna go down another rabbit trail, but wherever the story of Zacchaeus is. There's a story right before it of the rich young ruler, and he wanted to know how he could be saved, like how he could guarantee entry into heaven. And Jesus was, Jesus kind of knew he was looking to earn his own way into heaven. So he said, well, you have to keep the 10 Commandments. You shall not murder, you, shall not steal, you shall not commit adultery. And the kid go and the guy goes, well, I've done that since I was a little boy. And Jesus was like, all right, sell everything you have, give all the money to the poor

Jason: Yeah,

Laura: and the rich. And, and the rich young ruler walks away dejected because he was

really rich. He didn't want to do that. Yes, he had money, but the money also had him. But if you compare, so when the rich young ruler was focused on. What he could do get eternal life. Jesus answered with law,

Jason: Yeah.

Laura: and when Zacchaeus was open and receptive to the grace of Jesus, he willingly gave up all his wealth. So it's kind of a paradox between the two. Law produces, um. Almost bitterness and can't, you know, somebody who's trying to live by the law can't find themselves being generous. They can't find themselves being gracious and bending, but when they see the grace of God in their lives, they're able to turn around and give it back to others.

Jason: Yeah. Yeah. And for the listeners who are sitting there, if you're fairly new to this, you're not sure what good fruits are. I, I actually have good news. The Bible can help you there. Galatians five, verses 22 and 23 tells us. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control against such things.

There is no law. So if you're wondering what good fruits are, there you go.

Laura: Yeah, which, putting it in those terms, Paul, who wrote relations was saying. It doesn't matter if it's the Sabbath day or not. You're allowed to show love to people. You're allowed to be patient. You're allowed to be kind. You're allowed to have self-control. You know, because through Jesus's ministry, there was a lot of contention between him and the religious leaders because he was doing good on the Sabbath. He was being kind, he was showing love, he was showing patience and all these things. The Pharisees were like, you're doing work on the Sabbath, you're breaking the wall.

Jason: How dare you heal someone on the Sabbath.

Laura: How dare you pick a fruit and eat it.

Jason: Right. So I do have one last thought on this though.

Laura: Okay.

Jason: So just something to consider. So if you're out there involved in your church, the listeners here, if you're out there involved in your church or considering becoming a volunteer, what are you willing to do? Do you have limits? Like, yes, you'll work on the media team, maybe you'll be a greeter, but there's no way you'll work with children's ministry.

are you willing to actually say, God, use me wherever you think I'm most valuable. And that's a good, I think a good test for, for fruits of the spirit. And you know, I'll, I'll, I mean, I'll say honestly, I didn't know, and this is more ignorance than anything else, but I didn't know when I started volunteering.

I'm like, I don't know. Put me wherever you want. My most useful and that is, that's been my philosophy ever since I started becoming involved with my church. Wherever you need me, you want me to push 'em, mop, I'll push 'em up. You need me to hand out food. You need me to, you know, teach children. You need me to check in, people, I don't care.

Put me wherever. And that's worked out well for me.

Laura: can I just say ouch?

Jason: Sorry,

Laura: No.

Jason: that there are, there, there are conne, you know, because, and there are people who are like, I, I don't wanna work with children because I do it for a living. And I get that.

Laura: Well.

Jason: I'm not saying that there shouldn't be boundaries, but I'm just saying if God calls you to do something, are you willing to say, sure, let me do.

Laura: Well, I was just kind of tying that back into my move out to Texas next week. Ever since I've planned on moving, I want, I love to sing, and if anybody listened to our Revelation podcast, then they totally know I pull song lyrics into everything and I've been itching to join the choir. Especially because they're going to be going to DC next year. But I can't say too much about that yet. But I want to join the choir. You know, I've never really done anything in the church relating to that. And as a teacher, no, I really don't wanna work in kids' ministry. Um, I get enough of kids every day. Um. But is the choir really where God wants me? And you just kind of,

Jason: I poked at a sore spot.

Laura: you, you, you poked at me a little bit there, Jason, and but I'm, until I find out otherwise, that is the direction I am walking.

Jason: That's fair. That's fair. I, I fully believe, and this is just me, you can tell me I'm totally crazy, but I fully believe that if you woke up and you felt God calling you to children's ministry, you'd be like, well, okay, if that's where you want me.

Laura: I, I have stories about that. I mean, my church, my current church here in Florida has two, has four physical campuses.

Jason: Uh,

Laura: When I moved home from West Virginia, it's like, I'm going to go to this campus. I'm gonna go to this campus. The day before I went to church, God knows, God goes, Nope, you go to this one. Really come to find out, if I had not gone to the one God told me to, I probably wouldn't be moving to Texas right now

Jason: It's funny how that works, huh?

Laura: because I met a mutual friend of ours. Um, well, we'll go with that. And she's the one who introduced me to the Facebook group that we met in. So if I hadn't gone to the campus, God told me to, we might not even be doing this podcast right now.

Jason: That's wild.

Laura: It is crazy. And because I met my other friend also through that Facebook group, I wouldn't be moving to Texas next week.

Jason: Wow. All that from just one single decision point.

Laura: Exactly. And then even moving to Texas. I went out, visited over New Year's and I'm like, I could live here. Wait, what? I don't wanna leave Flo. Oh boy. So then I,

Jason: This is happening.

Laura: this is gonna happen. So of course I had to go out one more time just to make sure I wasn't being emotional about the decision. 'cause I don't wanna make, I mean, who moves across country based on a whim. Okay. I don't know, but not me. Not

Jason: I don't,

Laura: So I had to go,

Jason: stuff like that, but

Laura: well, I had to go back out

and verify that that was where I needed to be. And I found a church community, um, thriving singles ministry. Not a dating group, but a just singles living life together, serving God, building community. And I'm like, okay. This is where I need to go.

All right,

Jason: amazing.

Laura: so this all started like six months ago and I'm no six and a half, and I'm like, okay, God, I guess I'll move.

Jason: It's awesome.

Conclusion and Farewell

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Jason: Well, I think that's a good place to wrap things up as we step away from the vineyard in Jesus's parable. Um, I think we're left with both a challenge and a comfort challenge being be the fruit that God looks for. Not just an empty religious vessel, not just showing spiritual appearances, but real lasting transformation that comes from actually walking with Jesus.

And as for the comfort, you're not alone in this journey. The gardener, our savior, is working hard to enrich your soil, digging, nurturing, patiently, calling you to grow. He hasn't walked away and he never will, but it's up to you to receive it. His gifts are there and you can do something good with them.

Jesus told us in John 15 verse five, if you remain in me and I in you, you'll bear much fruit Apart from me, you can do nothing. So until next time, keep loving your neighbors, dive into God's word daily. May the Lord bless you and keep you and fill you with his peace. Take care of God bless, and I'll see you in the next episode.

Laura: Bye.

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