Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down

 

 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

 

- Luke 13:1-9 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught: "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three.  Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."  Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?  Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite."

 

 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  My study Bible comments that these two historical incidents are only reported in Luke.  The slain Galileans, it says, were probably zealots, Jewish nationalists, who triggered some disturbance against the Romans.  The collapse of the tower in Siloam, either by accident or sabotage, was believed to be divine justice on sinners.  Christ denies that this suffering was God's judgment.  Instead, as He continues the theme from His discourse in yesterday's reading (above), using these events as illustrations for those who perish becuase they will not repent.  

 

He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"  My study Bible reports that the fruitless fig tree is universally interpreted in the Church to be fallen humanity.  The three years, it says, represent God's covenants with His people through Abraham, Moses, and Christ, all of which are rejected, as well as the three-year earthly ministry of Christ.  The keeper of the vineyard is Christ Himself, who intercedes on our behalf that He should suffer His Passion and send the Holy Spirit to us before the final judgment takes place.

 

In today's reading, as we have observed over the course of the past several readings, the shadow of the Cross is playing a part in Jesus' teachings.  Or, at any rate, even if it is not entirely explicit, themes from the Cross are making themselves felt.  In yesterday's reading and today's Jesus has been speaking specifically about death -- that is, our human death that will come for all of us, and He has been teaching about the importance of the time we have in our lives before we die.  The essential message here is the preciousness of that limited time, and the importance of repentance and spiritual growth.  This message is particularly acute as we will recall that Jesus began this discourse after criticizing the Pharisees for their hypocrisy (in Thursday's reading).  Taken in that vein, we can understand Jesus preaching repentance to them and to others as He is on His way to the Cross, and before the Passion.  We can understand His vehement assertion that there is little time in our lives, maybe less than we think, to do so.  Repentance is very much linked to our own acts of compassion and mercy, our capacity for opposing our own selfishness.  In Friday's reading, He taught the parable of the man who stored for the future, only to find that his life was ending.  Our anxieties should not be so much for the material things we want to acquire, but our eyes should be on the kingdom of God first, and God knows what we need.  In Saturday's reading, Christ's emphasis was on our focus on the Kingdom and our place in it.  How do we serve God's kingdom while in this world?  We're to remember that we're stewards of what we have, and we make choices regarding what we do in life, how we care for others, what acts of grace we ourselves practice with whatever resources we have.  Those who are given this Kingdom must remember that it's God's will they seek to fulfill, that they are servants, and so much depends upon how we treat our fellow servants according to the Master's wishes.  Finally, Jesus began yesterday's reading (see above) with a clear reference to the Cross (although possibly none of His listeners understood it to be so at the time):  "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!"  That baptism to which He refers is His death on the Cross, and by this time He is distressed and anxious to accomplish it.  This passionate statement lets us now just how aware He is of the Cross.  Note that His Passion will send the fire of the Holy Spirit, which will also result in division.  Division is important, because it speaks to us of the kind of peace Christ brings, as discussed in yesterday's reading and commentary.  This is not a shallow peace where disagreements are never settled but simply smothered; neither is it the peace of a great empire that can turn whole countries to devastation.  But the kind of peace Christ seeks to bring is one where we are reconciled to God.  We will be, of necessity, in conflict with those who oppose this, and this is the kind of division He speaks of.   As He goes to the Cross, He will be the first of the new covenant to die for it (the Faithful and True Witness" of Revelation 3:14).   In today's reading, finally, He once more returns to the theme of death, and the focus on the Kingdom.  The scandalous events of multiple deaths to which He refers mustn't be understood as something far away, or in a special or different category of death than one of more expected causes.  Rather, He says, they must focus on their lives and know that they, too, will die as any other, even as these notorious examples.  The essential thing upon which all must focus is a life lived in communion with the Kingdom, in reconciliation to God.  It is the things we choose, and especially what (and Whom) we choose to serve in our lifetimes that really matters.  What is our energy and life for?  To what do we dedicate ourselves?  For what purposes?  What do we work for, and strive for?  Nothing is worth sacrificing our lives or our time for so much as is God's life for us, God's will for us, the Kingdom He preaches, the gospel message He gives us.  As Jesus goes to His own human death on the Cross, the light of that Cross throws into stark relief these aspects of our own lives.  What gives our life meaning?  How do we handle the fact that we are all going to die?  How do we face this and cope with it, and what is the one way to give it the meaning it must have for us?  The Cross sends us a message that, just like Jesus, our lives are valuable but only in the potential we have for what we choose to serve.  Like the Cross which is made holy because it is touched by Christ, so our lives take on meaning and value because we seek to serve His purpose, be a part of His kingdom, and touched by His grace.  This is how we make our lives substantial, meaningful, full of worth -- and how we make meaning of our mortality and the time of our lives.  The last martyr of the old covenant is John the Baptist, who preached that people should "bear fruits worthy of repentance" (Luke 3:8).  Christ calls us to produce this spiritual fruit with the time of our lives, for we are all called to the Cross, and we will all meet Him there to be seen in its light.