The Gospel for this Sunday mentions two tragic events in which people died. The crowd of people wonders if those who died were very bad sinners. Perhaps they think that God punishes people with these terrible deaths. What does Jesus think?
Jesus says,
“No, I tell you...No, I tell you”
The crowd of people felt pretty good about themselves. They thought that they are better than the people who died. But twice, Jesus says, no—God does not send death as a punishment for sin. God is the God of Life. Were those who died sinners? Yes, everyone sins sometimes. Were they the very worst sinners of all? Twice, Jesus says, no.
The crowd of people were happy to think that they are not sinners because they are not dead! But Jesus knows that everyone sins. He says,
“unless you repent, you will all perish as they did...unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”
Again he repeats himself. Twice, Jesus says, "unless you repent." What does he mean? He changes the conversation. Jesus turns their attention away from the people who died. He does not want the people thinking they are better than everyone else. He does not want them comparing themselves to others. He wants them to turn around and look inwards—to take a good look at themselves. Everyone needs some change. Everyone needs to repent.
The people, though, do not know what he means by "repent." So Jesus tells this parable:
“A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”
Hmm...what can Jesus mean?
We can imagine the poor little fig tree growing in the vineyard. Perhaps it thinks it grows just fine. It really has nothing to compare itself to. Vineyards grow grapes. The fig tree can judge whether the grapevines grow well. It can see their fruit. Perhaps it spends a lot of time judging the grapevines around it. A fig tree, though, does not grow grapes, so how can it know whether it grows well or not?
We wonder if it pays attention at all to the owner of the vineyard. The owner of the vineyard chooses to plant the fig tree. The owner comes looking for fruit over and over for a long time. Is the fig tree not glad to see the owner each time he comes looking? Does it not want to give the owner tasty fruit?
What a shock for the fig tree to hear the conversation between the owner and the gardener! What?! Cut me down? Wasting the soil? The fig tree had no idea. It did not spend any time looking inwards, considering whether it had any fruit.
What a relief, then, to hear the gardener say he will help! How good it feels to know the gardener loves it and wants it to grow well! What a joy to feel air around its roots, to suck up nutrients from the soil made good and rich by the manure! Now it can grow beautiful, tasty fruit for the gardener! How it will delight in seeing the juices run down the owner's smiling face!
We wonder what the crowd thinks of this parable. Do they wonder who the fig tree is? Do they wonder who the gardener is? They can see that the gardener is good. He cares for the fig tree. If they were to draw a picture of the fig tree before the gardener helps, what would it look like? What would it look like after the gardener helps? In Lent, we can wonder these things with the crowd.
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