Parables of Jesus: Fig Tree and the Vineyard

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0:00 For the rest of us, we're still going through this like journey to learn about the parables because the parables are super cool. And I'm learning about from the student named Ken Bailey. And he's walking us through a couple parables in Luke. And the passage that we're looking at this morning is in Luke chapter 13. If you want to look there with me, I put some bottles on the table back there if you like a paper copy. Luke chapter 13 is where we're going to be.

0:32 Before we do that, let me pray because this is a weird text. So we're going to pray first. Hey Lord, thanks for the chance to be here at church this morning with kids and parents and families. We love that you call us together. And we love that you have patience with us. That you call us the repentance and give us time and room to learn about our need for repentance. And then when we do you need us.

1:03 So Holy Spirit, draw us to repentance this morning. That we might learn of your mercy and grace and experience new life with you again and again and again. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So last week Brian was with you on that parable The Rich Fool, which when I saw it I said I showed it to him. I said, oh this one's kind of tricky Brian. You have permission to tap out if you want and just pick a text that you like that's easier to preach on.

1:40 He worked through it and I listened back to it and I really loved it. I loved it the way he understood the call of Jesus to join something rather than just to leave something behind. That Jesus was calling The Rich Fool to join something rather than do something behind. Last week I was at a sister church which meets just over off of Elby McLeod in a little warehouse. That was fun for me. I had never worked with them.

2:10 They're the same age as us. 10 years old. We've been in the same network of churches for almost full 10 years and I had never been there on a Sunday morning. So that was lovely. To be there on a Sunday morning it was good to have Brian be able to create Jesus for us. He used to do that a lot. So it was fun to get him a chance to do that. He used to use his gifts like we're telling the kids. For us this morning we want to look at Luke chapter 13. And Jesus, Luke, starts in and says there was some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood

2:52 pilot had mingled with their sacrifices. Nice. Not nice, right? To get the place of what's happening here, Israel is like an occupied country. The Roman soldiers can do things like force you to walk a mile with them, force you to give them the jacket off of your back.

3:23 They can take food from you. Israel is very much an occupied country. They are allowed to kind of keep some semblance of their own identity so they have a Herodian king, which is like a mixed race kind of Jews, kind of not. But he's mostly a puppet king to pilot. And the thing about Israel for the Roman Empire is Israel is very kind of backwoods.

3:54 They are a long ways away from Rome. To get there is not easy. If you were going to start going from Jerusalem to Rome, you'd probably take a boat, but if you follow some of Paul's journeys in Acts and some of the stories about those journeys in Galatians, you realize it's a treacherous trip on a boat. Lots of things can happen. You get your gift records more than once. You get spit by some snake. It's tough. And if you're going to go over land, it's very hard as well.

4:26 Now, Roman has built some roads and stuff. But Israel is backwoods enough that we have evidence that the Roman governors that are put over Israel, it's like their last stop to a dishonorable discharge. The biggest thing that the Romans had figured out was new ways of warfare. They had huge shields and stabbing swords instead of sword fighting. And they had helmets so they could make these long rows of shields and just walk impenetrable.

4:58 And when they got close to you, just stick out the sword and kill you and come back behind your shield. So their warfare was their thing. The Romans were about warfare. So the whole thing was conquer a land, make them terrified, and then build roads so we can get the money back to the emperor in Rome. That's it, right? And so Pilate had failed at keeping locals in line. Just keep them in line and sending their taxes. And he had failed enough times that finally they sent him out to Israel.

5:31 And just keep it cool out there with those folks. They're on the wrong side of desert. They've got their own interesting Jewish worshiping system. They don't worship the emperor. We put up with it, but make them pay their taxes and keep them in line. And so Pilate was known. You can look, read some historians, Josephus, you can read some historians that find... Pilate is brutal because he's on his last leg. And they don't care how many people he kills as long as they don't try and overthrow them and they keep paying their taxes.

6:07 So he would, man. He would just brutalize people and hare it with them, right? The two of them together would just brutalize people. And so there is a faction in more than one occurrence. The reason that Pilate has such trouble with Jesus is because just before Jesus, there were a couple people who claimed to be the Messiah. And what that meant is we're going to kick off the Romans. And shortly after Jesus, there was one or two people as well that they would get a following and trying, like, kick the Romans out of Jerusalem first and then out of further areas.

6:41 And so at different times, he would come in and wipe people out. And there were factions at different times that would stand up and say, for the love of God, we've got to get these occupiers out of here. And there's just this righteous indignation to give us our land back. These people are terrible. They don't recognize God. They don't recognize his authority. And so this group of people has heard Jesus and he's like,

7:12 people, there's whisperings about him. Is he John the Baptist? Is he Elijah? Is he a precursor to the Messiah? Mike, he just gave him a say. There's whisperings about him. And so they come and say, hey, didn't you hear this to be true? How much you heard this? The hanbaele says that Josephus records several different brutal things Pilate has done, but not this specific one. And this would be like when he says that he mixed the blood with the blood of the sacrifices that he went in and killed them in the midst of performing their sacrifices.

7:47 Maybe a year ago, maybe last year, we were telling stories about heroes of the faith, and I told the story about Oscar Romero. Was that last year? Where he was the guerrillas out in the countryside came and murdered him, murdered him while he was practicing the Eucharist with his hands up raised. Really tragic. So still happens today. This is what they're saying. Hey, Jesus, aren't you mad about this?

8:20 And the appropriate response for Jesus in this position would be to say, yes, I heard about that. Down with the Romans. That's what they would be looking for. Yes, I heard about that. Down with the Romans. And if they were honest about their indignation, they would like that response. If they were trying to trick him, then they would take that response and turn him into Pilate and say, hey, he said, down with the Romans. And so they said, haven't you heard about those Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices?

8:54 And he answered them, like, Jesus, man. He can't get him a straight answer. And you have to, like, try and figure out what he's talking about. And he answered them, do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? So they wanted to get mad about Pilate. And near as we can tell, what Jesus is doing here, he doesn't talk about Pilate at all.

9:25 So there could be a reading of this that says he doesn't care about political injustice. But I think that's a wrong reading. Can't barely think that's a wrong reading as well. A better reading is, I'm not talking to Pilate right now. I'm talking to you right now. Right? So they come in and say, isn't Pilate terrible? And Jesus seems to say, hey, Pilate's not here. Let's talk about you. Right? And so then there is this teaching.

9:56 You can remember it when there's a famous story when they bring Jesus' lame man and he forgives him his sins. And there's this idea that sometimes sickness, disease, paralysis is caused by sin. Actually, the disciples asked Jesus that one time to say, who's sinned that this man would be born blind to him or his parents? But it was taken for granted that there was no such thing as fate or that God was in charge of all things. And so if something bad happened, it's because you sinned in order to warrant that sin.

10:31 And so Jesus, when they say, isn't Pilate terrible for killing these people, he says, wait a minute. What do you think about those people? Do you think those people are worse than any of the rest of us? Because they got killed in that way. Right? Do you think those people... Do you see that he completely disarms their self-righteous indignation and flips it right back at them? Hey, isn't Pilate terrible for killing all those Galileans?

11:01 Wait a minute. What do you think about those Galileans? Do you think they're worse than me or you? Because they got killed pretty brutally. He says, do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? No, I tell you. They were not. But unless you repent, you all will perish likewise. Thanks, Jesus. Verse 4. For those 18 on whom the tower of Siloam fell and were killed.

11:33 I don't know about you. I don't know the story about the tower of Siloam. Like this is all I know about it. Right? But he mentions it, and this is a good reminder for you, like Luke, like what's the dude we think may be a doctor who interviewed a bunch of people and wrote a story of events that actually happened and recounts conversations that actually happened. Jesus is actually having a conversation with the real humans. We can learn something from it, but Luke didn't write this as though Jesus was speaking it directly to us.

12:04 If he did, he might explain what the tower of Siloam was and why it fell. And Jesus recorded in a conversation, Jesus had with a group of people, and they all in their context have heard about the power of Siloam that fell. Now it might be there was an instance where Pilate had robbed from a treasury to build a tower that he liked. And so it could be that he's referring to this tower that Pilate was building that fell. Right? In which case it would be a judgment on Pilate and tie the whole thing together.

12:35 But really, we don't know that for sure. All we know is there was an accident with a tower that fell on a group of people that Jesus is referencing. Or these 18 on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them. Do you think that they were worse offenders than all those who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you all will perish likewise. He's undermining this idea that tragedy comes as a result of your sin.

13:09 And the inverse then is true as well. If things are going okay for you, it doesn't mean that you aren't in need of repentance. This is what he's taking to the Galileans who come and say, isn't Pilate terrible for killing those Galileans? He says, wait a minute. What about those gallons? Wait a minute. What about you? He says. Wait a minute. What about you? You get the feeling that Jesus is saying, look, if Pilate were here, I would talk to Pilate.

13:41 And he does, right? When he's in front of Pilate. But when he's in front of these people, he talks about these people. Hey, what about you? And just because you didn't get brutally killed doesn't mean you're not in need of repentance. But you don't have wrong in your life. Okay? Now, look down. He gets to our parable. Ken puts these together because so often what we are learning, his parables are used in the context of a conversation

14:15 in order to drive home one point that's brought up by a previous conversation. And so Luke 13 verse 6, and Jesus told this parable, a man had a fig tree planted in a vineyard and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. I mentioned two weeks ago when I was with you guys that the reason parables are so tricky to understand is because they are these stories that each of the elements of these stories carry this cultural thing

14:49 where it would immediately trigger things for them that they know that we don't know. I've been watching through community on Netflix. Anybody watch that show at all? I mean, it's about the silliest thing I've ever watched my way through. But I watched this some when it was like running, but I got too silly. I couldn't make sense of it. And so I thought I'd try it again. And when I watched the whole thing in context, you get so much more of it.

15:25 And Megan hasn't been watching it with me. She hasn't watched something else with us. And last night she came in on the end of one episode and she was trying to figure out what was going on. And I had to give her like four different episodes, builds up to these different characters to understand what Chang is doing here and why this is happening over here. Right? I mean, just some search. There's an element of this in every parable where Jesus and the folks in between them have this whole-haired context

16:01 where they can use a shorthand. One of the short hands in the whole story of Scripture is whenever there's reference to a vineyard, everyone in the context of the reference thinks of Isaiah chapter five. I mean, always because it's so foundational to the people. In Isaiah chapter five,

16:31 and the reason is because it's a deep metaphor. Isaiah is arguably the most prominent of the prophets. And after you got through learning the songs, then you would start in on the prophets in school. And so everyone had a passing understanding. And then Isaiah was a scroll at a lot of people's ads, so you would have read it a lot in synagogue. And this metaphor is particularly beautiful about identity for Israel.

17:07 And Isaiah says, let me sing for my beloved, my love song concerning this vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it, cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice finds. He built a watchtower in the midst of it, and he pued out a wine bat in it, and he looked to it for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. A couple things are important here. The owner of the vineyard found a spot and made it into a vineyard.

17:42 He found a fertile piece of land, and cultivated with his hands a vineyard. He removed all the rocks himself. He picked the vine he wanted and planted it. He built a wall around it. He built a watchtower in the midst of it. He made something that was nothing into something significant. With deep care and pride, he invested everything he had into this vineyard, this place. And then when it came time for the vineyard to produce good grapes, it produced wild grapes as though he had done nothing, as though he hadn't cultivated the land, as though he hadn't taken out all the rocks, as though he had just thrown it there,

18:26 and it grew just like grapes might grow any other place. As though it were not his vineyard, it was just some wild place. And now, oh, inhabitants of Jerusalem and Mena Judah judge between me and my vineyard, what more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done it. When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I tell you what I will do to my vineyard, I will remove its hedge. And it shall be devoured. I will break down its wall and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste.

19:03 It shall not be pruned or howed. The briars and the thorns shall grow up. And I will command the clouds that they rain, no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel and the Mena Judah are pleasant to planting. And he looks for justice, but behold, bloodshed, for righteousness, but behold, and out crime. So Isaiah wants to make clear. God wants to make clear through the prophet Isaiah. I am saying specifically about the house of Israel.

19:35 I ask the Israelites to be a certain type of people in the world. I gave them everything and they didn't, so judgment comes. So when Jesus approached by these Galileans saying, look at how terrible this guy, this Roman governor is because he killed us. He says, wait a minute, let's talk about you. And then he points out that they might need repentance just as anybody else, even though things seem to be going fine for them, that their righteous indignation about Pilate, about injustice in the world does not remove them from the responsibility of taking ownership of the titles fruit they're producing in their life.

20:11 He says, don't you recognize that you have as much knee of repentance as anybody else? I get that what Pilate did is wrong, but let's talk about what you have done for a minute. And then he tells them this parable and he kicks off this parable and as soon as he says a vineyard, they're thinking of the vineyard in Isaiah chapter 5. And after he's just told them about their need for repentance, they're also thinking about the judgment of God. Like things are going back to them, Jesus is indicting them.

20:41 And he told them this parable, a man had a fig tree and planted in his vineyard and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vineesser, look for three years now, I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and I find none. This is interesting. You plant the fig tree, fig trees are common in vineyards in this time. And sometimes they use figs and wine as a sign of peace.

21:12 So when the figs and wine are doing great, everything's going well. When you plant the fig tree, the first three years you give it grace. It's not supposed to really produce fruit in the first three years. Then the next three years are unclean. You leave that fruit alone. Then the fourth year is a Sabbath, right? You give that fruit to God. So at the minimum, he wouldn't be looking for the unclean fruit. He'd be looking at the seventh year fruit and he's been coming back for three years looking for that seventh year fruit.

21:42 So the tree is like nine years old and has had plenty of time to produce figs. Plenty of time to produce figs. And the writer thinks that because he's talking about Jesus already has done a term. So whenever we see Jesus using the traditional trope of the people in New Testament, we look for the way he's making it different. He's not talking about all the vine. He's talking about the one tree. So he thinks he's talking about leaders in Israel.

22:12 One people look for three years and then he says, cut it down. Why should it use up the ground? We need, it's sucking nutrients out of the ground and not producing anything. It's not good for the rest of my vineyard. That this person, not that this element, not producing what it's supposed to produce is in here taking up the goods around everyone else. Sucking nutrients out of the ground for these people that are actually producing fruit.

22:42 And he answered them, why should it use up the ground? Verse eight. And he answered him, sir, let it alone this year also. Until I dig around it and put on manure. That if it should bury fruit in the next year, well and good. But if not, then you can cut it down. Nine years, no fruit. And the vine dresser says, give me one more year.

23:17 The fig tree is helpless in this situation. We've talked about this before. The fig tree just exists. It needs the outside intervention of the vine dresser to come and dig up around its roots and fertilize it around the roots to make it produce anything worth it. Fruit, Jesus, even in the gospel of Luke, back like when he's when Don is talking.

23:48 And then Jesus later produced fruit of repentance and produced the fruit in keeping with repentance. So fruit is often associated with the position of repentance. The thing I want to get you to here is Jesus, very surprisingly, is unsatisfied with the Israelites, appropriate, righteous indignation about the world. It's like we were saying this just a couple weeks ago.

24:18 It's interesting that Jesus keeps coming back to us, especially for people of the church. He is not satisfied with even righteous indignation. Let alone that might become self-righteous indignation. Where we feel better about ourselves because of how we point to everyone else's injustice. But pay no attention to Jesus. Very kind of dramatically and courageously. When they come with their righteous indignation, maybe self-righteous indignation, he says,

24:51 well, what about you? He says, do you think you are any better than any of the others? He answers his own question, you are not. And then he tells this parable, a traditional parable, about the love of God that you out of vineyard and the judgment of God that comes and he twists it. And says, there is time yet.

25:23 The patience of God goes past any reasonable measure. As a matter of fact, the patience of God comes also with his own intervention. And this parable, like we said so many of the parables, we don't know what happened. Did the fig produce the fruit? We don't know. Because the point of the story isn't the story.

25:56 It's what the Galileans answer. The more appropriate point for the parable is that the Galileans go away and repent. And the reason Luke records the story that Jesus tells, that we call parable, is in order that you might have the opportunity to ask yourself, am I one who repents? Is the forbearance, patience, kindness, love of God wasted on me?

26:30 Or do I soak up the intervention of God and produce the fruit of repentance? Do I recognize my opportunity to agree with God that I need another start? I like that Jesus indicts everyone in this. He doesn't let Pilate off the hook, but he also doesn't let Pilate's accusers off the hook.

27:05 Pilate needs repentance and so does his accusers. I like that because I have found really great peace in resigning to the fact that I am a big old sinner. It undoes self-hatred. It undoes guilt and shame.

27:40 It undoes fear about the future. It undoes feelings of inadequacy and aimlessness in life. It absolves me of having to have the answers. It resolves the tension or the desire to always be right. It obliterates the notion that I might ever be perfect and the corresponding weight to need to be perfect.

28:11 I have come to love the affirmation I am a big old sinner. What I find is that when I embrace the reality that I am a big old sinner, it does not bind me to my sin. I used to think if I was very okay with being a sinner, it would lock me in the sin because I could just keep on sinning. What I find is that when I embrace the reality, I am a big old sinner and God loves me anyway.

28:44 It breaks the power of sin in my life and opens up the possibility for me to move forward with God rather than without Him. You and I, it's okay. We can agree with Jesus and with God the Father that we are big old sinner. In fact, when we do, we blossom to life. The power of sin is undone and we can move forward in much more life-giving ways.

29:19 I pray we could be people who are comfortable with the reality that we are big old sinners. In need of the mercy, the forbearance, the love, the forgiveness, the regeneration of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Christ in the Church. Let me pray that now. Hey, Lord, thank you for your forbearance, slowed anger and abounding in love.

29:51 Lord, make us grateful recipients of your mercy this morning, acknowledging our need for repentance and moving boldly, confidently into repentance towards You. And then Lord, meet us quickly with Your forgiveness and life. I'll do that for us this morning in Jesus' name and for His sacred prayer. Amen.