Then he told 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.’" From Luke 13:1-9
The scene from this week’s gospel is pretty timely. You can practically hear the anxiety crackling in the air when those gathered with Jesus tell him of a horror. People slaughtered for no apparent reason; and those gathered are looking for a reason why, or a reason of making sure they do not meet the same fate. At first, Jesus doesn’t seem terribly comforting. He asks whether they imagine those who had a terrible fate were somehow different from those asking the questions. He then says, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.”
It is comforting to remember that the word repent means to turn around. To change our posture towards the world, and at least in my case, I usually need to start with myself. When I feel out of control with anxiety, I likely need to stop for a moment and pay attention to myself.
The reality is that the act of repentance is a spiritual practice. We say the confession each week, not because we are terrible, but because we are human. We engage in activities that disrupt our relationship with God, and we leave things undone that might draw us closer to God. Jesus asks us to relinquish control and let go of worrying about avoiding the hard things in life for hard times surely come to us all. And because we don’t know how or when those hard times will befall us, we should treat each day as an opportunity of drawing closer to God. This posture certainly increases the chances of us bearing fruit. Jesus is extending an invitation, not issuing a warning.
The parable of the fig tree is an encouraging one. There is often a level of impatience we all have around our own growth. I’ve been working hard at improving myself, why hasn’t the answer magically appeared to me? Maybe I need to just start over and just cut this tree down. But then enters the gardener…Wait, he says. Have you tried digging around this tree that’s not bearing fruit? Does it need different fertilizer? Give it another year and then let’s see.
What if that is how God sees us? God is the gardener coaxing us to turn towards the life giving nourishment we need to bear fruit. That may involve slowing down enough to imagine what we might need. I suspect the idolatry of only paying attention to that which frightens us is not true repentance.
Jesus invites us to turn. We can hold both fear and hope alongside one another, and we are allowed to find space to be nurtured so the slow growth of God in us may take root.
Peace, Beth +