Text: Luke 13:6-9

Jesus told them this parable: "There was once a man who had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. He went looking for figs on it but found none. So he said to his
gardener, "ook, for three years ! have been coming here looking for figs on this fig tree, and ! haven"t found any. #ut it down$ %hy should it go on using up the soil&"
'ut the gardener answered, "eave it alone, sir, (ust one more year) ! will dig around it and put in some fertili*er. Then if the tree bears figs ne+t year, so much the
better) if not, then you can have it cut down." "
Another year of grace
Another year has almost gone and we are on the brink of another !hat kind of a year has "##6 been
for you$ !here would you %la&e it on a s&ale of 1 ' 1#$
(aybe you would gi)e "##6 * or 9 out of 1# ' in other words+ it was a really good year,
-t was a good year be&ause you had
su&&ess in your business+
a good year at work or at s&hool+
good family relationshi%s+
new friendshi%s$
"##6 was a year that in&luded a lot of ex&iting things+ new &hallenges+ tasks &om%leted+ a great
holiday,
.r maybe you rate this %ast year * out of ten &om%ared to the %re)ious year whi&h was a horrible year
.r maybe you would gi)e "##6 a /, -t was 0ust another year+ %retty mu&h the same as any other year$
1othing )ery ex&iting ha%%ened+ in fa&t+ it was kind of dull and dreary, 2ust getting u%+ going to work+
&oming home+ going to bed and then doing the same thing the next day and the next and the next,
(aybe "##6 deser)es only " out of 1#, That3s be&ause it was a really dreadful year, 4)erything that
&ould go wrong did go wrong, The year in&luded tragedy+ si&kness+ loss of friends+ marriage
%roblems+ the kids were 0ust im%ossible+ e)en a death in your family, 5ow would you rate this year$
Think ba&k and &he&k what kind of a %erson you were during "##6, Are there some regrets$ -f you
were able to ha)e some %art of the year o)er again+ how would you ha)e beha)ed differently$ !ould
you ha)e shown more understanding+ &ared more+ been more %atient+ less &riti&al+ been more
su%%orti)e and hel%ful$ As - refle&t on the year that has %ast there are &ertainly things that - wish -
would ha)e done differently,
5ow about your relationshi% with 6od$ 7id that flourish and grow during "##6 or did it 0ust ho)er in
mu&h the same %la&e as it did the %re)ious year or %erha%s e)en went ba&kwards as you %rayed less+
heard less from 6od through his !ord+ worshi%%ed less, (aybe 6od didn3t ha)e a big %art to %lay in
your life during this %ast year8 somehow he 0ust sli%%ed into the ba&kground, 9ou &ould well ask the
:uestion: how mu&h did my life refle&t the fa&t that - am 6od;s &hild '
did - s%eak as a &hild of 6od8
did - a&t with the lo)e of 6od in my heart8
did - intera&t with others with the same lo)e and forgi)eness that 2esus has shown toward me$
As we stand on the threshold of another year+ 2esus tells us a %arable, -t3s brief but the %oint is &lear,
"Listen+" 2esus says, "A man has a fig tree and %lants it in his )ineyard, <A%%arently it was &ommon for
fruit trees to be %lanted among the )ines=, Three years later he3s making his way u% and down his
)ineyard+ he is looking forward to the taste of a ri%e fig but he sees that the fig tree still doesn3t ha)e
any fruit, 5e &alls to his gardener+ >5ey 6et o)er here, !hy is this tree still here$ -t3s taking u% soil
and moisture and s%a&e, ?ut it down+ right now,3
2esus got it right,
!hy should that tree remain standing$
!hy should it kee% taking u% s%a&e+ using u% the goodness of the soil if it3s ser)ing no %ur%ose$
!hat3s the %oint of ha)ing a tree that should bear fruit but does nothing$
(aybe you3)e had a tree in your garden that was a big disa%%ointment and you ha)e laid into it with
an axe and dug it out roots and all,
2esus3 words+ "#ut it down, right now, and stick a match to it" &uts dee%ly, The owner has a right to be
disa%%ointed and angry at that useless tree, -t3s no wonder he wants it destroyed, @ut as we listen to
2esus story we know 2esus isn3t 0ust talking about a fig tree, 5e3s talking about you and me, !e are
led to ask oursel)es+ "Am - bearing fruit$ - kee%ing su&king u% the nutrients of the soil in whi&h -3)e
been %lanted and when am - going to show some kind of fruit to mat&h the years -3)e been standing in
6od;s garden and all the o%%ortunities -3)e been gi)en$"
2esus takes a breath and &ontinues, "Lea)e it alone for one more year"+ the gardener %leads+ "-3ll dig
around it and fertiliAe it, -f it bears fruit next year fine -f not+ then &ut it down,"
And with that+ 2esus ends his story of the fig tree lea)ing his listeners to %onder the generosity+ the
%atien&e+ the gra&e of the gardener, They are stru&k by the words of the gardener when he says
"Lea)e it alone", The word used by 2esus here also means "forgi)e", They know now that 2esus
wasn3t sim%ly telling a story about a fig tree but he was talking about 6od and the way he forgi)es us
e)en though we don3t deser)e su&h generosity and kindness,
9ou see+ 6od has gi)en us some wonderful soil for growth, -n ?olossians &ha%ter " we are told+
"
,ou
have accepted #hrist Jesus as your ord. -ow keep on following him. .lant your roots in #hrist and
let him be the foundation for your life. 'e strong in your faith, (ust as you were taught. /nd be
grateful" <)erses 6 B C=, As 6od;s %eo%le we build our li)es on 2esus, .ur )ery existen&e+ our day-to-
day li)ing+ our e)ery breathing moment has its sour&e in him, !e o&&u%y )aluable s%a&e in the
garden, The soil is ri&h and our roots are there and the owner of the garden is looking for fruit, 6od
wants to see in us the kind of fruit that he would ex%e&t to see from someone who has been made
new and holy through the blood of 2esus8 from someone who has been gi)en a new life by the li)ing
2esus,
As "##6 draws to a &lose he sees all too well what has ha%%ened in the %ast - how our relationshi%s
ha)en3t always been what they &ould ha)e been,
5e has seen the arguments+
the inability to be generous when it &omes to forgi)eness and re&on&iliation+
the la&k of gratitude to your %arents+
the disres%e&t for your &hildren+
the dis&onne&tion between you and the &hur&h and what 6od offers through his &hur&h,
5e3s seen it all as it has unfolded during "##6 mu&h to our embarrassment, And he3s forgi)en it all,
And we3)e drawn on that forgi)eness, !e3)e heard his words e)ery Dunday as he says to us+ >9our
sins are forgi)en3
!e3)e been assured of that ea&h time we3)e &ome to the Lord3s Du%%er,
!e3)e drawn on those ri&hes+ and still there3s someone we ha)en3t forgi)en,
Dtill there is that relationshi% that remains fra&tured+
still no words are s%oken between you and the %erson with whom you ha)e fallen out+
still the anger wells u% whene)er you think of that %erson or hear hisEher name,
!hat magnifi&ent lo)e 6od shows us 5e really must think we3re something s%e&ial, !hat lo)e that he
takes me and ado%ts me and &alls me his &hild, That lo)e of 6od is so %re&ious to us es%e&ially when
we ha)e &ried out in des%air and %ain and need the reassuran&e that e)erything will be all right
@ut how many times has someone &ried out for some lo)e and we3)e been so busy en0oying that lo)e
oursel)es that we ha)en3t heard the &ry$
-t3s true that there ha)e times when we3)e really felt down+ really alone+ we3)e s%ent restless nights in
our beds and the morning has brought no relief, And someone has hel%ed us A tele%hone &all+ a
letter+ a word+ an arm around our shoulders and we3)e been u%lifted Ferha%s a sermon+ a de)otion+ a
hymn or song has reassured us and gi)en us ho%e
@ut how deaf we3)e been to the loneliness and &onfusion and des%air all around us$
"6i)e the tree one more year"+ the gardener in the )ineyard said, The owner wanted to &ho% it down
but the gardener isn3t going to gi)e u%, 5e3s going to dig around it+ turn o)er the soil+ add some
fertiliser+ show it some more TL? and gi)e it another &han&e -sn3t that 0ust ty%i&al of the D%irit of 6od$
The soil may be brown and hard-baked+ but he3s going to send rain, There3s going to be a &hange,
The gardener is determined and he3s going to see to it
Listen to what 2esus tell us in 2ohn &ha%ter 1/:/+
"Those who remain in me, and ! in them, will bear much fruit) for you can do nothing without me". The
key is to be &onne&ted to 2esus, 5e is the one who &an enable us to be what we ought to be, !e
need him to hel% our bran&hes bear fruit, !ithout him+ we will rate ea&h year that %asses below / on
the 1 to 1# s&ale
4)eryday we are in&lined to want to break the relationshi% that 6od has with us and to turn our ba&k
on the way he wants us to be as his &hildren, !e are like the fig tree that fails to %rodu&e good fruit,
Thank 6od for the %atien&e and gra&e of the gardener,
2esus gi)es himself for us, 5e be&omes the manure+ the fertiliser for us as he is re0e&ted+ laughed at+
&ru&ified as a &riminal, .n the &ross+ nails+ thorn-s%ikes and s%ear dig into him, 5e waters the ground
with his own blood, 5e does e)erything, !e do nothing, !e sim%ly trust in his gra&e, -n ?hrist+ we are
made beautiful+ fruitful gardens,
5e digs around so that the lo)e of 6od %ours out of us and begins to work in us and we be&ome
lo)ely %eo%le+ through 2esus !ith his kind of fertiliser we begin to a&&e%t others as he was able to
a&&e%t others G and us,
The %arable about the fig tree makes it :uite &lear that we ha)e been unfruitful+ unfaithful+ yet in s%ite
of our la&k of fidelity+ 6od is faithful,
@e sure of this: 2esus waits for us+ s%ade in hand+ wheelbarrow by his side+ ready to bring us into
"##C, That3s a %romise, Armed with that %romise+ we &an ste% forward into the 1ew 9ear ready to let
him do the work in us that only he &an do, Thanks him for his goodness in gi)ing you+ gi)ing us+ one
more year of gra&e