6 Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the worker who tended the vineyard, ‘For three years now, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and each time I inspect it I find none. Cut it down! Why should it continue to deplete the soil?’ 8 But the worker answered him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer on it. 9 Then if it bears fruit next year, very well, but if not, you can cut it down.’”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Paul Bogg

I have a mandarin tree in my backyard. On the outside, it actually looks pretty good.  It’s doubled in height in the past 3 years, and has good colour.  But the fruit – well, it’s not as plentiful as I would like, and the fruit that I've picked this year is so sour that you can’t bear to take another bite!  But I look at the tree and think: should I give it one more year? I’ve invested time into it, I’ve cared for it – but if it doesn’t bear edible fruit next season, I’m not quite sure I should keep it around.

This short parable from Jesus today reminds me firstly that God cares for his people – he cares enough to feed and nurture them, to watch them grow, and he longs to see the trees that he has grown bear fruit. And even if those trees don’t seem to be bearing fruit, he is prepared to give it one more season. God is the loving gardener that loves to see his garden bear fruit.  God is also a pragmatic gardener. Jesus warns his people in the previous passage to repent.  Today he warns his people that they ought to be bearing fruit. For those that aren’t bearing fruit – he is prepared to cut down.

So how do I bear fruit for God today? I am reminded of John 15 verse 5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing”.  Jesus tells us how: by abiding in him.  By abiding in Jesus, God will nurture you, and to enable new growth you might find that he prunes a few things off, but then in time new shoots will appear, and once those shoots become branches then he will cause those branches to bear much fruit.  But fruiting takes time – in fact, it takes seasons to happen, so patience is required.

So abide in Jesus. Draw deeper into the true vine through prayer. Soak in the loving nourishment that He gives you through his word and the fellowship with your brothers and sisters. Trust him as he does his work tending to the garden. And in the midst of your service to him, expect the shoots, and the branches, and the fruiting to happen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregration.