Luke 13:6-9

“He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.”

-- Jubilee Bible

Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

I read this after hearing out of the corner of my ear while washing dishes. I said to myself, "What? What the hell is he talking about?"

We are all familiar with the old self-gratifying platitudes of which there are so many. But what is Jesus saying here?

The master says: I gave the tree three chances and, still, nothing. Cut it down!

The gardner: No, lets give it one more chance. I'll feed it more. It'll do better. I promise.

The master: walks away while the tree still stands.

Then it hit me. Master=God; Gardner = shepherd = Jesus. Jesus is asking God to give man one more chance promising to teach us to grow. The fertilizer is the New Testament.

The new is pretty darn easy to relate to and comply with compared to the Old. I think God's logical side was ready to pull another Noah on our butts and Jesus is God's emotional side.

Version Study & Takeaway

The Linguistic Trap:

In verse 7, when the owner says the tree “cumbers the ground” or “takes up space,” the original Greek word is καταργεῖ (katargei)—meaning to render useless, idle, or completely unproductive.

From a purely logical standpoint, the owner had every right to cut it down. The numbers didn't lie. The investment had zero return.

But the gardener countered katargei not with balance sheets or proof of future yield, but with care: he offered to dig around it, dung it, and tend to it.

Logic demanded the axe. Grace asked for time and dirt.

The Takeaway:

I don’t care much for emotional arguments. But watching the Gardener talk the Master out of swinging the axe made me realize something: maybe emotion isn't the enemy I thought it was.

It is fair to say that I don't care much for emotional arguments...

Can I get a second chance?

What about a third?

Bla, bla, bla...

Luke 13:6-9 NLT

Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed.

Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’

“The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer.

If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”