Alex’s Commentary – Luke 13:6-9
The story is outrageous on purpose; the Lord Jesus Christ uses exaggeration in his telling of the fruitless tree to emphasize his main point: there is something fundamentally wrong with the human heart (sin), and only the Triune God can fix it. His audience understood the unnatural, the against-design behavior of the fig tree. Even trees growing on the side of Judea’s dusty roads would yield fruit every year! And here you have a tree planted on good ground, taken care of, which has not produced fruit in a long time. The three certainly deserve what is coming. But instead of receiving justice, the tree (us!) receives grace at the expense of the vinedresser’s reputation and work. This is a surprising twist in the story since no vineyard administrator would risk it all for a lost cause like this one.
And yet, he did. He did not because he was obligated, not because of his job; he did it out of love and compassion for the fruitless tree. From God’s perspective, this is not a gamble; his work always produces fruit in the human heart, at the very least fruit of repentance.
For Your Consideration
- What are the similarities between this passage and the other readings for the same Sunday in our Lectionarium?
- What connections do you see between Fruitless Tress and previous Lent messages?
- Consider the work of Jesus Christ, the Vinedresser, on your behalf and present prayers of thanksgiving and adoration.
- How does His work enable you, personally, to serve others with humility, compassion, and generosity?
- What fruit of repentance is He producing in you?
- Who around you needs to meet Jesus Christ, the Vinedresser? Ask the Triune God that He may reveal Himself to them – may be using you as an example.
Extra Credit
- Read the passages for this coming Sunday.
- Pray that everyone who may come to worship (in person and online) may hear His message clearly.
