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Text: Lk 13:6-9
Theme: God has planted us to bear fruit.
Doctrine: Sanctification
Image: Barren trees
Need: lack fruit of Spirit
Message: work toward gaining fruit of Spirit
*Barren Trees*
Luke 13:6-9
*Intro*
The Jews hated the governor Pilate, and they got into altercations with him quite often.
He had little to no respect for the customs and religious practices of the Jews.
Though the Romans allowed for a variety of religions to operate within the empire, the main religion of Rome was a civil religion with Caesar as god.
At one point Pilate brought Roman flags bearing Caesar's image into the Jerusalem temple mount.
This infuriated the Jews who resented having his image in the Holy City, and a major protest erupted.
The protesters were so committed to their case, they were willing to die for it.
Pilate relented and removed the flags.
Not long after that Rome wanted to build an aqueduct and they needed money.
Pilate, wondering where he could get the money, spotted the temple treasury.
Driven by the need to finance the project, he appropriated the money from the temple treasury.
As Pilate's guards were breaking into the treasury box in the outer court of the temple a large group of angry Jews gathered to oppose them.
Pilate sent some of his soldiers into the mob, dressed as civilians, with concealed weapons.
When the commander gave the order, the soldiers began to attack everyone in the crowd.
They killed all who were in the mob, and cleaned out the treasury.
Some who were travelling with Jesus told him about some Galileans whose blood Pilate has mixed with their sacrifices, and this may have been the incident they were referring to.
Jesus answered them, “Do you think they died because they were worse sinners than others?
Well, they weren't.
What about those 18 who died when the Siloam tower fell on them?
Were they more sinful than other Jews?
No, they weren't!”
Here, Jesus refutes the long held idea that pain, suffering, and death are connected to individual sinfulness.
Job's friends assumed he did something wrong to deserve the pain inflicted on him.
People asked Jesus if a man born blind was born that way because he sinned, or because his parents sinned.
“Neither,” he answered.
Our physical sufferings and death are not the result of our individual sins.
They are the result of a broken and sinful world which has been cursed due to our sinfulness, however, we cannot link pain, suffering, and death to divine vengeance over an individual's sin.
This does not mean that personal judgement is not going to come.
Jesus refutes the idea that physical pain and suffering are punishment for sin, but he does not say that punishment will not come.
Jesus gives the people two warnings that reminds them that punishment is coming.
Twice he tells his listeners, “But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
The presence of suffering, hurt, and death in the world is meant to show us that punishment is coming and that we need to get right with God.
To help illustrate his point, Jesus tells the parable we just read.
*Page 1: Fig tree (God's people) has proven barren.
*
A man was walking around the Judean countryside, looking for a place to plant his vineyard.
He settles on a beautiful spot on the side of a hill overlooking the Jordan river.
Looking to the north it looked like the river merged with the distant hills as it came down from the Sea of Galilee.
Looking to the south, the river wound its way slowly between it lush banks before entering into the Dead Sea. “This is a good spot,” he says to his servants who immediately agree with him.
So the man and his servants began to clear the soil of rocks and built stone fences around the plot of land.
After all the vines were planted, the man decides he wants some other trees in the vineyard as well.
So he plants an assortment of various trees, olive, pomegranate, and at least one fig tree.
“Are you sure you want to plant a fig tree here?” asks his vineyard keeper.
“According to the law of Moses you aren't allowed to take any of the fruit for the first three years, and the fourth years crop belongs to the LORD.
You won't get anything from that tree for at least five years.
Why don't you just use the trees which are growing by the road?” “No, plant one here,” replied the man.
“I want it to have the safety of the vineyard.”
So the servants planted the trees as the master had asked.
The heat of the Jordan valley, and the timely rains caused the tree to grow and flourish.
After four years of waiting for the fig tree to develop the man went to the vineyard to check on his tree.
He did not find any fruit on it.
The same thing happened the next year.
The man went back again the third year.
It was hot that day, and the man's cloak was beginning to stick to his back as he climbed the hill side to his vineyard.
Sweat was pouring off his face when he finally reached the gate.
It was even hotter in the vineyard as the high walls cut off the slight breeze coming down the valley from the lake of Galilee.
He strides around the vineyard examining all the trees and vines.
He finally comes to the fig tree, hoping that this year it would have born at least a little fruit.
He searches every branch for even a hint of fruit, and is again disappointed; no fruit.
He storms over to his vineyard keeper, grabs him by the arm and drags him back to the fig tree.
“For three years now I have come to look for fruit on this fig tree, but have not found any.
Cut it down!
Why should it use up the soil?”
God's chosen people are that fig tree.
God has provided them with a wonderful vineyard to grow in.
He gave them the safety and security of the law of Moses, which was meant to drive the people to bear fruit, to be a light to the nations, to turn all peoples to God, to show others who is the real God.
The Israelites failed over and over again to bear fruit.
God had been patient with them.
He gave them plenty of time to produce the fruit of righteousness, the fruit of faith, but people are not being saved, and Israel itself has not remained true to God.
The chosen people of God did not live up to their end of the bargain.
God promised that he would be their God, and they would be his people, if they followed his commands.
They did not do so, however, and God has given them enough time.
He commands his vineyard keeper to cut them down, to throw them out, to destroy the entire works.
He is going to give up on the whole thing, because his people have not produced fruit.
Why should he waste the good things he has given them?
Why should they use up the soil of his covenant, of his law, of his love?
They shouldn't!
He has given them more than enough time to produce the fruit which he had planted them for.
It was time to root them out.
God was exasperated with his people.
*Page 2&4:* *Gardener gives tree better chance.
*
The vineyard owner was exasperated with his fig tree.
He could not believe that the tree would not produce fruit.
It had every opportunity.
He would not let the tree waste the space in the vineyard any longer.
He wanted it cut down.
The vineyard keeper took a close look at the tree.
He walked around in its shade, inspecting the plant.
He did not want to cut the tree down, but it was not producing, and he could not keep something which was not producing.
So he intercedes for the tree.
“No, don't cut it down just yet.
Give it one more chance.
I will dig around it and spread manure around it.
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