Repairing The Breach

It can seem a bit strange, then, that Luke records Jesus following up this interchange by launching into a story about a fig tree. In Biblical times, the fig tree was a symbol of the good life. Fig trees provide plentiful shade from the heat of the sun, and they provide sweet fruit to eat. They take a long time to grow to maturity too, so if you were able to sit in the shade of your own fig tree it was sign you had lived a settled and stable life for many years. When the writer of the book of 1 Kings describes the prosperity of Israel under King Solomon, this time of peace and plenty is symbolised by a fig trees and vines: During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheeba, lived in safety, each man under his own vine and fig tree. (1 Kings 4:25) In the story Jesus tells in Luke 13: 6-9, however, the fig tree appears to have a different purpose. In this story, the fig tree serves a prop to illustrate the impatience, ignorance, and exploitative attitude of the landowner. A fig tree, under good growing conditions, can take anywhere from three to five years to bear fruit, longer if conditions are tough. This is a fact that seems lost on the landowner in Jesus’ parable. The landowner appears not to be interested in how the fig tree has been cared for in its short life, whether it has been fertilised or had the soil around its base dug to help water percolate down to its roots. The landowner, in his impatience and ignorance, is ready to cut down this young fig tree seemingly oblivious to the fact that with a little attention, it may yet grow to its full potential - a large and beautiful tree that will provide fruit and shade for generations. If there is a connection between Jesus’ teaching in Luke 13:1-5 and Jesus’ story of the fig tree in Luke 13:6-9, it seems to me that perhaps it is this: Jesus is calling his followers to not be judgmental of those who suffer misfortune and persecution, but to repent and examine our own lives – particularly our attitudes and actions toward those who struggle to reach their full potential. 43