Rev. Susan Chamberlin Smith of Trinity UCC of Deerfield, Ill
March, 2010 - Sermon
Which brings us to Jesus and the parable of fig tree, a parable which seems, at first glance, to be about a tree that does not produce. Like most of Jesus' parables, however, it isn't at all about what we see at first glance. This parable is about God's grace, not about the net worth of a fig tree.
First, a bit of background on fig trees. Fig trees are high maintenance plants. When producing, they produce two crops per year, but the variety most common in the Holy Land usually does not produce fruit until its third year. On top of that Hebrew law required another three years of fruiting before the fruit was "clean" for human use, which meant that a gardener had to tend the tree six years before a single fig could be eaten! In addition, fig trees require regular watering, and they deplete soil nutrients rapidly, thereby requiring constant fertilization. The canopy of the tree provides thick, dark shade under which nothing else, including grape vines, can grow. The wood of the tree is practically useless for any kind of carpentry... In short, a fig tree which is not producing figs is worse than useless, it is a resource-consuming nuisance. The fruit is its one and only reason for being, at least from a practical point of view.
So when the tree in the parable bears no fruit, it shouldn't surprise us that the vineyard owner in the parable says, "Cut it down! Why should we let it continue to occupy the ground to no purpose?" We can understand the frustration of the vineyard owner - all that waiting and still not a single fig to show for it. Fortunately for us, however, this is a story about the grace of God rather than the impatience of humanity. The gardener says, "aphes," "leave it alone" - the same word in Greek as "forgive" or "pardon."
This parable tells us that God is forgiving. Isaiah agrees, saying that God will" abundantly pardon," and Julian of Norwich, the 14th century mystic, proclaims that God has only one characteristic and that is love - a love so great that God really can't do anything except forgive our sins even before we commit them.
