Parable Contest

Jason Hardin, at Things Hoped For, is holding a contest about what your favorite parable is. My entry is below:

Hello Jason,
One of my favorite parables is the parable of the fig tree found in Luke Chapter 13:6-9:

6Then Jesus used this illustration: "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. 7Finally, he said to his gardener, `I've waited three years, and
there hasn't been a single fig! Cut it down. It's taking up space we can use for
something else.'8"The gardener answered, `Give it one more chance. Leave it
another year, and I'll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. 9If
we get figs next year, fine. If not, you can cut it down.' "

There are several reasons why this parable means so much to me.

1. Its direct call for repentance. Jesus had just heard of some murders by Pilate of Jews. Many, it would seem, argued that they must have had it coming. But Jesus points out clearly that it is them who must repent, or they would perish and not enter the Kingdom.

2. It shows God's expectations. God had planted a beautiful fig tree (Israel) in a garden, and expected it to produce fruit. But then Israel didn't produce fruit, and so was "wasting space", as well as energy. God isn't one to appreciate wastefullness.

3. Most importantly, it shows Jesus' mediatating effect. Not only did Jesus care for the tree (as the gardener) but he has mercy on the tree. "Give it a little more time." Jesus loved Israel, His people, and didn't want to see it perish. But more than just being patient, Jesus says he's going to give Israel all the care and fertilizer it could need to bring about repentance (fruit) so that it would not suffer the terrible fate it ultimately did. The apostles, and perhaps the church itself, were the fertilizer, trying to strengthen the remains of Israel to repentance.

Applying this parable today, I think one of the keys is that God loves His people, and that he will use lots of fertilizer (the church) to spur repentance and the fruit of godliness. It gives me a better idea of what the Kingdom of God is about... unappreciated waste (by human standards) being used to slowly give nutrients and life to those fruitless trees around it, with a goal not of "justice" or "clearing the space" by having the trees cut down, but in the hope of having trees that produce fruit to supply and beautify the whole garden.