The Third Sunday of Lent – March 7, 2010
Luke 13:1 – 9
Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'
“'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'"
The story and parable have an odd and convoluted sense about them, especially for those of us disconnected by centuries from the events alluded to in the narrative.
First, notice that Jesus addresses a general group of people, “some present at that time.” The audience is not disciples, scribes and Pharisees, or the Sadducees, but a more general, more ambiguous assembly.
Some in the group mention to Jesus an incident in which some Galileans were repenting and offering animal sacrifice in the Temple when Pilate sent troops to murder them. He then mingled their blood with the blood of the sacrificed animals. It is a horrific story, but perhaps the crowd thought that the sins for which the Galileans were repenting were so great that they deserved their fate. Perhaps they thought this was God’s punishment on the Temple worshipers.
This thinking is still predominant today, thinking that says, “God will get you, one way or another, if you do something wrong!” Many believe that God keeps people in line by punishing humans, using any means necessary to keep us in line.
Jesus responded by mentioning a second historical incident, taking their logic a step further. He mentions a time when the tower of Siloam fell and killed seemingly innocent people. But to follow the logic of the crowd, those killed by the collapsing tower had some unresolved “sin” somewhere in their lives.
Jesus’ words are direct. He bluntly says, “No!” to the enquiries. He doesn’t explain his “no,” he simply dismisses the faulty theology that sees God’s punishment behind both moral and natural evil.
Jesus’ intent here, however, is not mainly theological. He is not primarily interested in straightening out the faulty theology of a crowd. His interest is personal and spiritual.
His real rebuke is upon the interest in speculation this crowd engages in. He has no interest in debate, in choosing sides and having a good dialogue about these matters of theology. Jesus is interested in transformation, in engagement and encounter. Speculative thinking doesn’t appeal to him, we can assume, because it does nothing to further the kingdom of God.
So the crowd has been interested in a speculative debate about the lives of others who have died untimely deaths. Suddenly, Jesus turns the conversation to their own lives. Twice he says, “You repent!”
Then he tells a parable that at first glance seems unrelated to the narrative. In fact, it is a parable that challenges the crowd to stop dealing in speculative pursuits that keep them unengaged in the matters that would make a difference in the world. Those interested only in debate and theological discourse are the trees that have not produced fruit. They are so narrow in their love of debate that they are no longer producing anything worthwhile in the world. Their lives are being wasted in meaningless chatter and head-games.
The questions they asked may have been important, but in their narrow-minded pursuit of those questions, they missed other matters that are crucial for life. Life with God is immensely practical, lived in the here-and-now. It is not a matter for speculation and debate.
God does not offer us a body of nice ideas that we are to debate and agree upon. God offers us a life-changing relationship of intimacy that has the capacity to change the world.
Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'
“'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'"
The story and parable have an odd and convoluted sense about them, especially for those of us disconnected by centuries from the events alluded to in the narrative.
First, notice that Jesus addresses a general group of people, “some present at that time.” The audience is not disciples, scribes and Pharisees, or the Sadducees, but a more general, more ambiguous assembly.
Some in the group mention to Jesus an incident in which some Galileans were repenting and offering animal sacrifice in the Temple when Pilate sent troops to murder them. He then mingled their blood with the blood of the sacrificed animals. It is a horrific story, but perhaps the crowd thought that the sins for which the Galileans were repenting were so great that they deserved their fate. Perhaps they thought this was God’s punishment on the Temple worshipers.
This thinking is still predominant today, thinking that says, “God will get you, one way or another, if you do something wrong!” Many believe that God keeps people in line by punishing humans, using any means necessary to keep us in line.
Jesus responded by mentioning a second historical incident, taking their logic a step further. He mentions a time when the tower of Siloam fell and killed seemingly innocent people. But to follow the logic of the crowd, those killed by the collapsing tower had some unresolved “sin” somewhere in their lives.
Jesus’ words are direct. He bluntly says, “No!” to the enquiries. He doesn’t explain his “no,” he simply dismisses the faulty theology that sees God’s punishment behind both moral and natural evil.
Jesus’ intent here, however, is not mainly theological. He is not primarily interested in straightening out the faulty theology of a crowd. His interest is personal and spiritual.
His real rebuke is upon the interest in speculation this crowd engages in. He has no interest in debate, in choosing sides and having a good dialogue about these matters of theology. Jesus is interested in transformation, in engagement and encounter. Speculative thinking doesn’t appeal to him, we can assume, because it does nothing to further the kingdom of God.
So the crowd has been interested in a speculative debate about the lives of others who have died untimely deaths. Suddenly, Jesus turns the conversation to their own lives. Twice he says, “You repent!”
Then he tells a parable that at first glance seems unrelated to the narrative. In fact, it is a parable that challenges the crowd to stop dealing in speculative pursuits that keep them unengaged in the matters that would make a difference in the world. Those interested only in debate and theological discourse are the trees that have not produced fruit. They are so narrow in their love of debate that they are no longer producing anything worthwhile in the world. Their lives are being wasted in meaningless chatter and head-games.
The questions they asked may have been important, but in their narrow-minded pursuit of those questions, they missed other matters that are crucial for life. Life with God is immensely practical, lived in the here-and-now. It is not a matter for speculation and debate.
God does not offer us a body of nice ideas that we are to debate and agree upon. God offers us a life-changing relationship of intimacy that has the capacity to change the world.
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