And He told this parable: "A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none. He told the vineyard keeper, 'Listen, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it even waste the soil?’ But he replied to him, 'Sir, leave it this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. Perhaps it will produce fruit next year, but if not, you can cut it down.'" Luke 13:6-9
This parable is only recorded by Luke in his gospel account, and is told by Jesus in response to the people delivering the news of Galilean Jews being slaughtered by the Romans while offering up sacrifices to God. Jesus responds to that report by telling the crowd of Jews "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well." Luke 13:5 So, what exactly does it mean?
First, let’s identify the context for Jesus’ response to them, and the plain meaning of the parable. The crowd of Jews are told to “Repent”, or they will perish (die) as well. The crowd seemed to be implying with their questions that those who died were somehow more sinful than others. Jesus corrects this thinking and assures them that unless they repent, they will die just the same as those in the story did. Jesus uses the parable of the fruitless fig tree to drive home the idea that a tree that is without fruit is simply taking up valuable space and will be cut down eventually.
Let’s identify next the parable’s symbolism. The owner of the vineyard is God. He decides what remains in the garden and what is removed, and when it is removed. Jesus is the vineyard-keeper. He tends the garden and asks the vineyard owner for additional time to see if the fig tree will produce fruit after giving it special attention and care. The fig tree is symbolic of the people listening (both the people then, and you and me now), with the figs representing repentance and good works. At its simplest, the parable illustrates the fact that unless people repent and do good works (produce fruit), they will perish (be uprooted and removed from the garden).
In the Bible, the fig tree is many times symbolic of Israel, and specifically, the spiritual condition of the Jews. So, this parable can take on a deeper level of meaning, specifically that the Jewish people must begin to bear fruit, with the figs representing repentance and good works. If they fail to produce fruit, they will be removed from the garden. It is Jesus’ plea to His own people to heed His warning to “Repent!”, to accept Him as their Messiah, and to produce the fruit of repentance and good works in response.
Lastly, as with many parables in the Bible Jesus gave, it has a prophetic level of meaning as well. Jesus is prophesying that He will plead with His Father to give the Jewish people more time to produce fruit, specifically one more year. It is noted that the fig tree (the Jews) have not produced any fruit for the previous three years prior. Historically we know, according to the Bible, that John the Baptist was the precursor to Jesus, and preached repentance to the Jewish people. The people did not respond as they should have to John the Baptist’s preaching of repentance for 3 years prior, and now Jesus was asking for one more year to carefully tend to the fig tree (perform miracles and teach them with authority) in hopes that it produces fruit finally. Sadly, Jesus did preach repentance to the Jewish people for another year after the death of John the Baptist, most likely around the time this parable was given to the people, at which time the people rejected Him as their Messiah and crucified Him.
We know that the fig tree was uprooted and removed from the garden. The Jewish people rejected their Messiah and the Church age began. Paul describes it in Romans chapter 11 more fully, using the example of an Olive Tree and its branches. “Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them and have come to share in the rich root of the cultivated olive tree…” “I don't want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you will not be conceited: A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” Romans 11:17,25.
But Paul also explains that God is not through with the Jewish people, and they will be delivered and saved after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. The “fullness of the Gentiles” refers to the prophet Daniel’s description of the coming Gentile kingdoms lasting up until the last Gentile kingdom which will be ruled by the antichrist. Jesus will return with the saints at His second coming, destroy the antichrist and his kingdom, and this will bring forth the final kingdom which will be ruled by Jesus Himself during the millennial kingdom period of 1000 years. The prophet Zechariah describes what will happen during the time of the "Day of the Lord", the tribulation period when the Jewish people call on the Lord for salvation: "Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the house of David and the residents of Jerusalem, and they will look at me whom they pierced. They will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and weep bitterly for him as one weeps for a firstborn. "On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the residents of Jerusalem, to wash away sin and impurity." Zech. 12:10, 13:1. The fig tree will once again be planted in the vineyard of the Lord, and will produce fruit and remain in the garden of God.
The time is close…it might be a good time to evaluate yourself. Are you producing the fruit of repentance and good works?
