6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.
7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
Luke 13:6-9 (KJV)
What everyone wants, if not craves, is a blessing. From the text, it doesn’t appear as if the farmer was good at what he did. He planted but did not harvest. Worse, when his master came for fruit, he did not know what to say. All he could say is “…let me dig a little …let me fertilise …give me more time.”
God creates your opportunities, but it is up to you to be a good farmer and to receive a harvest. You might remember this principle:
Success requires no explanations; failures permit no alibis.
God causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:45) And that’s why we have The Parable of The Fig Tree. It is sweet in its simplicity yet powerful in its practicality. It will teach you three things you must know if you want to be blessed.
I. You Must Recognise The Value of Time (verses 6-7)
People spend most of their time in three ways:
- Sleeping
- Working
- Watching TV
Would you say that is a good investment of your time? The Scriptures declare that time is short, and we ought not waste it.
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16 (KJV)
In other words, time is a stewardship responsibility. You can do anything in life you want but you cannot do everything in life you want. It is up to you to choose wisely. (Luke 13:7, Matthew13:23) When it comes to barrenness or blessedness, time matters. Time is a stewardship responsibility.
II. You Must Recognise The Value of Good Advice (verses 8)
No one has to do what Jesus says to do but you don’t have to be blessed either.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Proverbs 9:10 (KJV)
If you just want to get by in life, you don’t have to listen to anyone. Just do what you want. Go where you want. Believe what you want. And take the consequences.
But if it’s Jesus you want, you can’t do that. You do what he wants. You go where he says. You change your thinking to match his.
Jesus always gives good advice. He challenges us to step out in faith and to get our feet moving so that our mind will follow.
III. We Must Recognise The Value of Service (verse 9)
And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
Luke 13:9 (KJV)
The tree missed the entire point of its life. For every Christian, there is a purpose to your life – in all the stages of your life.
Who will you listen to? Too many times we hear some say how something can’t be done.
- But God is not in the “it can’t be done” business.
- What he needs to see from us is “how it can be done.”
- Not to “get out of” what God is doing, but to “get in on” what he is doing.
Never listen to anybody who says that it can’t be done. Run as fast as you can. They are not helping. They are hurting. God wins at everything. God always succeeds. He is never short on money. He is never short on blessings. He is never short on opportunity. Rather, it is the other way around. We are barren when it is God who wants to bless us!
It is interesting to note that the parable is unfinished. We don’t know from the text what happened after that one more year. It leaves us with the question if the tree ever become fruitful. What do you think the ending should be? Now, take your own life. If your life finished that parable, how would it end?