The Parables of Jesus - The Barren Fig Tree

Introduction

Today, we are going to see together what Jesus teaches about repentance, but especially the question of the fruit that is produced by a genuine and sincere repentance.

When Jesus calls us to believe in order to be justified and saved by the grace of God, there is also a step of faith and a visible transformation that confirms that faith. It is this change of direction, this turning away from our former life and turning toward God. This is what the Bible calls repentance. Not that we are saved by works, but solely and entirely by justification through faith in Jesus Christ.

This faith must be visible and evident in each one of us. Otherwise, this repentance cannot bear fruit that remains, so that our transformation may become a living testimony to the glory of God. For if this is not evident in our lives, we do not have the full assurance of salvation and must therefore seriously examine our hearts, lest we remain separated from the presence of God.

Yes, a change of direction must take place in our lives, but only through the work of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, if indeed He lives within us. It must not come through human methods, habits, or techniques that we learned before we knew God, those things that once brought glory to ourselves in the eyes of the world and allowed us to live independently from God.

Only the work of the Holy Spirit within us can truly be manifested as we humble ourselves and put off the old self, as the Apostle Paul teaches, in order to put on the new self and thus bear fruit that brings all glory to God.

Before reading the parable, we will first look at the context in which Jesus is speaking, who He is addressing, and then we will consider the application that is given to each one of us today.

Teaching

Reading of the Context of the Parable - "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." Luke 13:5 (ESV)

Jesus is speaking to a crowd that has gathered to listen to Him, and He addresses a subject that the Jews and religious leaders knew very well: repentance. 

This was already a familiar message because John the Baptist had prepared the way before Jesus began His earthly ministry. But it was also a message that had been proclaimed throughout the Scriptures, as prophet after prophet called the people of God, as well as the nations that dishonored His holy name, to turn back to the true God rather than to idols made of wood and stone, and to repent of their continual disobedience.

The word "perish" is a strong word, yet it is full of meaning. It shows us that Jesus was not speaking about love according to the standards of the world, but about love according to the Kingdom of God—a love that warns people of the consequences of sin, idolatry, and every form of rebellion against God; a love that calls men and women to abandon their own ways and walk in the ways of God.

The word "all" also reveals the seriousness of His statement. Everyone is concerned by this warning, because no one can claim to be righteous before God by his own efforts or believe that he has no need of repentance. It also reminds us that there is only one way of salvation: Jesus Christ Himself, the only way that leads to the Father.

Furthermore, in chapter 12, the chapter immediately preceding this one, Jesus speaks about the division He came to bring, a division that becomes visible through those who turn away from their sins through repentance. Later in that chapter, He also calls many of them "hypocrites," because they failed to recognize the time of God's visitation. 

Jesus stood before them, revealing the Kingdom of God and fulfilling the Law and the Prophets, yet many refused to see who He truly was.

This warning is found throughout the whole Bible. In fact, it lies at the very heart of the Gospel of salvation and the Good News of Jesus Christ. Genuine faith always leads to repentance from the heart.

So then, what is repentance?

It is important for us to understand both the biblical context and its application for us today. Repentance is a voluntary and visible response toward God.

We are called to turn away from our sinful ways—that is, from those paths that separated us from God, defiled our hearts, and stood in opposition to His will; those ways that glorified ourselves rather than our Heavenly Father.

However, this repentance is only possible through the divine and sovereign work of God the Father, brought about in us through the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

In the Scriptures, we first see repentance in connection with salvation, the repentance that accompanies faith in Jesus Christ. It is this repentance that, through a godly sorrow, convicts us of sin before God, leads us to acknowledge our guilt, and drives us to turn to Christ in order to receive forgiveness and eternal life.

But there is also a continual repentance, one that does not end on the day of our conversion. It remains present throughout the daily life of the believer until the end of his earthly journey.

It is this continual repentance that brings us back to the path of God and to His will whenever we stray. It leads us to put to death our old nature so that the Holy Spirit may continue His work of transformation within us, from glory to glory, until we are conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul writes in his second letter to the Corinthians: "For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death." 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 (ESV)

After considering the context and understanding what repentance is, we will now read the parable itself.

Reading of the Parable - "And he told this parable: A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, 'Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?' And he answered him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'" Luke 13:6–9 (ESV)

We will now take this parable verse by verse in order to better understand what Jesus is teaching us here.

"And he told this parable: A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none." Luke 13:6 (ESV)

Here we have a parable that simply tells a story representing God, His people, and more particularly His people set apart for His glory, a people who were expected to bear fruit and not remain barren. But here, this is not the case.

The man represents God, who planted a fig tree, that is, the people set apart for the accomplishment of God's plan of redemption through Jesus Christ: Israel. This fig tree was planted in a vineyard, representing the covenant promises given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, and to all of God's people throughout the generations.

Fruit is what distinguishes one tree from another. It reveals its nature and manifests what it is intended to produce according to the order established by God in creation.

The fruit that should normally have grown on this tree represents the fruit of genuine repentance. It is the fruit produced by those who have been touched by the message of Jesus and drawn into the arms of the Father. As they see Jesus in their midst, they are led by His Spirit to return to Him in a sincere and authentic repentance.

The primary focus here is not the fruit of the Spirit as it is manifested in the life of the believer, but rather the fruit that reveals a person's belonging to God. It is as though Jesus stood before the people of God, and yet, just as in the previous passage, they neither understood who He was nor why He stood before them.

Jesus was there among them, revealing the Kingdom of God, fulfilling the Law and the Prophets, and bringing them the answer: to believe in Him, repent, and follow Him. Yet when He came looking for fruit, He found none.

"And he said to the vinedresser, 'Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?'" Luke 13:7 (ESV)

The vinedresser here may represent Jesus, the One sent by God, but also those who would later be called by Christ and entrusted with the responsibility of proclaiming His Gospel.

The concept of "three years" in Scripture is often associated with particular periods of time in which God acts, accomplishes His purposes, and manifests both His grace and His judgment.

If we follow this interpretation, Jesus comes looking for fruit, that is, a harvest from this fig tree representing Israel, yet there is nothing to gather. This shows us that God, in His mercy, had sent Jesus Christ to His people, but they were not ready to hear or receive His only begotten Son, who had come to bring the Kingdom of God to earth.

The command to cut down the tree if it remained fruitless shows that the absence of repentance from the heart ultimately leads to judgment. The issue here is not works that save, but the obedience that flows from genuine faith in the Gospel.

This call to bear fruit was not new. Even before Jesus began His earthly ministry, John the Baptist was already calling Israel to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. The problem was not a lack of warning from God, but a persistent refusal to return to Him.

Once again, Jesus speaks about the fruit that comes from genuine repentance, the kind that follows Him by faith and not by sight, as faithful servants, disciples, and ambassadors of the Kingdom.

Furthermore, occupying the ground without producing fruit symbolizes the fertility that a fruit tree is expected to display. For a child of God, this fertility is seen in a transformed life, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, bearing fruit for the glory of God and the advancement of His Kingdom.

"And he answered him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure.'" Luke 13:8 (ESV)

The vinedresser asks his master not to cut down the tree, but to give it more time.

Like Jesus interceding for the people of God, he asks the Heavenly Father to show patience so that His people might understand who He is and why He was sent, thereby manifesting God's mercy and compassion toward them.

Jesus shows in this parable that He chooses to preserve, to keep, and to exercise patience, going all the way to the cross to demonstrate His ultimate love and sacrifice, so that those who follow Him by faith may bear fruit worthy of repentance, out of conviction rather than mere religiosity.

This intercession echoes that of Moses for the people of Israel and Abraham for Sodom and Gomorrah. Despite this intercession and the additional time granted, God knows the heart of man perfectly. He knows that the human heart is naturally corrupt and that true repentance can only be produced through the divine work of the Holy Spirit.

It is also interesting to note that when Jesus speaks this parable, His work on the cross has not yet been accomplished, and the Holy Spirit has not yet been poured out as He would be at Pentecost. God is still granting time to His people while His perfect plan of redemption is unfolding through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

"Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down." Luke 13:9 (ESV)

In this verse, Jesus shows us that judgment remains certain for those who do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and do not sincerely repent with all their hearts, experiencing that godly sorrow that comes from the conviction of sin before God.

Once again, the cutting down of the tree also points us to the judgment that is to come. Although God shows patience and mercy, judgment remains a certain reality for those who persist in refusing to repent.

As Jesus teaches elsewhere: "If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned." John 15:6 (ESV)

Likewise, the Apostle Paul writes: "But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works." Romans 2:5–6 (ESV)

This warning emphasizes the urgency of responding to God's call today, for a day will come when the grace now offered will give way to the righteous judgment of God.

Eternal life is possible only through the grace of God and His perfect sovereignty. We cannot buy our salvation, earn our salvation, or pretend to possess salvation. Therefore, if this genuine repentance is not evident in our lives, we must seriously examine our hearts before God.

Yet this godly sorrow ultimately becomes a source of joy and freedom. When we are renewed and transformed by the Holy Spirit, we become conscious of the divine grace that has been shown to us.

Then a deep gratitude springs from our hearts through praise, thanksgiving, and a life devoted to the glory of God through the perfect work of redemption accomplished by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Lord came to save those who will believe in Him, drawn by the Father and sealed by the Holy Spirit according to His perfect will.

Conclusion

Thus, Jesus ends this parable by leaving an open question before each one of us: when God looks at our lives today, does He find the fruit of genuine repentance, or merely the outward appearance of religion?

The fruit produced by a healthy tree, planted in good soil and nourished by the work of the Holy Spirit, reflects the character of God in the life of the believer and bears witness to the transforming work that God has accomplished within the heart.

Therefore, several questions must be asked by each one of us:

Is my repentance genuine before God?

Is my faith founded upon the truth of His Word?

Is there fruit in my life?

Is it truly the Holy Spirit who is at work within me?

Are we merely religious, or genuinely following God by His grace?

Let us all stand together in Spirit and in Truth, asking the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sin, to transform our hearts, and to lead us in obedience to His Word for the glory of God.