Dig Around It

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"There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, 'Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.' 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.\"'"

Luke 13:1-8

What side are you on? That is the question Jesus is asking in this scripture above. Are you on the side of right or wrong? The right side leads to eternal life, while the wrong side leads to destruction. Jesus' message is simple. All you have to do is repent of your sins in order to have new life. If you don't repent, then you will perish.

But don't miss what happens next. Jesus doesn't stop at the warning. He tells a story about a fig tree that's been fruitless for three years. The owner is done with it. Cut it down. But the vinedresser steps in and asks for one more year, and he doesn't just ask to wait around. He says let me dig around it. Let me put manure on it. That's not passive patience. That's hands in the dirt, work.

That's what grace looks like. God isn't just tolerating you while you figure it out on your own. He's actively working the soil around your life, whether you notice it or not, so that you can bear fruit.

Here's the thing though. The urgency from the first part of this passage and the patience from the second part aren't in conflict. They're two sides of the same truth. God is patient with us, but that patience has a purpose, and it's not unlimited. The tower could fall tomorrow. The extra year isn't forever.

God does not desire to cut us down. Rather, He loves us and desires us to bear fruit. But He's also not going to let us sit fruitless forever pretending there's no urgency to the matter.

What fruit are you bearing in your life currently? What sins do you need to repent of in order to start bearing the kind of fruit God desires?

It's these questions we need to be asking of ourselves that help us draw closer in our relationship with Christ.

Be Nice. Grace Wins.

FMJ