The text this morning is from the Gospel according to Luke, the thirteenth chapter:
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. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
The Roman governor, Pilate, was not really a man to mess around with. He was in a lot of trouble, actually. He already had a couple of rebellions on his hands, and Caesar told him if he had any more, he would be recalled to Rome. For Pilate, losing his position like that would mean embarrassment, exile, possibly even execution. You can understand now, perhaps, even why he allowed the Jews to crucify Jesus rather than have another rebellion that Good Friday.
To keep the peace, it seems he was a harsh ruler. He was so harsh even, that one day, while there were Galileean believers in the Temple, he had his soldiers rush in and slaughter those Galileeans where they stood. They had been there to bring their sacrifices to God, according to the Mosaic law. And as their bodies lay bleeding in the Temple, their blood became mingled with the blood of those animals they had come to offer to God in atonement for their sins.
This was a heinous act. No one could believe it really. Pilate spilled blood in the Temple. Unbelievers came into the Temple. Instead of realizing the depth of sin and how it infects each person, instead of realizing that wrath and destruction are what is wrought because of that sin, instead of realizing that they were just like these slaughtered men, those who were there came to the misguided conclusion that these men must have done something to offend God.
What it was, no one knew. But, there was a great teacher nearby who had to be told the news. Perhaps He could shed some light on what it was that had happened. At the very least, the crowds all around Jesus, maybe they could spark up a rebellion, an uprising, get that evil Roman governor out of Jerusalem, out of Israel, and cast out all of his Roman guard as well.
So they came. They came and told Jesus the news. But Jesus didn’t tell them what they thought He would say. Instead, Jesus answered their news that they were just like these Galileean believers. Not only that, but they were just like those who had been crushed by the tower in Siloam. No one could believe it really. But Jesus spoke the truth. He told them that they would be slaughtered, they would be crushed, if they didn’t repent of their sin.
And then He tells a parable. Now, remember: Jesus doesn’t tell parables to make things clear for people. In Matthew 13, He tells His disciples that it is because it is only given to people who have the ears of faith to hear His parables and understand them. So, when He tells this parable, He is telling it so that a person of faith, so that you, would understand it, but that it would be hidden from the rest of the unbelieving world.
But, why would Jesus want to hide His words away from the world? Surely He wants all people to be saved. Of course He does. But, you see, it is unbelieving hearts that thought they were better than the Galileeans. It truly is the unbelieving heart that thinks they are better in the eyes of God than another person. Avoid such thoughts. If one thinks they are better than another, if one thinks that they have pleased God more, if one thinks that they have any more favor from God, then they are truly demonstrating themselves to be unbelievers.
The believing heart, the one that trusts in the gracious goodness of God, the one that seeks after the mercy of God, is the one that looks to God for all that He would give generously from His hand. The believing heart is one that sees itself for what it is: sinful, dirty, rotten, dead. Our Confessions tell us that to see our sins should terrify us to the core and thrust us into repentance. When we recognize what we have done and who we are, we should be so terrified of the wrath of God, that we should rejoice all the more when it does not come.
Yet, at the same time, when bad things happen to us, we should also recognize that God isn’t just sitting in heaven punishing us. God isn’t looking down from heaven waiting for you to mess up so He can collapse a tower on your head, so He can send an ambitious governor to slaughter you in worship, so He can send a whole host of evil things into your life. That’s not what He does.
Rather, God looks down upon you and grants to you His grace and His mercy. He does this simply even by allowing us to breathe. We are sinful, but God gives us air. We are sinful, but God gives us food and shelter. We are sinful, yet God gives to us His Word and Sacraments so that we might believe in His name and have eternal life.
The unbelieving heart wants none of this; and truly, this is how we are all conceived and born. Yet, by the gift of faith, given to us in our Baptisms, through the Word of God, the Spirit takes our unbelieving hearts and drowns them so that we might believe in the Lord God, Jesus Christ, and have life in His name. This is why Jesus hides His message in parables: that the unbelieving heart would be pricked by the knowledge of God and come to Him and Him alone seeking after the Truth.
And Jesus’ parable is this:
“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.’ ”What does this mean? Perhaps one would look at it with unbelieving eyes and take from it that God gives us a bunch of chances so that we can produce the fruit of works. And if we don’t produce that fruit on our own, well, then we’ll be cut down. And sure, that sounds kind of, sort of, maybe like what might be said elsewhere in the Scriptures. But, how does that jive with what Jesus just said? It doesn’t.
Notice in the parable, Jesus actually doesn’t give a reason, an answer as to why these Galileeans were slaughtered, nor does He give a reason to why the tower fell on the Siloamites. But He was just speaking of repentance, and of course, we know that where there is repentance, there is always the forgiveness of sins. That’s what Jesus was talking about. This parable then must be about the same theme.
Remember, Jesus is hiding things from unbelievers, even people who appear to have had faith, but yet, because they refused to see the mercy of God, because they thought themselves somehow better, or those Galileeans somehow worse, they prove to not believe in the one true God. The real purpose of this parable is to show us how God spares us so that we might have time for repentance and how Jesus works on us to produce it. It has nothing to do with the fruit of good works, which follow repentance.
This vineyard the tree is planted in is God’s vineyard. The tree was put in a particular vineyard, the Church, for a particular time, for a particular purpose: repentance. And God expects this tree to bear the fruit, bear repentance, for that is its purpose. But He finds no repentance on this tree, this person He has planted in His Church. It’s not there. Perhaps the tree is busy judging others. Perhaps the tree doesn’t think it needs to put its fruit out there. Perhaps the tree thinks it is the best tree in the land and nothing bad will happen to it. Perhaps the tree was doing anything other than what it was supposed to do, and it bore no repentance for the core of the tree was anything but faithful. And God, the man in the parable, found no fruit in that place and desired to cut that worthless tree down to its roots.
But in the vineyard, there is a vinedresser, and this vinedresser cares for the tree. He tends it with great care, feeding it, watering it, making sure it has room to grow. He has tended to it for three years, for the full time from John the Baptizer’s cry of repentance until this moment, but it has not produced anything. Yet, the time for the tree to produce its fruit may yet come, for the fulfillment of repentance, meaning the forgiveness of sins, would come when our Lord would rise from the dead, vindicated and vindicating all sinners who believe in His name, even to this day.
Here then, the vinedresser is Christ. And He tends to those He has planted in His Church, you, covering you in His care that you would produce a repentant heart. You can’t help it; when you receive the care of Christ, when you hear His Word, when you remember your Baptism, when you are fed and watered in the body and blood of Christ in His Holy Supper, repentance and the forgiveness of sins come. You can’t help it, it’s the natural fruit produced through care. You don’t do it yourself, it comes through the word of the Vinedresser, it comes through Christ Himself.
Yet, Christ, by His parable, makes clear that there are some who will not produce fruit. They refuse, they will not do it. He will tend to the tree as long as He can until the coming day of God’s wrath. He will continue to keep trying to care for this tree, to get it to bud out fruit. He will. He gives up on no one. But, be on guard, for if the care of Christ is refused, if it is constantly worked against, Jesus tells you plainly what will happen to you: you will be cut down. And when things are cut down, they are thrown into the fire. Not a good place to be.
But, when you are receiving His gifts, when you are repentant, there is the free forgiveness of sins. You have done nothing to earn it, you are only responding to the Savior’s good will towards you in all the gifts He gives to you in His mercy. You, having confessed your sins, having felt the terrors of your conscience as the Law of God accuses you, are forgiven. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, you are forgiven.
Yes, terrible things may happen to you. And these are a consequence of our sins. But wonderful things happen in this place, this vineyard, this Church. Here, forgiveness, life, and salvation are handed out freely. They are lavished upon you as a mother bathes her child in kisses. Though the sinful flesh sends to you trouble, the Lord sends you His mercy. Though the world take your life, God gives to you eternal life. Though the devil accuses you, you have a Savior who roars back at that toothless lion, “This one is mine and you may not have them!”
While we can work against God’s Word and Sacraments, while we can choose not to be repentant, hear the Word of God today as it works in you, as it touches your heart. Forgive those who have wronged you. Speak no ill of them, but speak well of them. Repent to the Lord for all the evil you have done and seek to reconcile with your brother. You are forgiven, this is what forgiven people do.
For indeed, you are forgiven. You are forgiven. You are forgiven. Repent always and be forgiven of all of your sins. You have a Savior who died for this purpose, to propel you to His forgiveness, to take away all your sins so that you would be with Him into eternal life. When you repent, thank God. For He has brought you to that place, and He will continue to bring you to that place. That was Jesus’ purpose in taking on your flesh. That was His will as He went to the cross. That was His goal in rising from the dead. That is His promise to you. Repent; you are forgiven. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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