Cut Us Down?

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!

Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” 

And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener,

‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not, you can cut it down.’” (Luke 13:1-9)

Jesus’ message is: “Repent!” We all need to repent and change our ways because we all have done wrong, perhaps evil things.  None of us are innocent.  We make a big mistake when we claim those who are suffering in some way must have sinned, so they deserved that punishment.  Jesus came to erase that false claim and remind us to look inside ourselves.

Jesus waits for us to bear fruit, like the fig tree.  He is patient.  Nevertheless, his patience can wear quite thin when we refuse to do what is right and just.  We exhaust his rich soil when no good works result.  

It’s time for us to use the fertilizer we call Jesus’ love and commandments.  Moreover, we must fulfill our baptismal promises; otherwise, we might as well say, “Cut us down.”

Deacon David Pierce