God's Mission

Luke 13:1-8

A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, “For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?”

~ Jesus,
Luke 13:6-7

A Call to Repentance

1 About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. 2 “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? 3 Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. 4 And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? 5 No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”

Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6 Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. 7 Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’

8 “The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer.

Pondering Point

According to Scripture, God is clearly One full of grace (see John 1:14)– AND in this passage we see that our gracious God expects fruit-bearing from His “vineyard” of people. Fruit in His vineyard is equivalent to His mission getting accomplished: restored and active relationships with Him and each other (through Jesus). If you are part of God’s vineyard, then you are part of His mission as well, are you not?

So, ask yourself this question: Does your sinfulness become a hindrance to being fruitful for God? This is not a general question about generally sinful people. God uses sinful people like you and me to accomplish His mission. This is a question for you directly. Are your specific sins hindering God’s work in and through you? Is God’s mission work through you being side-tracked or derailed by your sinful choices? People often dismiss the impact of sinful choices because they do not see an immediate reaction from God. But it matters. One reason we lack fruit production is because we use our Vine-to-branch resources (John 15:5) toward what we want rather than towards what God wants. Confess this and ask for help to change.