Storyteller: The Parables of Jesusනියැදිය

Fruitful Living (The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree)

Jesus was asked many questions throughout His ministry. Sometimes the questions were asked with malevolent intent to trap Him. Other times, they were well-intentioned, asked by people genuinely seeking to understand His Kingdom and His character.

In the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree, it is difficult to know the intention behind the question being presented, but Jesus answers with another question to correct a familiar false doctrine, while exhibiting His patience and mercy toward sinners.

It is essential to remember that parables are designed to prompt listeners to ponder profound and challenging truths, guiding individuals through honest self-reflection to determine their place within the story.

Many people in Jesus’ day (and in ours) held the belief that suffering and tragedy were punishments resulting from sin. One example of this thinking is found in the book of Job in which Job’s friends claim his pain and torment are a direct result of his wickedness and sin.

Another example is found in Luke 13:1-5 with some people inferring that certain Galileans had sinned more than others and therefore may have deserved death at the hands of Pilate. But Jesus reminds them of another incident where innocent people were killed while working on a tower that collapsed. He asks, “Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?” He does not wait for them to answer but says, in essence, “No way!” Then He declares, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, ESV).

It is disruptive and uncomfortable for Jesus to equate their sins (and ours) with the sins of everyone else. It is easy to identify sin in others and harder when the spotlight shines on our own lives.

He turns their question back on them, essentially saying, “Don’t worry about them. Don't judge them. Take a look at your own life. Do you have unrepentant sin? Are you bearing fruit in keeping with My Kingdom?”

When Jesus uses the word fruit in this parable, He is referring to a life that is connected and nourished through a relationship with Him. It is similar to the language used in John 15:5 when Jesus explains that abiding in Him will cause us to bear fruit unto His glory.

Fruit cannot be manufactured, conjured up, or produced by effort alone. It is only possible through Christ when we are willing to walk in true confession, repentance, and trust in Him. His Spirit renews our hearts, grows us into Christ’s likeness, and produces fruit that is evident to the world around us.

A true mark of a Christ-follower—someone who operates within God’s kingdom—is extraordinary fruitfulness. There is an obvious difference between someone who bears fruit and someone who merely exists. If we are not bearing fruit, we must closely examine ourselves to determine the reason and then ask the Lord to do whatever it takes to make us fruitful.

Second Peter 3:9 (ESV) says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

The Bible makes it clear that our sins deserve death, but by God’s grace and through the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross, when we trust Him, we are given life and the ability to bear fruit that honors the Lord.

Prayer

The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made. (Psalm 145:8, ESV)

Lord, I repent of all the things that keep me from a fruitful life. Forgive me and renew me so I can live in a way that honors You and brings glory to Your Name. Amen.