One day at lunch with colleagues, we were discussing the story of the fig tree. Yes, it’s what we do — working for the Church has its perks!
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells a parable about a barren fig tree that hasn’t produced fruit for three years. Now that’s annoying! By definition, a fig tree is created to give forth fruit, that is its purpose. Not only has the fig tree not produced a harvest, but it has likely been actively tended for three years — symbolic for “plenty of time.” The owner of the land is understandably ready to uproot this waste of resources.
But the gardener asks for one more year to allow the tree to become what it was created to be, promising that he will actively cultivate and fertilize the ground around it. Jesus has a teaching to share with us here. The gardener, an image of Jesus Himself, knows the potential of the fig tree, seeing it before it has come to pass, and begs for mercy on behalf of the barren tree.
A tree personally tended to by Jesus, unlike the poor, barren fig tree, bears amazing, eternal, ripe and delicious fruit! Leading to right relationship with God, with His creation and with one another. And so, Jesus, our God with us, our gardener, intercedes on our behalf because He wants to bear this fruit in us!
But when we experience the barrenness of our own humanity. We look at ourselves with honest eyes and it can be hard to imagine how this or that particular area of our lives could bear any fruit at all.
So, we shift our gaze and instead look to Jesus. The Gospels do not shy away from Jesus’ humanity. He, just like us, experienced hunger, anxiety, fear, sadness, anger and fatigue. And yet, among it all Jesus cooperates with God every step of the way, recognizing God in all moments and choosing to follow the path of obedience and love. Jesus reflects, prays and discerns, responding to God’s calling in every moment.
Through the ongoing tilling of the soil of relationship with His Father, Jesus knows and lives His calling.
Jesus is reminding us in this parable that yes, we are often barren. But the calling of God is deeply embedded in our hearts and awaits future fruiting! God has not given up on you. He is patient, full of mercy and kindness. The Father desires to cultivate the soil of your heart. Through the Bible, the Church and our community, God guides us, provides sustenance and nurtures us in our daily response to the calling He has for our lives.
Am I ready to respond each day to my vocation as a child of God?
