Bearing no fruit.　Luke 13:6-9

Bearing no fruit.　Luke 13:6-9

　

Let us pray.

 

God the Father of Jesus Christ, your word is the light that illuminates our steps.

May we be enriched by your words and may your glory shine on us.  I pray this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen

　

Today's parable of Jesus appears only in the Gospel of Luke.  Grapes and figs are common fruits in Israel. Both are fruits that often appear in the Bible.  In addition, grapes and figs are often mentioned as important fruits in the Bible.

 

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 told the gardener 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?  ‘Sir,’ the gardener replied, “Please leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then you can cut it down.”

 

It is common to plant fig trees in vineyards. Figs can be picked three years after the tree is planted. Therefore, in the parable, it is assumed that six years have passed since the trees were planted.

Fig tree bears fruit twice a year, from June to July and from August to November.  For three years, this master went to see the fruits six times, looking forward to it.  Unfortunately not a single fruit was produced.   The owner was furious, the fig tree just taking up space and no fruits to pick. 

 

For three years now I have been looking for fruit on this fig tree, and I found none, so cut it down.

The master's anger was directed towards the gardener.  There is a saying, "I had enough.”

 

The gardener replied, "Master, please leave it as it is this year.  I will dig around the tree and fertilize it. Then next year it may bear fruit. If that doesn't work, you cut it down.”  Here, the gardener is saying that he will not cut the tree, instead you cut it down. 

 

There is a man, John the Baptist who preached the coming of the Messiah (Christ).  This John baptized Jesus.  When he preached to the crowds that the Messiah was coming, he preached to the crowd as follows, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.  And do not begin to say to yourselves ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”  (Luke 3:8-9)

 

Bearing fruit is not enough, even if it bears fruit it is must be a good fruit.

 

John told the crowds that the Messiah would cut down trees that did not bear good fruit and would throw them into the fire.  However, Jesus also said the opposite in the parable, saying that instead of cutting down a tree that does not even bear fruit, he will dig up the roots and fertilize it.

 

Some of you may have read Ayako Miura's novel "Shiokari  Touge". (Love Stopped the Runaway Train)

This is a novel by Ayako Miura, based on a true story of a train running in the wrong direction and the main character throwing his himself onto the tracks to stop the train and to save other lives.  In that novel, a character named Syunnu Nakamura a novelist appears who wrote the novel "Ichijiku"(Fig Tree).  The main character of "Shiokari  Touge", Nobuo Nagano, is reading “Ichijiku" (Fig Tree) which was handed to him by Nakamura .   Syunnu Nakamura is a real person in life and his real name is Kichizo Nakamura.  Syunnu  Nakamura was his pen name.  In the novel, he guided Nobuo Nagano to Christianity and he was baptized.  Sunu　

 

In today's sermon, I introduced Syunnu Nakamura's “Ichijiku” (Fig Tree) because the scriptures written at the beginning of this novel dealt with last and this week’s sermon. 

 

Syunnu Nakamura wrote Ichijiku” (Fig Tree) after a hint from this verse.  The main character who appears in Ichijiku” (Fig Tree) becomes a Christian after traveling to the United States, gets married and returns to Japan. However his actions before his departure to the United States deeply hurt his wife and their child.  Due to thi, the wife causes an incident, imprisoned and she hangs herself. The child becomes an orphan. In this novel, the hero tries to live truthfully before Christ, but his actions hurt his beloved wife the most. You never know what will happen in life. Even if one repents before God there will be pain and sorrow. 

 

In the novel, "Shiokari  Touge". (Love Stopped the Runaway Train), there is a scene where Harusame and Nobuo, and Nobuo's mother and sister, talk about the Ichijiku” (Fig Tree).  The words of the Bible, "No one is righteous, no one is alone," come up many times.

 

Syunnu Nakamura's “Ichijiku” (Fig Tree) was a story that made me ask myself what kind of fruit was good, and whether the main character really had good fruit.

 

John tells us to cut down any tree that does not bear good fruit.  Jesus knows that there are people who struggle in reality that they cannot bear good fruit even though they want to bear.  They continue to live in accordance to God and Jesus knows and waits. 

 

The gardener said to the master, "Please leave it like this this year. I'll dig around the tree and fertilize it. Then next year it may bear fruit. If that doesn't work you can cut down the tree.” Seeing that he can not cut down the tree with his own hands, the gardener prayed for mercy to God.

 

Jesus said, "I am the vine, and you are the branches. If a man abides in me, and I in him, he bears much fruit. For apart you can do nothing" (John 15:5).   Let us follow Jesus and bear the fruit.

 

Let us pray.

 

 

God the Father of Jesus Christ, today we saw the mercy of God to the gardener who hesitated to cut down a barren fig tree. That is why we continue to listen and obey the words of God.  Please guide us so that we will make the good decisions.  I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen