The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the man working the vineyard, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good, but if not, you can cut it down.’”
~ Luke 13:6-9 (NRSVUE)
Friends, I wonder, have you ever heard of a man named Elbert Hubbard? In case you haven’t, Elbert was born in Bloomington, Illinois, on June 19, 1856, and he died on May 7, 1915. He was an American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher. He was influential in the Arts and Crafts movement at the turn of the 19th century. Now, the Arts and Crafts movement had nothing to do with making things out of popsicle sticks, glitter, and glue, but it worked to change the understanding and the standards of decorating and interior design.
Hubbard was most well-known for an essay that he wrote titled “A Message to Garcia.” In it, he wrote, “The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can’t be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.” And just to put this all in context, in 1915, the year that Elbert died, only 35% of homes in the US had electricity! Can you imagine what he would think if he could see what the world is like today?
Friends, today, within minutes, we can hear about something that happened halfway around the world. We turn on a light switch, and light instantly appears, or turn up the heat, and our home is warm in no time at all. We can Google information on our phones and have answers in a millisecond. We can drive up to any fast-food restaurant and have lunch within minutes. We can stream and watch just about any movie on our phones, tablets, laptops, or televisions within seconds. And forget about the Pony Express; we can order items from Amazon and receive them within hours!
We are the generation of instant gratification, and because of that, as the years go on, we have less and less ability to be patient. We want what we want, when we want it, and if it doesn’t arrive instantly, we get upset. Just think about the times when you’re searching online and the internet lags, or you have to wait in line behind more than two people to check out at the grocery store.
Whenever I think about how impatient the world can be, I always think back to when I was about six or seven years old. It was 1975, and my dad came home with a box that contained a glimpse of the future! He opened the box and plugged it in, carefully reading the directions. Then he took a potato, poked some holes in it with a fork, put it in the machine, and set the timer for fifteen minutes. We all waited patiently with excitement, and the fifteen minutes were over within a heartbeat. When my dad opened the door of our new microwave oven, it provided us with a fully cooked baked potato inside! And it only took fifteen minutes! It was like magic! Because we had the first microwave oven on the street, my dad would invite neighbors and friends over to show them this amazing feat! Can you imagine? A baked potato in fifteen minutes? Folks, to be honest, today, if my baked potato isn’t ready in 6 minutes, I would be frustrated.
There have been so many advances in science and technology, and some days it seems like the world is spinning faster and faster, but even with all of the advances, it still takes nine months for a baby to be born. We still need to be patient for seeds to grow. When baking bread, the dough still needs time to rise. When meeting someone new, relationships still take time to build. But some things are worth the wait. We just need to have a little patience.
During Lent this year, here in Oldtown, we have been talking about the spaces in between life’s extremes and how we often find God in the messy middles. In our scripture reading today, we heard a parable or a story about a man who had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. As the story goes, “One day, he came looking for fruit on it and found none.” Now, like many of us, the man wanted what he wanted, when he wanted it, and he found himself frustrated that the tree was not producing what he wanted when he wanted it. So, he said to his gardener, “See here! For three years, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still, I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ Now the gardener heard his frustration, and he understood how the man felt, but he also knew that some things take time. He replied, ‘Let me take care of it for one more year. If it bears fruit next year, well and good, but if not, then I’ll cut it down.’”
Friends, sometimes in life, we are productive. We get lots of work done. We accomplish great things. We work hard, we run races, and we bear abundant fruit. But there are other times when we need to rest. We need to take care of ourselves And we need to allow our hearts, our minds, and our bodies to just be.
Another fond memory from my childhood is that my parents always grew asparagus in their garden. Each spring, usually during the months of May and June, we would watch for the asparagus spears to pop out of the ground, and each day, my mom would cut them just as they got to the right size. Not a day too early because they would be too skinny, or a day too late because they would start to go to seed. I loved the fresh asparagus from the garden, and in each house that I have lived in, I’ve thought of growing my own. But once you plant it, it takes three years before you can harvest. To be honest, I never had the patience to wait that long.
Well, this year, maybe because I’m getting older and I’m beginning to better understand the need to rest, and to tend to myself and my garden, or because I found a nursery where I could buy jumbo plants and I only need to wait two years to harvest, I’ve decided to plant asparagus. Interestingly enough, even though they won’t produce a harvest for two years, those plants have already started to help me. When I look at the spot in my yard where the asparagus will grow, I remember the importance of having patience, of tending to myself and those around me, and of taking time to rest.
Friends, so often we want the quickest remedies, the fastest solutions, and the most rapid results. But if we truly want to grow and produce and be successful, the thing we might need to do the most is to rest. When your world moves too fast and you lose yourself in the chaos, introduce yourself to each color of the sunset. Reacquaint yourself with the earth beneath your feet. Thank the air that surrounds you with every breath you take. And learn to appreciate the life that you’ve been given.
Friends, we believe in a God who loves and tends to us like a gardener. We believe that, like the trees, some seasons are for growth, and some seasons are for rest. Some days require pruning, and some require planting. Fortunately, we believe that our green-thumbed God sees us and cultivates the sweetest fruit. So may we plant roots, reach for the sky, grow where we can, and rest when we need, for we believe there is holiness in the pruning and in the planting, and we do not grow alone.
My friends, may it be so. Thanks be to God, Amen!
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