One More Year...

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 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?’8“‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” Luke 13:6-9

The parable Jesus told has always been that reminds me of what Jesus does for me every single day. The first time I understood this parable was when I was in college and my pastor preached on this passage. 

The story takes place in a vineyard. The Owner of the vineyard came to check one of his fig trees to see if it had any fruit. He had been checking it for fruit for three years and it didn't have any. He tells the caretaker to cut it down; its taking up room and not producing. But the caretaker of the vineyard pleads with the Owner to give him one more year to fertilize it, dig around it, and do everything he knows to do to help the tree produce fruit. And then, if it doesn't produce fruit, the Owner may cut it down. 

The Owner is God and since He is in His vineyard, the trees are Christians. One "tree" was not producing fruit so it was to be cut down. However, the Caretaker - Jesus- makes intercession and asks the Father to give Him "one more year" to do everything He can to make it produce fruit. But, then if the "tree" doesn't produce fruit, God can cut it down. 

I don't believe the time limits are exact (three years of no fruit, one year of fertilizing), but I do know based on His Word He has called me to produce fruit and if I am not doing so, I am taking up "soil". What does it mean to be "cut down"? That is a scary question. One interpretation I found was to lose our lives.("There is a sin that leads to death".1 John 5:16) I have known of people who went down a path of sin and other could see evidence of  God doing everything to bring them back and then suddenly they lost their life. I don't want to use that as a scare tactic or anything - however, it is one interpretation. Another is that a Christian who is not producing fruit is rendered ineffective. This might be an even worse fate - to live the rest of your life completely ineffective as a Christian. A meaningless life. 

When I look into the face of my Savior, knowing that He "lives to intercede" for me (Hebrews 7:25), I do not want Him to say "I did everything for you. Why didn't you live for me? Produce fruit? Fruit that would last?" 

He lives to intercede for us, to give us abundant life, to allow us to produce fruit - Let's not waste it.