We are sinners and we need a savior. This is one of the central tenants of Christianity. It is the core of why Jesus came. Yes, he provided instructions for how we should live our lives and treat one another which are important. Yes, he revealed the Father’s love for us. But above all that, he died in atonement for our sins. He came to pay our debt, a debt we could never pay ourselves: a debt accumulated through our sins. All that is required of us to receive his mercy is repentance, to turn to God and ask for forgiveness. The Gospel below encourages us to do that and to do it now. Why wait, the time to repent is now.
Repent or Perish & The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
There were some present at that very time who told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered thus? I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Lo, these three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down; why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Let it alone, sir, this year also, till I dig about it and put on manure. And if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’” Luke 13 : 1-9
Scriptural Analysis
Chapter thirteen of Luke’s Gospel opens with some people in the crowd telling Jesus about an incident where some Galileans, who had gone to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice at the temple, were instead killed by Pilate. This incident does not appear in any of the other Gospels but it certainly is in keeping with Pilate’s reputation of brutality. The individual telling this story to Jesus was likely looking for Jesus to offer comment on the Roman occupation. Jesus, however, uses this as an opportunity to further develop his teaching on repentance.
He starts by addressing the commonly held understanding that those who suffered greatly must be greater sinners, “As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.” (Job 4:8) He tells them the crowd that these Galileans are not worse sinners than all the other Galileans, however, he also does not dispute the equation of disaster as punishment for sin. He simply questions wether these people were more egregious than any other sinner. Jesus then broadens their perspective by telling all of them that they should settle their accounts with God. They need to repent or risk perishing. Instead of fearing Pilate they need to fear God.
Jesus illustrates this point by using another example from current events: the falling of the tower as Siloam that killed eighteen. Just like the Galileans these people were not guilty (debtors) to a greater degree than anyone else. Therefore, everyone must repent or perish. People do not know when their life will be demanded of them just as the Rich Fool did not. Jesus first issues a call to repentance at Levi’s banquet, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (5:32) This theme of repentance has really heated up in Jesus’s journey to Jerusalem underlying the sense of urgency being created.
Jesus then offers a parable to emphasize this urgent need for repentance. There is a fig tree that does not bear fruit. The owner is ready to cut it down but the gardener urges him to give it one more year of care and then, if it does not bear fruit it should be cut down. The owner can either understood to refer to God or potentially Jesus. The owner addresses him as kyrios in Greek, which is translated both sir and Lord. The three years may refer to the length of Jesus’s public ministry and there are other scriptural references to Jesus searching for fruit all of which give credence to the owner being Jesus. The message of the parables is that God is patiently waiting to see if a person will repent. If not, he will be cut down: one’s life will be demanded of him or the day of judgement will arrive with Christ’s second coming. The tree is left for one year indicating that God holds out hope that we will repent. However, this is not indefinite. There is a point where it will be too late to repent.
Daily Application
Jesus continues his theme of repentance which the last few Gospel readings have touched on. Given the amount of time Jesus spends focused on this theme it is worth us spending an equal amount of time focussed on that same topic. The images used in this particular section are much more severe: Pilate’s wrath, a building collapse, and impatient gardener. Jesus is trying to impress upon his followers that the time for repentance is now. There is an urgency surrounding sin and we need to take it seriously.
We talk a lot about the mercy of God as we should. Our God is a God of infinite mercy. However, we often forget was mercy presupposes. It presupposes that we have done something for which we should be punished, it presupposes that we have sinned. It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the mercy of God if there isn’t right and wrong, if there isn’t sin. Yet we often hear the mercy of God talked about as if it is some kind of whitewash that makes all behavior right and good. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our wrong behavior is still sinful. God’s mercy only means we do not have to suffer the eternal punishment due to us because of our sins. It does not make our sinful behavior right and good.
We need to turn to God and repent of our sins. This involves first acknowledging that we have sinned which can be the hardest thing to do. The human mind can rationalize sinful behavior away very quickly. We begin to get confused: what is truly right and what is truly wrong. That is why we must rely on the teachings of God and the Church as our prism through which to examine our behavior: to give us the certainty we need to know what is right and what is wrong.
Once we understand where we have fallen short, the sacrament of Reconciliation is waiting for us. There is great beauty in the sacrament that comes from hearing the priest pronounce the words of absolution: of knowing that if we sincerely sought forgiveness then our sins have been forgiven. There is also great peace that comes from availing ourselves of the sacrament regularly. As soon as there is the stain of sin, especially mortal sin, on your soul, get to confession. Don’t allow it to accumulate.
Jesus’s message is clear. We need to repent of our sins and we need to do it know. We don’t know how long we will be on this earth. What we all know is there will come a point in time we will either pass away or Christ will return. In either case, we will be out of time. Our time is not infinite. We should not bet that there will be a tomorrow. We should make ourselves right with God today. Call a priest. Get to confession. The time to repent is now.
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