Luke 13:6–9 (ESV)
The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6 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. 7 And
he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir,
let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”
Jesus warns that His audience needs to begin producing works consistent with the Gospel. Today, many fail to live their lives according to God’s will. The One who commands us to such works also bestows His
Spirit. He enables us to repent and to produce the fruit that flow from His salvation.
I pray: Lord, show me the shortness of my time and the nearness of eternity, so
I do not fail to redeem the time. Amen.
Edward A. Engelbrecht, The Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 1743.