Forgiveness

Luke 13:8 ESV: “And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure.”

When you looked at my artwork this week and saw the title, I hope you scratched your head and thought,’ Huh? ‘Let me explain. This verse is part of a parable that Jesus told, often called “The Barren Fig Tree,” which starts in Luke 13:6.

The story goes that a landowner was walking through his land when he came to a fig tree that had still not produced fruit, despite three years of careful tending. In anger, he found the head gardener and instructed him to cut it down, complaining that it was taking up precious space.

The purpose of a parable is to be a metaphor for us to participate in. This scene invites us to ask, “What might this be a metaphor for in my life?” We might find ourselves in the landowner’s shoes, with situations or people in our lives that are not producing. We are frustrated that we see no visible results despite our best efforts, opportunities for change, and the hours we’ve spent cultivating. We are ready to be done with them or the situation.

Perhaps we resonate with the fig tree itself. We don’t understand why things aren’t falling into place. There is hostile pressure from others, and we sense our time is up.

Regardless of your point of view, the solution doesn’t seem unreasonable, does it? If something is no good, shouldn’t we get rid of it? But now the gardener speaks up. “Leave it alone,” he says, “Let me tend to it.”

Of course, the gardener represents God, and the message is clear: Don’t give up until I’ve had a chance to work! Digging a hole and adding manure implies both a radical change (uprooting some unhealthy aspects) and a slow process, as manure therapy is not a rapid fix.

Here is where things get profound. The Greek word translated as “let it alone” is aphiémi and can mean to let something go. However, these are also the exact words Christ spoke on the cross, translated as “Forgive them.” In other words, maybe before we cut off and put to death that person or thing in our lives that seems destined for failure, we hand it over to the master gardener, forgive ourselves or them, and allow Christ the opportunity to make a change.

Does this mean unlimited patience and never walking away? Well, in the last verse of this parable, the gardener adds that if there is still no fruit after another year in his care, then it’s indeed okay to cut it down. Here lies the discernment of knowing where we are in this process. If the gardener says, ‘Wait, I’m not done yet,’ then wait… but if we see the nod of permission to cut, let’s get the chainsaw started.