Sunday 23rd March – Punishment or Patience – Pastor Adrian Kitson

23-03-2025, luke 13:1-9, pastor adrian kitson, Punishment or patience

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them – do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

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. I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.’ 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?” ‘“Sir,” the man replied, “leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig round it and fertilise it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.”’

When you are shovelling cow manure into soil around trees you have planted it is wishful experience. You would like all this pungent aroma and hard work to pay off in the long run. You would like this little tree to become a big tree and give you good fruit for years to come.

We have planted two fig trees. At the moment they are doing OK, but other trees we have planted have not done well. We ripped them out because we did not want to keep smelling and shovelling the cow poo for this tree which was obviously a lost cause.

Anyone in these big crowds now gathering around Jesus would have instantly got what he was saying. Anyone doing any planting and growing of plants or animals instantly knows what he means. There is a limit on life. There does come a time for ripping up as it once came time to plant.

So, what does this growing trees image have to do with living life in the grace carved out for us by the cross of Jesus?

Well, this reference to the planting and tending and the decision to rip out fig trees comes only after some questions from the crowd.

No one really knows much about this event of the tower of Siloam in the city falling in and killing eighteen people. But it obviously happened. It made people wonder about the goodness of God.

Same goes for this other deeply distasteful episode that was carried out by Pontius Pilate, the governor of the city and surrounding region of Judea. It seems that some Galileans who were either troublesome rebels who had made their presence felt, or just pilgrims from the Galilee coming to city temple were on the receiving end of Pilate’s well-known brutality.

Whatever the case, Pilate had made an example out of them by doing something highly offensive – desecrating the holy temple and its worship – trampling the people’s worship life – mixing in some of these Galilean’s blood with the blood from the animals sacrifices as part of the temple worship (goats, cows, sheep…).

Both events are tragic but different. One is an unforeseen mishap causing death and its sorrow and grief. The other is pure abuse of power in brutal cruel measure.

Both obviously shook the average Jerusalemite.

Both the ‘unlucky’ tragedy and the abusive unjust tragedy bring that age old question into sharp focus. Who is to blame and is it God.

If it is God, then is he some vindictive lottery controller or a tyrant? Does God just pull out your number one day and ‘your number is up’ or is God unfeeling, uncaring, and happy to use his power to rip and tear and hurt whoever at a whim?

We know these questions, don’t we?

When the diagnosis comes, the loved one dies, the career ends, the study fails, the marriage is over, the tragedy happens, you just find yourself asking, “Am I being punished?”.

If so, why? Is there some curse in my family now playing out? Am I being paid back by a just God for that wrong, that sin? Has my behaviour been that bad that God has had enough. The fruit of the Spirit has not grown to be evident or useful enough for God expectations. So, like the fig tree, it is time to pull me up and throw me in the compost heap or on the fire?

‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them – do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no!

Thank God for Jesus’ response. No. Tragedy is not pay back from God for some hidden family or personal past sin. Tragedy is not the outworking of some dark curse at work that God cannot overcome.

Next time you are asking, “Why me, or why them, Lord?”, you can rule out vindictive or random pay back as a reason. Our God is not like that, that says the Messiah. We might be at times but is never like that any time.

Jesus goes on a little further …

Once the pay-back/punishment thing is out of the way, then what is going on when I am suffering, or something really bad happens to me or some other person or group?

But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

Forget seeing things in this transactional tit-for-tat, payback/punishment way and notice that no-one is better or worse than anyone else in God’s view.

Those sufferers of mishap even though guilty of sin are no worse than you who are guilty of sin, and your sin is no worse than their sin. Sin is sin in anyone and guilt is guilt as a result. You all sin and you all carry guilt for it. So don’t worry about trying to keep the score, just turn to me and I will cancel that sin and take that guilt. That is how you live in the wake of the cross I will go to for you.

“Repent”, says Jesus. Turn and face God. Turn away from making your own calculations, theories and judgements about event happening to you or others. Turn towards me. Deal with Me, one-on-one.

But we don’t really want to do that. It seems easier to blame someone for our own mistakes or bad behaviour than own it and confess it close to Jesus. It also seems easier to blame the tragedies and injustice of the world on God, leaving out the fact that quite often humans are doing the damage to humans and planet, not God!

I guess it is those seemingly random and very tragic events that really shake us. There seems no clear answers to ‘Why’?

It seems that Jesus knows this well. I hear him saying it is best to avoid comparison to others at all costs. Comparison only gets you three places.

“Woe is me for I am worse than he”, which is called despair, or,
“Woe is them for I am better than them”, which is just plain arrogant superiority, or
“Woe are we all for God will get us all”.

None are the whole truth.

What is true is that all of us broken, wrongdoing and wronged people need a new beginning, a new vision, a new heart, a new life everyday. Jesus is saying that is me. Come to me and this is what I give.

And that is where this planting and ripping out fig trees come in.

Right at the end of this very familiar experience so many of us have comes a sign that Jesus really is who he says he is and gives what he knows we really need in all the tragedy and suffering, the guilt and the shame, the injustice and brutality of the world.

The gardener says, “I have been coming here season after season looking for fruit from this tree and ‘it hasn’t given a fig’!” “Cut it down! It is taking up valuable water and resources that other trees would use to bear fruit”.

The landowner says, “I understand the lack of progress; the use of valuable resources, but, No, “Leave it one more season, mate. Give it some grace. Give it more time to bear the fruit you are looking for. If it does not show healthy fruit in that season, then, we will carry out your judgement on the tree”. Your judgement is right, but let it wait a little longer.”

I am hearing that our God has every authority to begin or end me, plant or pull up our lives but seems to always sway toward the planting and the growing and beginning everyday new. I think that is called ‘grace’. He wants this tree to grow and not just for itself, but for fruit to share to contribute to life.

I am not sure how you are growing or if you feel like you are fading. On the scales of fruit weight, how much is coming from you to others? I don’t know what your tragedies are, your anger-meter at God is registering, your blame of another is showing or your questions about God’s presence, goodness and forgiveness for you is at.

God could just cut me down as right and true judgement on my often fruitless life. But he does not. Not yet and actually, according to all that Jesus would go on to do and say, he never will.

In fact, he promises that as a baptised child of God, I have already passed from the death of judgement to life in the garden with Jesus and his people forever!

So I hear Jesus re-committing to me this morning; re-committing to me this often fruitless tree, with more time, more tending, more words of life, more water of life in this garden.

He is offering you more time, more tending, more living water, more living word.

Friend, can you believe that this God is not that random and vindictive judge toward you or any other sinner?

Can you believe that you and I are both planted in God’s good garden, the garden of life and love in Jesus and that he treats us equally, fairly, lovingly.

And can we then see that we are free to bear the Spirit’s fruit for others – acts and words of love, sharing of joy in being God’s person, peace-making, hope-sharing, advocating and protecting people, bearing their story and their weakness, kindness and goodness and faithfulness to God’s Word (Galatians 5:22).

So, with Isaiah we gladly cry out to the people we know in and outside the garden of Godly delights –

“Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.

Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love… (Isaiah 55:1-3)