What's Manure Got to Do with It?

There’s a parable in Luke 13 that we non-farmers may have a hard time understanding, featuring a fig tree that won’t bear figs, and a farmer that won’t cut the tree down. What’s going on? The people listening to Jesus heard an agricultural problem — the tree was messed up, and the landowner insisted on cutting it down; but the farmer didn’t want to do the practical thing. Like many of Jesus’ stories, the point was not in the practical thing — or perhaps, the point lies in not doing the practical thing. 

What was Jesus up to here? First, the tree and its non-figs represented the nation of Israel (now the remnant, Judah.) The Lord’s calling for Israel was to be a nation of kings and priests (Ex. 19:6) and an example to the nations (Deut. 4:1-8), leading those nations to love God. But Israel never caught on to their calling, never really believed God, and never bore the fruit he desired from them. 

Regardless, the Lord never gave up on them. The Son of God, Jesus, came into human flesh to be with us, save us and bring us into true humanity, starting with the Jews. The second point of the parable is that the gardener who insists on giving the tree another chance, is Jesus, the Son of God sent to redeem the nation and all other people in the world. 

And the third thing: the gardener promises to dig around the tree and fertilize it, and the fertilizer goes into the ground, providing the power to bear fruit on the tree. The digging stands for the preaching and challenging that Jesus did through the Holy Spirit during his ministry, preparing people to receive salvation in his death and resurrection. The manure also represents Jesus, who died and was buried in the ground in order to give us life and bear fruit in us. 

Even today, the Holy Spirit Jesus sent is still digging up the soil of all peoples' hearts to prepare us for the message of salvation through Jesus the Christ, who continues to ‘fertilize’ the soil of our hearts to produce spiritual fruit in us (see John 15:1-8). 

In sum, Jesus really is everything for us. Let’s give him the proper appreciation — called worship — for all he has done, especially in this season!