In the parable of Luke 13:6-9, a man has a fig tree in his vineyard that has not borne fruit for three years. When he asks his vinedresser to cut it down, the vinedresser recommends giving the tree one more year while he applies some additional fertilizer.
In Luke's narrative, the parable appears right after a discussion of people in Judea and Galilee who have suffered misfortune. Jesus explains that those people were not worse than anyone else; they had not been singled out for punishment. But anyone who did not repent would be subject to judgment.
The parable reminds us of John the Baptist's words in Luke 3:9 as part of his call to repentance: "Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
The context of the parable in Luke 13 and some elements of the parable suggest that the parable is, at least in part, saying something about national judgment. Certainly a fig tree and a vineyard can be symbols for Israel in the prophets (Isa 5:1-7; Jer 24:1-8; Hosea 9:10; Micah 7:1)..
It is possible, though, to take the search for symbolism too far, trying to find some kind of symbolic meaning in every detail of the parable, a hermeneutic inappropriate for the parable genre. Scholar Allan W. Martens gives an example, noting that some have stretched things too far in proposing that
- vineyard = Israel
- fig tree = Jerusalem
- vinedresser = Jesus
- three years = Jesus' ministry
In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on November 22, 2025, Kyle Kettering asked another question about the parable: Is the parable implying that the interceding vinedresser is more merciful than the fig tree's owner? In other words, is the one symbolized by the vinedresser more merciful than God?
Certainly the answer is no. Those who have played the intercessory role, like Abraham (Ge 18:23-33), Moses (Ex 32:10-12), and Jesus (Lk 23:34), do so because God is merciful (Lk 6:35-36). Kyle urged us to bear fruit and help others to do so.
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