A sermon by the Very Rev. Gene Tucker at Trinity, Mt. Vernon, and St. John's Centralia, on Sunday, March 7th, 2010
Exodus 3: 1 – 15; Psalm 103: 1 – 11; I Corinthians 10: 1 – 13; Luke 13: 1 – 9
Bad news….Good News….Good News.
Today’s Gospel text brings us bad news, good news and more good news.
At least that’s what I make of it as I consider what it might have meant to Jesus’ first hearers, that crowd who were following Him as they made their way to Jerusalem, and to His disciples, who were among the crowd, too. The text also brings us bad news, good news, and more good news.
So, let’s consider these three, in order:
Bad News: The bad news is that we are all going to die. Sooner or later, young or old, healthy or not, we are all going to die. So, as we look at today’s text, we see that death and destruction are present everywhere. Jesus begins with an account of a massacre (apparently) that was perpetrated by Pontius Pilate. (Notice, by the way, that this is the first mention of Pilate in any of the gospel accounts, and it prefigures the massacre of Jesus, not too many days hence.)
But the account then moves on as Jesus responds by reminding His listeners about the collapse of a tower in the southern part of the city of Jerusalem, near the Pool of Siloam, somewhere south of the Temple complex.
As a side note, it is worth mentioning that no other source tells us about either event. Neither the other three gospel accounts nor outside, secular texts, say anything about either event. Luke alone recounts the two occurrences. But we know from the first century Jewish historian Josephus that Pilate was a ruthless man, a governor who resorted to violence easily and quickly. So, it’s easy to believe that Pilate had ordered the massacre of a group of Galileans, much as he had done, Josephus tells us, with a group of Samaritans.
In both accounts, swift and sudden death are what bind the two accounts together. In the first, it is violent death which is a deliberate act, a massacre. In the second, it is sudden death which occurs either as the result of a construction accident, or by the structural failure of the tower.
In each case, the people who lost their lives were probably unable to repent of their past sins. Here, I think, we have the significance of Jesus’ mentioning of them: they are sudden events which make repentance difficult, if not impossible. I believe this analysis bears up as we turn to the next part of the text….
Good News: The good news is that we aren’t going to die right away (at least not anytime soon, hopefully). That seems to be the point of the very brief parable about a tree which hasn’t been productive in past seasons. Since it’s been unproductive, the owner of the vineyard comes to the vinedresser and tells him to cut down the tree (to cause its death, if we follow the image we began with), so that the space and the nutrients can be used by trees that will bear fruit. But the vinedresser begs for more time, saying that, with time, with cultivation, and with fertilizer, perhaps the tree will bear fruit next year. “Give it one more chance,” would be a good way to characterize the point of the story.
Now to Jesus’ hearers, the use of the image of a fig tree might have conjured up images which Old Testament texts use to describe the nation of Israel.
But beyond that context, the parable’s clear meaning stands: an extension of time has been granted, granted for the purpose of producing good fruit.
Death – spiritual death for those who hear and understand the parable - has not come immediately, but it will if fruit is not forthcoming.
Good News: The other good news is that Jesus’ hearers, and the readers of Luke’s gospel account, all live between a sudden death which makes repentance difficult, if not impossible, and the time in which repentance is demanded as fruit which is worthy of the kingdom of God.
We live in that same in-between timeframe: The time when it is impossible to repent, to change course, and that time when productiveness in life is expected.
It is this time period that Luke is deeply concerned with.
Luke is focused on the here-and-now. Or, as one of my seminary professors put it, “Luke seems to be asking the question, ‘What should the Church be doing if it is going to be in the world for awhile, should the Lord’s return be delayed?’ ”
Jesus’ point can be put this way: “Wake up! Sooner or later, you all will have to give account to God. The time to wake up, to repent, is now, before it is too late.”
If this analysis is correct, then what might the importance of Jesus’ meaning be to us?
For your reflection, here are a few suggestions:
Role reversal: Inherent in the two examples we hear in today’s text is the issue of “role reversals”. As we said earlier, in the sudden, violent deaths we hear about first today there is the absence of the ability to reverse one’s life course. Death comes suddenly, it comes violently. There is no time to make amends for one’s life up to that point. Producing fruit is impossible, if we want to put it in terms that the parable which follows uses.
But, with an extension of time, the fruitless fig tree is given every opportunity (by the provision of fertilizer and care) to produce fruit. In other words, reversing the course of the tree’s life up to that point is the reason for the extension of time which is given.
Repentance: Repentance involves, at its basic level, a reversal of course. The Greek word which is often used to describe such repentance is metanoia, which literally means “to turn around, to go the other way.” Only by reversing the course of our life, can we accept the care and the feeding that God alone provides, which make the production of fruit possible.
Being able to produce good fruit: We are called into the ministry that Jesus undertook. That is the fruit we are called upon to produce. This is the essential role of being a disciple: to learn what the master has done, and then to be able to imitate the teachings and to teach others to do so, also.
So what might those essential teachings and actions involve? To understand Jesus’ essential teachings and actions from Luke’s perspective, we must turn to Luke 4: 16 – 19, in which Jesus makes His first public in the synagogue in Nazareth. There, Luke records Jesus’ reading of Isaiah’s words, which contain the following important points:
- The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to:
- Preach good news to the poor,
- To proclaim release to the captives,
- To set at liberty those who are oppressed,
- To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
Now, look at these points. Do you see the role reversals in them?: Good news to the poor, release to the captives, liberty for those who are oppressed.
This is what Jesus set about to do. To those who were poor, He offered hope of a better life. To those who were captive by virtue of their sins, who were oppressed by the forces of evil, He offered freedom and release.
The freedom and release that the Lord offers allow fruitful living, following the Lord’s example.
All of this is done within the context of the life that is lived today. We can’t emphasize the point enough: That’s Luke’s concern, the here-and-the-now.
Luke is urging us to heed Jesus’ warning, to forsake our sins, and our spiritual barrenness.
Luke is urging us to recognize that we have time to reverse course.
Luke is urging us to accept the tender loving care and spiritual food that the Lord provides, that we might become fruit-bearing citizens of the kingdom of God.
“Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation.” (II Corinthians 6: 2)
