23rd March 2025
Lectionary Readings: Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15; Ps 102:1-4, 6-8, 11; I Cor 10:1-6, 10-12; Lk 13:1-9
Theme: Compassion and judgement
The first part of the gospel reading for today deals with the common assumption at the time of Jesus that disasters like the massacre of Galileans by Pilate and the death of innocent bystanders by the collapse of the Siloam tower were punishments for sin – big sin, big punishment. Jesus, who seems to have enjoyed discussing moral issues, invites his listeners to talk about this (twice he says “Do you think…?” vv. 2, 4), and then adds further stimulus with the short parable about a barren fig tree (vv. 6-9).
It was not uncommon in the ancient Mediterranean world to plant various fruit trees in vineyards, fig trees especially. Being able to enjoy the shade and the fruit of grape vines and fig trees became a symbol of messianic prosperity and peace, as in Micah 4:4: “they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees”. There was a long tradition in Israel of respecting trees for their life-giving properties, even those of a conquered enemy: “If you besiege a town for a long time…you must not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them. Although you may take food from them, you must not cut them down” (Deut. 20:19}. The Babylonian Talmud tractate Baba Kama 91b nuances this by noting an exception: “R. Hanina said: my son did not pass away except for having cut down a fig tree before its time. Rabina, however, said: If its value [for other purposes] exceeds that for fruit, it is permitted [to cut it down]”.
Tilling the soil and fertilizing it, as the gardener suggests to the owner of the vineyard, often go together in rabbinic literature, as in Midrash Samuel 4: “Like the tree, if it is not fertilized, weeded, and ploughed…it does not grow upwards, and if it has grown upwards and is not watered, does not remain alive, but rather dies, so also does the body, which resembles the tree, and the manure, which is the medicine.…” (Strack & Billerbeck, 13.7). Here the tree is a metaphor for a person; but more generally the vineyard, and to a lesser extent, the fig tree and its fruit (e.g. Jer 24:1-10) are metaphors for Israel (Snodgrass, 259). It is a metaphor that treads a fine line between the life-giving compassion and forgiveness of God and the inevitability of disaster if God’s offers are refused. For the individual reader it touches on judgement, mercy, and calls for repentance and productive living.
American author Barbara Green throws light on the parable by comparing it to Psalm 1 in which those who keep away from evil “… are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season” (Ps 1:3). She suggests that the tree in the parable is a reminder that bearing fruit is not a matter of doing great things that bring high status, nor do we have total control over our own lives. When we seem stuck the best thing might be to let the gardener root us more healthily in the place where we are.
For Reflection and Discussion: 1. With a companion join in a discussion with Jesus in response to his invitation “What do you think?” about the relationship between sin and suffering. 2. Does the parable of the barren fig tree have any relevance for your own life? If so, in what way(s)?
Bibliography: Green, B. Like a Tree Planted: An Exploration of Psalms and Parables Through Metaphor (Collegevillle: 1997); Snodgrass, K. Stories with Intent (Grand Rapids: 2008); Strack, H.L. & Billerbeck P.A. Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash Vol.2 (Bellingham: 2022).
This week’s Sunday Liturgy Commentary was prepared by
Kevin L. McDonnell cfc, Australia, Bat Kol Alumnus: 2003, 2004, 2005
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