Luke 13:1-9 March 7, 2010

Luke 13:1-9

At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”

Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”
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"At that very time" refers back to the parables and other teachings in Luke 12 about the unpredictability of the end and the urgent need for preparedness. Jesus uses two recent incidents to reinforce his teachings: Pilate's slaughter of worshippers at the temple and an accidental collapse of a wall that killed 18 people. These events were not an indication of divine justice against sinners; they could have happened to anybody. Jesus' message is clear, given the uncertainty of life and the unpredictability of the future, one must examine his own life and repent.

For people like us, twenty-first century UUs, what would repentance look like? Does the concept of repentance make sense to us? What guidance does the UU tradition offer when we might yearn to put the past behind and start anew?

How would you dig around your roots? What sort of manure would you use? What kind of fruit would you bear?