Thoughts on Today’s Text
The gospel reading from Luke brings together the emphases of God’s abundant provision (Isaiah) and our need for continual repentance (I Corinthians). “Repent or perish” (13:5) turns out, in the parable that follows (verses 6-9), not to be the last word, but the first. All of us, whether we think ourselves just or unjust, Jesus had warned (13:2) are just as apt to be fruitless and so doomed for destruction. But there is an advocate, a gardener, Jesus himself, who understands that we may be more apt to produce fruit with good tilling and fertilizing than merely by the threat of the axe’s edge.
Tilling around the roots improves the soil, reduces compaction, and increases the flow of both air and water. Fertilizing adds nutrients that help the tree become more likely to produce not just leaves, but fruit. But it remains up to the tree itself to feast on this extended care. The parable is just as clear about the gracious intervention of the gardener as it is about the possible one-year deadline if no improvement is found.