There is something about today’s Gospel that should make every one of us stop and examine the direction of our lives. Jesus speaks about two terrible tragedies. Some Galileans have been killed by Pilate and eighteen people have lost their lives when a tower collapsed in Siloam.
The people listening to Jesus seem to believe that those who suffered must have done something terribly wrong. But Jesus challenges that way of thinking.
He asks whether those who died were greater sinners than everyone else and His answer is clear.
“No.”
Their suffering was not proof that God was punishing them for being worse than others and this is a lesson we desperately need in our world today.
When tragedy strikes, when someone becomes seriously ill, loses everything, or dies unexpectedly we sometimes hear people asking what that person did to deserve such suffering.
But Jesus teaches us not to judge another person’s relationship with God by the misfortunes they experience.
Instead He turns our attention towards something far more personal. Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. These words are not meant to make us live in fear of every tragedy. They are a reminder that life is fragile and that none of us should take the time we have been given for granted.
We often live as though tomorrow is guaranteed. We postpone forgiveness. We ignore the need to change. We hold on to habits that distance us from God convincing ourselves that there will be another day to put things right.
But Jesus is asking us to look honestly at our lives today, and then He tells the beautiful parable of the fig tree.
A man has a fig tree in his vineyard. For three years, he has comes looking for fruit… but has found none.
Disappointed, he tells the gardener to cut it down.
But the gardener pleads with him.
Let it alone, sir… this year also.
Give it another chance.
Let me care for it, cultivate the soil around it… and give it what it needs to bear fruit.
What a powerful picture of God’s patience with us. How many times have we failed to live as we should?
How often have we made promises to God… only to return to the very things we said we would leave behind? and yet, we are still here, still breathing, still receiving His mercy, still being given opportunities to begin again.
The fig tree reminds us that God is patient but His patience is not an invitation to remain unchanged. It is an opportunity to grow.
The Lord does not simply want us to appear religious on the outside. He wants our lives to bear the fruits of genuine conversion.
A heart that forgives. A tongue that speaks truthfully. Hands that help those in need. A willingness to admit when we are wrong and the courage to make things right.
These are the fruits of a life being transformed by God’s grace, and perhaps today, we need to ask ourselves a difficult but necessary question. If God were to look at my life today, what fruit would He find?
- Would He find kindness in the way I treat my family?
- Would He find honesty in my work?
- Would He find compassion towards those who are suffering and forgiveness towards those who have hurt me?
- Or would He find a heart that keeps putting off the changes He has been asking me to make?
The good news of today’s Gospel is that God has not given up on us. Every day we wake up is another opportunity to turn towards Him. Every sincere confession, every act of mercy, every effort to overcome sin is a step towards becoming the person God created us to be.
But we must never mistake another opportunity for an endless supply of time.
The gardener asks for one more year, not because the tree can remain fruitless forever, but because there is still hope that it will bear fruit and that is the message Jesus places before us today.
Do not spend your life judging the sins or misfortunes of others… while neglecting the conversion of your own heart. Do not wait for tragedy to remind you how precious life is and do not postpone the good that God is calling you to do today.
Because repentance is not simply feeling sorry for our sins. It is allowing God’s grace to change the way we live.
The greatest tragedy would not be that we were given too little time… but that we were given opportunities to change, and repeatedly chose to ignore them.
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your patience, Your mercy, and the many opportunities You give us to begin again.
Forgive us for the times we have judged the suffering of others, while failing to recognise the sins within our own hearts.
Teach us to value the gift of life and never to take Your grace for granted.
Where our hearts have become hardened, soften them with Your love.
Where our lives have become unfruitful, help us to grow in faith, humility, kindness, and compassion.
Give us the courage to turn away from sin, the sincerity to seek Your forgiveness, and the strength to live each day according to Your will.
Lord, when You look upon our lives, may You find the fruits of a faith that is alive, a love that is genuine, and a heart that is continually turning towards You.
Amen.