The Gospel for the Third Sunday in Lent (March 14, 2004)
Luke 13:1-9
It was just about this time that some people arrived and told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than any others, that this should have happened to them? They were not, I tell you.
No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.
Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell, killing them all? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you.
No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.’
He told this parable, ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to his vinedresser, “For three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied, “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.” ’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible. 1995, c1985. Doubleday: Garden City, N.Y.
A Study
" ... you will all perish as they did."
If we were reading in John's Gospel, we would expect that someone by now surely would have asked, "Lord, shall we all die by having a tower fall on us?"
Luke spares us that device but never explains that it's not the "perishing" that will be the same, it's the what-comes-next that will be the same. None of us knows the hour nor the means of his death, but each of us is surely the author of what's to come thereafter.
Luke then gives us an unvarnished parable, with no explanation following; we must discern the spiritual intent from the mystery that is spoken. How many do you suppose felt that they were being dug around and fertilized as he was speaking to them? Based on the premise of the parable, that the tree of Israel had borne no fruit for many years, probably not very many "got it."
Almost two millenia later, we still have the choice to determine what kind of fruit we produce as we live, and more importantly, what happens after we die.
A Reflection
Earth assumed its current shape and mass about four and one half billion years ago.
If we compressed all of our earth's history into a day, all of our written history would be occurring here in the last second, at 11:59:59PM.
That day, of course, is perhaps only a blink of God's eye.
Yet He took especial care to incarnate Himself, to come to His special chosen people, to touch and breathe on them and mix spit and dirt into a paste for one man's eyes. He took the care to make up stories that make us think -- parables -- and make us use the wonderful brains He spoke into being.
This story makes us think of the inestimable love with which he has showered us, and the gentle ways in which he nudges us towards His Kingdom, in spite of our willful, wanton ways.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
7:00:19 AM 
|
