The sermon 'The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree' by Robert Bosley, focuses on Luke 13:1-9. It begins with a discussion of two tragic events: the killing of Galileans by Pilate and the collapse of the tower in Siloam, questioning whether these events were divine judgments on particularly sinful individuals. Jesus refutes this, emphasizing that suffering is not necessarily a result of greater sinfulness. Instead, He calls for repentance, warning that without it, all will face God's judgment. The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree illustrates this point, with the barren fig tree representing a lack of repentance. God's delay in bringing judgment is an opportunity for individuals and nations to repent. Bosley applies the parable personally, urging individual repentance, and corporately, highlighting Israel's history and its ultimate judgment in 70 AD. He concludes with a call for immediate repentance, stressing the uncertainty of God's timing and the urgency of turning to Christ.

Good afternoon church. If you would take out your copy of the scriptures and open up to Luke chapter 13. The gospel according to Luke chapter 13. We're going to be getting back into the parables of our Lord Jesus. We've finished the Theological Foundation series, and now that we've, for once and for all, determined the question of baptism in covenant theology, we'll move on to something a little bit easier.

No, I kid, obviously. But we're going to get back into the parables and we're going to pick up here in Luke chapter 13. We're going to read verses 1 through 9. They were present at that season, some who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered such things?

I tell you no, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no. But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. He also spoke this parable.

A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, look, for three years I've come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down. Why does it use up the ground? But he, he being the vineyard keeper, answered and said to him, sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.

And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that, you can cut it down. Let's pray. Our Father, we thank you for this time that we are able to be in your word together. God may you teach us wonderful things from your law.

Help us God to understand these things and may you grant repentance that we would bear fruit for your kingdom. In Christ's name, amen. So this parable is another one of the parables of our Lord that are fairly short, pretty easy to follow the story itself, and we're given no real interpretation of it. And so because of that, you go to certain commentaries, you'll find a wide range of opinions and views on what the different elements of the parable means, but I think the parable is coordinate with the story that or the the account that appears right before it. That's why we started in verse 1 instead of beginning in verse 6.

So in my perspective the parable is helping us to understand and explain Jesus' answer to those who were speaking with him about these two disasters that had apparently recently happened. So we kind of have the setup for the parable and we've got the parable itself and there's no real conclusion given but the conclusions that we can derive from it are I think are fairly obvious. So we're going to look at this in these three different steps, the setup, the parable, and then the conclusion. So the setup, you have these who come to Jesus, there were those present at that season, some who told him about these two events that recently happened. Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

And as best as we can understand that seems to be a very poetic way of saying for whatever reason, there were certain people who were Galileans who were in the temple offering sacrifice and Pilate had them killed in the temple. Pilate had defiled the temple by having these men put to death while they were offering their sacrifices. So Pilate had mingled their blood with the blood of the sacrifice. And then the other event, 18 people who were killed when a tower in Siloam, a place just outside of Jerusalem, when a tower that we don't know why or what the circumstances were, but this tower fell and killed 18 people. And it seems that these people are bringing these events up to Jesus and questioning him as if these events are somehow a display of the wrath of God.

That seems to be the question. What happened? What provoked God to bring this judgment on these people? And so Jesus answers them and he says, do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than the rest of the Galileans? Do you suppose that those 18 on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed, do you think they were worse sinners than the rest of Jerusalem?

He gives them two conclusions to this hypothetical. First he tells them, no, they were not worse sinners. He says, no, I tell you no, twice. I tell you no, they were not worse sinners. We should not assume that those who suffer more are therefore necessarily more wicked than anyone else or more wicked than ourselves.

Those who do suffer in this world are not necessarily those who are more deserving of suffering or punishment. We live in a fallen world. When Adam fell, not only the human race fell with him, but our entire world was cursed as a consequence. So bad things happen all the time. And it's not necessarily because of a particular sin that the sufferer committed that caused it.

Sometimes suffering and pain and difficulty happens without a direct connection to that person's own sin. We live in a fallen world. We should not assume that those who suffer are worse sinners. Our perspective, when we take this view, our perspective is skewed. We should not assume that those who suffer are worse sinners than others or worse sinners than ours.

Rather, we ought to have the assumption that we are just as bad as they are. We are just as sinful as they are. So our perspective, when we see suffering in the world we should not say well what did they do that caused that to happen to them our question should be God why did you not let that happen to me I'm just as guilty as they are. Why did I not suffer in the same way? Now this isn't to say that God never judges particular people or even groups of people in time and in history.

He certainly does. God will bring his judgment against sinners in his own time. Sometimes it happens in this world and those who commit awful acts of evil, sometimes they will suffer God's direct judgment in this world, but sometimes not. And we can't assume. We don't know the secret things that our God knows.

We cannot assume that those who suffer necessarily deserve it more than the rest. Rather, our perspective is backwards. We should look at the suffering and say, God, why have you been so gracious to me? Not that they are worse than me, but Why have you been so kind to me when I am just as guilty? That's the first conclusion he gives.

And the second conclusion he says, in both circumstances, no, they're not worse sinners, but unless you repent, you will likewise perish. This language here of perishing and calling them to repentance is why I think this is, they were questioning these not simply as effects of a fallen world. They viewed these things as the wrath of God coming up on these people, because you can repent, you're still going to die physically. He's not saying you repent and you'll escape physical death. There's a greater perishing that all of us face.

Jesus is saying, no, they didn't suffer this because they were greater sinners, but if you don't repent, you will face the wrath of God. You will perish. And so he says, unless you repent, you will likewise perish. We must repent, all men must repent, because God's judgment will come for you, whether in time or after your death. God's judgment will come on all lawbreakers, every single one.

And so though these people were not worse sinners than the rest of the Galileans, they're not worse sinners than the rest of those who lived in Jerusalem, Jesus is teaching that these tragedies ought to be a reminder that God's judgment is coming one day. Every time we see a tragedy, every time we see this kind of suffering, We don't necessarily tie it to a particular sin that the sufferers committed, but it should remind us that all these are pictures, they are types of God's judgment, at least on that final day. The reason people die now is ultimately because of sin. Maybe not their own sin, but sin generally. And sometimes, yes, even their own sin, I believe.

But when we see suffering, when we see death in the world, it should be a reminder. It should be calling out to you. You are a fallen creature. You live in a fallen world, and you will face God on that final day. Every time you see this pain and suffering that happens in the world, these disasters and tragedies, they are a reminder to you that God will judge sinners.

Because likewise you will perish if you do not repent. Calvin commenting on this passage, he put it this way, it is not always the most wicked man who is first dragged to punishment, but when God selects a few out of a large number to be punished, he holds out in their person a threatening that he will take vengeance on the remainder in order that all may be alarmed. So when you see tragedy in the world, Our first response shouldn't be, well, what did they do to deserve that? Why are they so much worse? But it should remind us there is a day of judgment coming when all of us will perish if we do not repent.

And to illustrate this, Jesus uses a parable, a parable of a fig tree. I'm gonna read it again, beginning in verse six. A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, look for three years I've come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down, Why does it use up the ground?

But he answered and said to him sir let it alone this year also until I dig around it and fertilize it and if it bears Fruit well, but if not after that you can cut it down The main point of this parable is simply this that God's delay in bringing judgment should motivate you to repentance. That is what he is doing with this parable. He is illustrating exactly what he had said. If you do not repent, you will likewise perish. That is what this parable is about.

The fruit being sought on this fig tree is repentance. The fig tree is the human heart. God is seeking fruit. Have you repented? Now the fruit here is not good works generally, although I think we can make a broader application to that because true good works that God accepts come from a repentant heart.

But ultimately the fruit being sought here is the fruit of repentance towards God. There will be a day when every fruitless tree is cut down. What did John the Baptist say in Matthew 3? And even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

That is the threat that is against every human being, every fallen son or daughter of Adam. Unless you bear fruit, you will be cut down. Unless you repent, you will likewise perish." And this can be applied in two different ways. Firstly, and what I've been most driving toward is the personal application of this parable. This parable is directed and most immediately applicable to every individual.

This is a warning that if you do not bear fruit, if you do not repent, you will perish, you will suffer the judgment of God. Every day that you wake up, period, but especially if you have not yet turned to Christ for salvation, every day you wake up is a gift of God's grace to you. You should thank God every morning that He did not kill you in your sleep for what you did the previous day. Your sins call out for divine justice. But God is forbearing for a time.

Thomas Watson, he said this way, every time we draw our breath we suck in mercy. That should be our perspective. God gives us another breath. He gives us another day in spite of all our sins, in spite of our rebellion against him. He continues to give us good things.

He sustains our lives. He allows us to continue. He's giving more space for you to repent. So do not mistake God's delay, what seems to be his delay in bringing his wrath as a sign of his approval. Rather, he is holding out the hand of mercy for a little while longer to see if the sinner will show true fruit of repentance.

Do not be confused, do not be misled. God's patience is not him putting the stamp of approval on all your deeds. He is not consenting and approving of your faithless and repentance-less hearts. Rather, he is giving you another day to bear fruit. He is giving you more time to bear fruit of repentance or else another day to be barren and show that you deserve every drop of wrath.

That is why God delays. And so this is directly applicable to every person. But this also applies to groups. And I believe there is a particular application in this time to the nation of Israel as a whole. The fact that in the parable, the vineyard owner had been searching for fruit for three years, I think is significant.

It seems to reinforce the idea that the owner of the vineyard, the owner of the fig tree is Christ, his three years of ministry and calling the people to repentance and faith in him. He came to his own and they did not receive him. He came to Israel and those who were looking for the Messiah were largely a hard-hearted and apostate people. And after three years of ministry and miracles and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, they killed him. And yet he still gave them a reprieve.

He did not wipe Israel out the moment he was raised from the dead. And he didn't just give them one year, he gave them 40 years. He gave them another generation to turn around. Some did bear fruit, as we see in the book of Acts. Some are converted, some follow.

Many thousands on the day of Pentecost, for instance. But as a whole, the nation continued in stubborn unbelief. And so the tree, the fig tree of Israel was ultimately cut down and uprooted in 70 AD when the legions surrounded the city and burned it to the ground and annihilated the temple and wiped out the old covenant system entirely. Now if you know the history, the Christians escaped. They knew what Jesus had said in the Olivet Discourse that when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies flee to the mountains.

The Christians obeyed Jesus and the Christians escaped but apostate Israel was wiped out. And we'll see that more as we get into these later parables as Jesus comes to the end of his ministry. But both these applications, I think, are true. The application to us as individuals and to Israel as a corporate body, I think we could even apply it to even our nation today. If you do not bear fruit, you will be cut down.

Kiss the sun lest he be angry and you perish in the way." We've heard that over and over. And so what is the conclusion? The parable is left without a conclusion. We don't know if the fig tree bore fruit the following year. We don't know if it remained barren and it became a prized treasure of the vineyard keeper or was it cut down and used for firewood?

We don't know what the outcome was. But the conclusion for us is we must take to heart what Jesus said, unless you repent, you will likewise perish. Are you bearing this fruit of repentance? The call of the gospel is repent and believe. The Christian life begins with repentance and as Luther famously said the entire Christian life is one of repentance.

We begin with repentance we continue repenting until the day we die and we stand before Jesus. Is that true of you? Have you repented? Are you bearing fruit of repentance? And this call to self-examination of looking at yourself and seeing if you are bearing this fruit, this is for all of us, the Christian, the unbeliever, and even those who are uncertain or confused.

For those who know and profess Christ, your life should be marked by repentance. Now this does not mean that you have to mope around all the time and call attention to yourself and your sins and how awful and wicked you are, that should not be the case for the believer. In fact, that kind of self-righteous repentance is what the Pharisees needed to repent of. That's not what we're talking about. But the genuine Christian has a heart that is sensitive to sin and hates sin and wants to live a life of holiness.

The Christian life is one marked by repentance. There should be a genuine sense of sorrow for sin and hatred for sin because it is your sin that caused Jesus to be crucified. You can no longer love what killed your Lord. So if you're a Christian, is your life marked by bearing this fruit? Do you have the desire, a genuine desire to live a life of holiness before God?

Is that what is in your heart? For those who are uncertain, they don't know their state or you are trying to figure things out, understand you have only one hope. Repentance unto life. Genuine heartfelt repentance. Are you not sure whether or not you've been saved, run to Christ.

Trust Him. Repent of your own self-sufficiency. Repent of your hesitancy to believe all the promises of God. Don't wait for some Damascus-like, Damascus-road-like experience where you are knocked down and revealed visibly that God has called you that's not what you were called to do do not say oh I don't know if he'll save me if I continue in this or if I'm I've not done this or whatever other thing, Christ saves by faith. You do not prepare yourself to be savable.

It's a denial of the gospel. Christ saves by simple faith, a truly repentant heart God does not despise. So if you're uncertain, The command is still the same to you. Repent. Believe the gospel.

Run to Christ. You don't know if He saved you? Run to Him. He says that He will never cast out anyone who draws near to Him. He will never cast you out.

So go to Him in true faith and repentance. For the unconverted. Understand you have no other Savior in this world. There is nowhere else you can go. This world is filled with barren trees waiting to be cut down.

Do not be one of them. Do not go to those who are fruitless and see how you could bear fruit from their example. It will not work. If you are unconverted and you know it in your heart that you have not been saved That you do not trust Jesus that your sins are not yet forgiven repent Believe the gospel know that Christ stands as a mighty Savior willing and ready to forgive any and all who draw near to Him. However great your sins are, He is a greater Savior.

And the command goes to you, repent and believe the gospel. Your maker calls you to come. Do not disobey, do not continue to refrain. Bear fruit of repentance. Christ extends his mercy to you today.

Turn and trust him. And for all of us, the Christian, the unconverted and the uncertain, the last application for us today is do not delay. Do not delay your repentance. God's Patience with you is another gift of grace. It is not a license for you to continue in sin You do not know how long you have The vineyard owner was going to give the tree another year.

God gave Israel 40 years. He may give you 10 minutes. You may live decades longer and die in your own bed in old age, or you may die in a car wreck on your way home this afternoon. You do not know how long God's mercy will continue with you. Do not delay your repentance.

Come to Him, it is now the time of salvation. Turn and trust him today. Let's pray. Our Father, we come before you and we thank you, God, that you have given such a clear call. And unless we repent, we will likewise perish.

God, we pray that you would not let that happen here, that all who are here would heed this command to repent. By God, we know that you must grant it. And so Lord, we pray that by your Spirit, you would open up hearts and minds to receive the gospel, that you would grant repentance, that you would take out the heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh. God, may you do so today and may you be glorified in our repenting and in our faith and in our ongoing work of bearing fruit for your kingdom. Thank you Lord for being so kind to us to remind us of this again today.

Thank you Lord for continuing to hold out the hand of mercy. God we pray that you would hold it out a little longer until the full number of your people come in. In Christ's name we pray all these things. Amen.