“Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ “ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ”

When planting a fruit-bearing tree, it typically may take a year for it to start producing fruit. After three years and no fruit, it seems realistic to think it will never bear fruit. We planted a pear tree last year. It had two pears on it, but many say you are not supposed to eat the first year fruit of a tree. This year we have 14 pears that are close to ripe. It is a small, flattish tree designed for planting next to a fence line. But after a year — fruit!

I can imagine God and Jesus having a conversation here, about the people on this earth that were created to be fruitful (fruit producing) and multiply! God is ready to cut the unproductive ones out and Jesus is petitioning for more time for them to turn and follow him.

But many in Jesus’ time were satisfied with drinking up the spiritual nutrients they received from God’s Word, his prophets and leaders, and keeping them for themselves. And so we find this piercing parable that is a warning to those who hear it. The trees that do not produce fruit are about to be cut down.

The funny thing about fruit is that the tree itself does not get fed by it … it is produced for others.
What spiritual fruit am I producing for others? How am I developing my relationship with God, and actively serving him? Am I letting my faith be stretched and stressed, and building an active root system or foundation?

How do we start producing fruit? ‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭4‬ says, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” We must tap into the rich resources that God offers of spiritual wisdom and actively live out his Word. Disciplined time with him to seek his heart and what is on it is a must!

We must reorganize our schedules to prioritize service! Producing fruit spiritually involves intentionally giving of our hearts to God and letting him use us and produce in us what he pleases.

Lord, thank you for calling out those trees that are unfruitful. Help me to follow you more closely and trust you more completely so I can bear a “bumper crop” of fruit this year!