Decided to browse Worthy tonight and see what they were up to. Noticed a thread on the Parable of the Fig Tree, and in reading it suddenly the Lord revealed to me what I think it is actually about. So I thought I would post it here as posted there, and see what everyone thought of it.
Feel free to comment, and as always, blessings to all who respond.
Hidden In Him
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"Greetings, Gandolf old friend. I know this thread is more than a month old now, but I was just passing by Worthy to see what everyone was up to and noticed it. About Jesus' words possibly relating what was going on in previous Chapters, there is a break at the beginning of Chapter 13, which seems to make what is mentioned in Ch.11 and Ch.12 too distant from the present context to be of much relevance.
But here is what I think it means, and I will quote the context again first:
13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Luke 13:1-5 NIV)
6 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. 7 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?’ 8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” (Luke 13:6-8 NIV)
Notice how He said, "But unless you repent, you too will all perish." He says this not once, but twice, making this is the thrust of what He is apparently warning them about; the point being that unless the entire nation repented, they would all likewise perish. The parable He gives then explains why they were all going to perish. It is essentially a prophecy of Israel's destruction, that will come in forty years. For the next thirty years (three in the parable), the gospel would be preached to the nation yet it would bear no fruit. Their destruction from God would be at hand because of it. But the Lord in His patience would give them ten more years (one in the parable) before finally making the determination to cut them down. This prophecy went forth around 30 A.D. and Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D, making three decades plus a final decade before Jerusalem was destroyed.
Thought I would see what you thought, and God bless. Great to see you are still around.
Hidden In Him
Feel free to comment, and as always, blessings to all who respond.
Hidden In Him
____________________________________________________
"Greetings, Gandolf old friend. I know this thread is more than a month old now, but I was just passing by Worthy to see what everyone was up to and noticed it. About Jesus' words possibly relating what was going on in previous Chapters, there is a break at the beginning of Chapter 13, which seems to make what is mentioned in Ch.11 and Ch.12 too distant from the present context to be of much relevance.
But here is what I think it means, and I will quote the context again first:
13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Luke 13:1-5 NIV)
6 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. 7 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?’ 8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” (Luke 13:6-8 NIV)
Notice how He said, "But unless you repent, you too will all perish." He says this not once, but twice, making this is the thrust of what He is apparently warning them about; the point being that unless the entire nation repented, they would all likewise perish. The parable He gives then explains why they were all going to perish. It is essentially a prophecy of Israel's destruction, that will come in forty years. For the next thirty years (three in the parable), the gospel would be preached to the nation yet it would bear no fruit. Their destruction from God would be at hand because of it. But the Lord in His patience would give them ten more years (one in the parable) before finally making the determination to cut them down. This prophecy went forth around 30 A.D. and Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D, making three decades plus a final decade before Jerusalem was destroyed.
Thought I would see what you thought, and God bless. Great to see you are still around.
Hidden In Him