Luke 13:1-17
The vinedresser speaking: And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ (vv. 8-9) I was thinking of this manure (fertilizer) application around the fig tree and thinking of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, working on our inner selves so that we can be more fruitful. And when I think of manure, I have a vivid picture of Carol’s alpacas and what they do to the soil when they all choose to dump in the same spot. Everything in this dumping area dies and nothing sprouts for months on end. Then when something does grow, it comes up weeds. There are two problems with this alpaca dumping – it’s a large amount of manure in a small area and it’s never worked in properly. We could make better use of alpaca manure if we spread it more thinly and applied it to soil elsewhere that was in need of nourishment. I see the same picture for Jesus’ work in us – His Spirit is readily, abundantly available to us and His grace can easily eliminate evil (weeds = sin) in our lives. And then we need to spread His Spirit onto other soil in need of nourishment – our friends and relatives who need the Lord. It’s His desire and our calling.
See also: July 16 / Luke 13:1-9; July 17 / Luke 13:10-17
In the first story, Jesus points out that tragedy doesn’t necessarily happen to people because they deserve it. Oh how we love to blame the victim, avoiding compassion! We all face the potential of tragedy, here on earth or at judgment. We all need to repent, not once but daily again and again. Data indicate that addicts often relapse again and again, taking it day by day, minute by minute. We are all sin addicts, name your poisons. But God is the Lord of 2nd chances, 3rd, 4th, nth chances, praise God. We are washed clean every day. Loved the alpaca application, Fred!
The second story also had the theme of using our own rules to avoid compassion: the first was blaming the victim, the second is in how keeping the Sabbath was defined. We are pretty clever in how we can avoid loving others!
On Easter Sunday, Michael made a point in his sermon that we should avoid legalistic application of religion and also avoid cheap grace.
The Pharisees in our past readings, and the ruler of the synagogue in this story, who criticized Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, are perfect examples of emphasizing well intentioned religious rules while losing sight of that which is much more important. Framing Jesus’ actions in healing the woman with the disability as a violation of legalistic Sabbath rules, rather than the fulfillment of a higher calling to glorify God in accordance with His will, dramatically misses the point even of the Old Law. If God did not want the woman healed on the Sabbath, it would not have happened.
Cheap grace also is a very valuable concept and is similar. Bonhoefer in “The Cost of Discipleship” argues that simply relying on grace to save us (for example, Jesus died for our sins, so the bill is already paid, no need to sweat repentance etc. too much), while avoiding the more difficult work of transforming our lives and hearts to be true followers, is not enough. Jesus calls us to follow, not just to wait for our salvation to automatically happen. Anyway, if any of you have not read “The Cost of Discipleship”, it is worthwhile.