PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE (LUKE 13:6-9)

Immediate Context

Most commentators agree that the preceding stories of people dying serve as an introductory explanation of the parable.  Fitzmyer says, “The guilt that comes from one's own procrastination or lack of decision is greater than that implied by a death at someone else's hands or unexpected calamity.” In addition, Snodgrass feels that the following story of the healed cripple indicates that salvation is still possible.

Was the destruction of Jerusalem or the Final Judgment in mind in this parable? Snodgrass feels it probably referred to the former in light of verses 34-35.

Physical Picture

Kistemaker: Since the fig treet was planted in a vineyard (common practice), the space could have been more profitably used to grow vines. Marshall adds that the fig tree takes away nourishment from nearby vines.

Several possible symbolic meanings to the three-year time frame have been proposed: (a) a reference to the three years of Jesus' ministry to Israel, (b) God's dealings with the nation before the law (or during the Law), under the Law (or by the prophets), and under grace (or by Gospel teaching), (c) Jesus' three visits to Jerusalem, or (d) as a connection to the “today and tomorrow and the next day” of verses 31-35. None of these symbolic explanations is without criticism. The most likely explanation is the simple fact that no matter how young the fig tree was, it certainly shouldn't have gone three years in a row without bearing any fruit.

Symbolism

Symbolism: plant = people of Israel, fruit = actions, owner = God. Less certain is that Jesus = the caretaker and the significance of the three years. Calling the caretaker Jesus can give the false impression that Jesus with his grace is pleading against the harsh judgment of God's wrath.

Audience

It is a general call for repentance directed to the nation and its individuals. But there are obvious applications to a Christian audience as well. “If the privilege of being God's people does not lead to productivity, it still leads to judgment. The Christian church stands under the indictment of this parable as much as Israel ever did.” (Snodgrass)  And Fitzmyer reminds that each of us is "faced with the prospect of a sudden end of life." Marshall concurs that there is an application to "every individual who remains unrepentant."

Main message:

The majority evangelical position is that both the fig tree and the vineyard usually stand for Israel. If it doesn't repent, the nation will be removed from its protected position as the chosen people of God (all but a remnant) and that position given to the Gentiles as taught in Luke 13:28f and 20:16. This message is even more clear if the fig tree itself stands for Israel, but that identification is not as sure based on the few proposed OT references (Jeremiah 8:13; 24:1-10; Hosea 9:10; Micah 7:1; and Joel 1:7). Since the fig tree is among the most common fruit-bearing trees in the region, it was an apt symbol to use, whether or not it refers to the nation. (Beale and Carson)

Dispensational commentators, as expected, generally deny that the parable is any condemnation of the nation of Israel at all. They base this partially on the strong verbal connection between this parable and Isaiah 5:1-7, which is addressed only to the leaders of Israel. But most other scholars feel that only a little wording (watchtower, wine press, fence) has been borrowed from Isaiah to show the care the owner took.

Relation to the withering of the fig tree

This is a controversial subject among scholars, and Fitzmyer, for example, sees no connection between the two accounts. Kistemaker reads significance in the fact that among Synoptics, only Luke has this parable and only he omits the cursing of the fig tree (in Mark 11 and Matthew 21). J. A. Motyer draws the same obvious conclusion that Luke's parable is the counterpart to the negative miracle found in these other Gospels. L. E. Porter agrees and notes that Luke's is a slightly milder version in which hope is held out if the people repent, unlike the miracle, which carries the air of inevitability of judgment. If the parallelism between a parable and a miracle bothers some people, keep in mind that Jesus' action in cursing the fig tree is not much different from the enacted OT parables of the prophets we studied earlier.