CHRIST, THIS IS SOME GOOD MANURE!
Luke 13:1-9
Third Sunday in Lent, Year C
Analysis by Lori A. Cornell
1At that very time there were some present who told about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”
6Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” 8He replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. 9If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.”
From Wikimedia Commons
“Christ fertilizes our lives with the manure of God’s Word; stirring up the soil of our hearts, breaking it up and giving us the mulch that will produce the fruit of the Spirit.”
DIAGNOSIS: When Bad Things Happen
Step 1: Initial Diagnosis (External Problem): Pointing Fingers
When things go awry, we point fingers and assign blame. She has lung cancer; she must have been a smoker. He’s homeless; he must have some sort of sobriety issue. Their daughter was on drugs and died in a Tijuana prison; they must not have kept a careful eye on her.
When bad things happen, we search for a simple explanation that will placate our conscience, and relieve us from the burden of caring about someone else. But as Jesus points out, these tragic circumstances could very well have been our own. And suffering calamity is not a contest about who’s the worse sinner. Instead, we need to consider our own lives. Do we think we’re above falling victim to violence or being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Everyone is under the eye of God – not above being judged. The need for repentance is universal; quite often we don’t get it right, and blaming someone else for falling victim to the world’s injustices should be a sobering call to self-examination.
Step 2: Advanced Diagnosis (Internal Problem): Denying Our Culpability
As soon as we say, “I would never do that,” we’ve placed ourselves in a superior position. We not only look with contempt at our neighbors, but we put ourselves in the judgment seat, which doesn’t belong to us. We also completely ignore the things we’ve done or failed to do. Our false piety holds a mirror up to us and we forget who Jesus stands with: sinners. But we’re so convinced we’re righteous, we forget about him.
Step 3: Final Diagnosis (Ultimate Problem): Infertile
Jesus’ parable tells the truth about us: We have not been producing good fruit as we are meant to. The Owner of the tree has had it with us: cut the tree down. God is tired of our delusions about our superior goodness. And left to our devices we continue to be unproductive – useless. A waste of God’s time.
PROGNOSIS: When Good Things Happen
Step 4: Initial Prognosis (Ultimate Solution): Fertile
Thank God for the patience of the Gardener who intervenes. On the cross he bears the fruitlessness of our existence – all that makes us unworthy. When he walks from the grave he plants within us his own life. He fertilizes our lives with the manure of God’s Word; stirring up the soil of our hearts, breaking it up and giving us the mulch that will produce the fruit of the Spirit.
Step 5: Advanced Prognosis (Internal Solution): Admitting Our Culpability
Fed at the table and watered in Christ’s baptismal promises once again, the great Gardener refreshes us. He gives us peace with him and the Father, and while our blossoms may be insignificant, nevertheless good fruit comes from them: the fruit of repentance and forgiveness; the fruit of hope, consolation, and compassion.
Step 6: Final Prognosis (External Solution): Open Arms
We no longer dwell pruriently on the devastation or victimhood of our neighbors. Instead of pointing elsewhere to righteously distract from the things we’ve done or left undone, we admit that we are no more in control of life than the next person; which gives us enough empathy to turn toward those who weather these calamities with our open arms in care and compassion.
