In Luke 13:6-9, Jesus uses a parable about the owner of a vineyard who planted a fig tree there and expected it to bear its fruit.
Over a period of three years, he had noticed that it didn’t produce any fruit, so he asked the vineyard owner to cut down that tree. In response, the vine dresser replied to him to wait one more year for developing fruit while he would dig around and fertilize it.
Luke 13:6-9:
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 round it and fertilise it.
9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.” ’
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 round it and fertilise it.
9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.” ’
Since Jesus used the language of parables to conceal the wisdom of God and the revelatory truth contained therein, it reveals that it is important to be close to the heart of God in order to know the mysteries in the form of wisdom and knowledge in Christ (cf. Matthew 13:10-13 i.c.w. Colossians 2:2-3).
Matthew 13:10-13:
10 The disciples came to him and asked, ‘Why do you speak to the people in parables?’
11 He replied, ‘Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.
13 This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
10 The disciples came to him and asked, ‘Why do you speak to the people in parables?’
11 He replied, ‘Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.
13 This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
Colossians 2:2-3:
2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Based on the above parable, we can learn that it is about the phase of three years that have already passed, where the main focus is on the fourth year. The fourth year is a year of readiness for the work of the Holy Spirit, in order to use what we have already learned.
The Enemies of God as Fertilizer
Among other things, it says in Psalm 83:9-10 that the LORD made His enemies, in this case Midian and Sisera, fertilizer in the field, which means that everything must serve us as His people for the best (cf. Romans 8:28).
Psalm 83:9-10:
9 Do to them as you did to Midian, as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon, 10 who perished at Endor and became like dung on the ground.
9 Do to them as you did to Midian, as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon, 10 who perished at Endor and became like dung on the ground.
Romans 8:28:
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
This intervention of Jesus Christ in the form of the vine dresser leads to an intensification of the spirit that helps us to apply what we have learned from the experienced attacks of the enemy in the past. This results in healthy fruit progress and development.
When viewed in a prophetic context, the fig tree can be linked to walking in a biblical (Note: Hebrew) mindset because, among other things, the fig tree is a representation for the nation of Israel. It is one of the most important fruit trees in Israel.
Briefly explained, the Hebraic mindset is a biblical mindset in which it isn’t literally necessary to be Jewish. It is about the way to live in such a mindset as Jesus Christ did.
From Romans 12:2 we can clearly see and recognize that "we are not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that we may prove what is the will of God, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
Thus, a Hebraic mindset is the mind of a person transformed by the truth of God.
Returning to the fig tree, it bears fruit three times a year at the times of the God-ordained biblical feasts: Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot (cf. Exodus 23:14-17), the figs being inedible in spring and aslo pointing to the sacrificial death of Christ at the time of Passover.
It is no coincidence that the fig tree is indirectly mentioned by name in the account of creation (cf. Genesis 3:7-8).
Genesis 3:7-8:
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
It can be assumed that Adam and Eve were standing near or even under the fig tree at the Fall, using its leaves to cover their nakedness and possibly also hiding from God behind it.
God said that Adam and Eve could eat from all the trees of the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which was in the center of the garden (cf. Genesis 2:9.16-17).
Genesis 2:9.16-17:
9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. …
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.’
9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. …
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.’
Thus, we know that God set apart or emphasized the fig tree from the other trees in the garden, giving it the position of a chosen tree by placing it in the centre of the garden. In a similar way, God chose His people Israel and their capital Jerusalem out of all the peoples of the earth as His special possession and placed them in the centre in the midst of the peoples of the earth (cf. Deuteronomy 7:6-7 i.c.w. Ezekiel 5:5).
Deuteronomy 7:6-7:
6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.
6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.
Ezekiel 5:5:
5 ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: this is Jerusalem, which I have set in the centre of the nations, with countries all around her. …’
5 ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: this is Jerusalem, which I have set in the centre of the nations, with countries all around her. …’
It was the fig tree that became the test for Adam and Eve, namely, to submit to the instruction of God in order to live in a pure relationship together with God or to oppose His instruction and be removed from the immediate presence of God, their Creator.
This statement also shows that God is challenging us as believers to choose to go forward and live in a redeemed way with a biblical Hebrew mindset.
Trees Planted by the Water
Since we as saints are like trees planted by the water (cf. Psalm 1:1-3), it reveals that it is of high importance to be positioned in the center of God’s love represented by the vineyard and at the same time to be planted close to the vine, which and who is Christ. As a result, Jesus can spiral around us, which includes His loving presence surrounding us (cf. John 15:1-8).
Psalm 1:1-3:
1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.
1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.
John 15:1-8:
1 ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
4 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.
5 ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
1 ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
4 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.
5 ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Through this ‘spiraling’ encasement of Christ, we are enabled no longer to live ourselves, but to live Christ, as the Apostle Paul said (cf. Galatians 2:20).
Galatians 2:20:
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
If we are not in correlation with the vine, Jesus Christ, with our biblical or Hebrew way of thinking, the result is that we are puffed up and without fruit in religious legalism or self-righteousness, because everything that happens without the love of God (Note: Greek agąpē) has no standing at all before Him.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3:
1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
It is not enough merely to be positioned in the centre of God’s love in terms of being aware of the truth of God's love, if we are not willing to be continually embraced by God's love, thus walking from cycle to cycle in His encircling love from glory to glory (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:18).
2 Corinthians 3:18:
18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Without His surrounding loving presence, we look only to our own abilities which is only looking to grow upward like a tree representing a proud heart attitude and thus are unable to show fruit at the right time, namely at a visitation of God.
But there is hope for those who are caught up in pride, namely to allow the Son of God in the form of the vine dresser to go deep to the root in order to release there the fresh movement of the Holy Spirit and the substance as the fertilizer in the form of challenging experiences in Christ for healthy and accelerated fruit progress.
The Fourth Year and the Spiral Encasement
It is no coincidence that the parable with the planted fig tree in the vineyard is about the emphasis on the fourth year. According to the Torah, the fourth year, in relation to the planted fruit trees, is the time of fruit for the LORD, that is, of praise, whereas the following fifth year, is a time of personal harvest (cf. Leviticus 19:23-25).
Leviticus 19:23-25:
23 ‘ “When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten.
24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord.
25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God.
23 ‘ “When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten.
24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord.
25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God.
The spiral wrapping of the fig tree in the vineyard, as mentioned earlier, is Jesus Christ, who is the activated ‘strand’ in our lives, since we have been born again and He has enabled us to continually drink of the presence of the eternal God in order to bring forth and bear eternal fruit.
The activated DNA of life through Jesus Christ in our hearts is the eternal record of God in our lives that we manifest as we walk in our calling as His sons (cf. Psalm 139:15-16 i.c.w. Jeremiah 1:5; Ephesians 2:10).
Psalm 139:15-16:
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Jeremiah 1:4-5:
4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’
4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’
Ephesians 2:10:
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Amen and Amen.
In His Wisdom,
Daniel Glimm
