Luke 13:1-17

The story of the FIG TREE reminds me of our RED CURRANT BUSHES.

The first fall we had moved to our new residence in Toronto, we decided to plant 2 red currant bushes. For many years, in our previous location, we looked forward to harvesting the bright red berries which eventually would grace our breakfast toast with a sweet tasting jelly.

So we planted our 2 bushes in 1990, cared for them each year, and anticipated the bright red crop we would have in 1993.

During the summer of 1993, we noticed the red berries on one bush were ready for harvesting, but the other bush still had white, raw-looking fruit. We tasted them and they seemed good for eating but the colour was white, not red.

I went back to the nursery and was told that the label was incorrect... and I had received one white and one red currant bush, rather than 2 reds.

They offered a replacement. I declined, because I did not want to wait for another 3 years for the new bush to bear fruit.

Instead, each year, I harvested them together, and my jelly was somewhat less red by mixing the white with the red.

In Jesus' story, the fig tree had not produced any figs in its three year life, so the owner wanted to cut it down.

The gardener preferred to give it one more year. He said he would dig around it, give it fertilizer and see what would happen.

The gardener is God, always ready to give people another chance.

The God who said to the woman caught in adultery, "God and sin no more."

The God who said to the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in Paradise."

The God who said from the cross to the people who crucified Him, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing."

The God who gives us a second chance, a third, a fourth...

Question: Think about the times when God gave you another chance...


Tomorrow's reading: Luke 13:18-35

(Today's post submitted by Rev. Hollis Hiscock.)