The story goes of a primary school teacher who was teaching a group of five year olds to understand the difference between the past, the present and the future.
! So on a Monday morning she got the class together and she told them to write down on a piece of paper, today is Monday, yesterday was Sunday, tomorrow is Tuesday.
The class did that, no problem. But the problem started was when they did the same exercise on the following day, on the Tuesday.
Class come together and write down on a piece of paper, today is Tuesday, yesterday was Monday.
A hand went up in the class, Miss, you told us that today is Monday.
No, no, Monday was yesterday, she said. Today is Tuesday.
But you said yesterday was Sunday. No, no, today is Tuesday, tomorrow is Wednesday.
But Miss, how can today be Tuesday?
See, the children had not grasped, had they, the concept of time.
And how eventually today is tomorrow, isn't it?
And how today becomes, sorry, today becomes yesterday and tomorrow becomes today.
Okay.
Jesus, Jesus in this parable teaches us that we need to learn to be better at doing that.
To learn how time works and to learn what today means.
In God's timing, you see, our today will soon become yesterday and tomorrow will come.
And we're going to look at this parable in Luke 13 about a fig tree.
We've been doing some parables on a Thursday at the lunchtime talks.
And this parable comes in a larger section that Luke compiles.
A collection of Jesus' teaching.
And it seems, I don't know if you felt, it seems a bit cobbled together, doesn't it?
But actually there's a united theme here in this part of Luke.
The theme is whether you know what day it is today.
The conversation earlier from verse 54 about the signs of the weather.
Verse 56.
Don't you know how to interpret the present time?
Don't you know what day it is today?
Out of court settlements before the time when you meet the judge.
Don't you know what you need to do today before you get to that point?
The mention in chapter 13 verse 1, Luke tells us that these people were there at the present time, today.
In Luke's mind, today is what matters here.
Don't you know what day it is today and what you must do with today?
The parable of the fig tree that gets one more year, doesn't it, to bear fruit,
is all about the present time.
Being borrowed time.
It's all about knowing what kind of day today is.
Of how to proportion your life and to prioritise things in your life.
And I think we see Jesus teaching here two things about the present day.
Our present day, the day that we're in, the present time,
shouts to us of two things that we've got to hold in tension.
Today shouts to us and says we're out of time.
And today shouts to us and says that there's still time.
We're out of time and there's still time.
To prioritise and prepare for tomorrow.
And there's a tension between the two.
I want to look at those two things.
Today tells us we're out of time, first of all.
Today tells us we're out of time.
Now Jesus speaks to a particular group of people here, doesn't he,
who are in a particular generation at a particular time,
who are in a crucial place in history.
They are on the earth as Jesus exercises his earthly ministry.
And Luke emphasises that they are people who are with Jesus,
verse 1 of chapter 13, at that very present time.
Luke tells us that because of the significance of the moment that they find themselves in.
That there today is a day of extraordinary significance.
Because they wake up one morning, don't they, on this day,
and they don't realise it, but today is the day that Jesus is going to visit their town.
And here he is, today of all days.
And that for them means that they are out of time.
Today marks a crisis for them.
Look with me at the first half of the parable from verse 6.
Jesus tells this parable.
A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard,
and he came seeking fruit on it,
and it found none.
And he gives the order, doesn't he, in verse 7,
and they are really serious words,
cut it down.
Now.
He's not a ruthless vineyard owner.
He's a good vineyard owner.
He's waited three years,
but he's had no fruit from this fig tree.
So now is the time.
Cut it down.
The day has come, hasn't it,
when the fig tree
is out of time.
And that is a picture of the day that has come for Jesus' listeners here.
That is today for them.
And if they don't turn to God,
God has already said earlier,
yesterday,
that he would come and do this,
that he would come and clear out the vineyard,
and break it down,
and remove it.
And he's done that back in the beginning of Luke's Gospel.
Just before the arrival of Jesus,
we get John the Baptist, don't we?
Back in Luke 3,
John the Baptist is the last of the Old Testament prophets,
and he gets the people ready for their tomorrow.
When God is going to come,
and he is going to do this,
he is going to come,
and he is going to clear out his vineyard.
He uses the same picture of trees and fruit.
In chapter 3, verse 8 and 9,
he says to them,
bear fruit in keeping with repentance,
of turning back to God now.
Verse 9,
even now the axe is laying to the fruit of the tree,
and every tree that doesn't bear good fruit
is cut down and thrown into the fire.
And his message yesterday
was people,
tomorrow God is going to come.
And he's going to cut you away
unless you turn back to him.
And so now in Luke 13,
tomorrow has come, hasn't it?
And for these people,
God has arrived.
Jesus has entered in,
and time has run out.
And the problem for these people
is that they can't see that.
Today is crisis point.
And the vineyard owner has come to say,
cut it down.
The axe was laid at the root,
and now he's saying,
take a swing at it.
And they didn't know that their case
was very, very bad on this day.
That judgment was imminent
upon these people,
upon this generation.
And in the context of this parable,
Jesus is trying to explain that to them,
of how significant today is for them.
And he's saying all the signs
point to this crisis.
Back to when he's talking about the weather.
He says you can tell what's coming,
can't you,
when you look at the weather.
But you can't see
what's really significant about today.
That there is a moral and spiritual
storm brewing today.
And you know,
when you're going to court tomorrow
to meet the judge,
that today is really important
for settling with him
before you get to court.
But what had happened was
that time had sneaked up on them,
hadn't it?
And tomorrow had suddenly become today.
And God had arrived.
Time does that, doesn't it?
Tomorrow has a funny way
of sneaking up on us.
You know,
when you listen to the radio,
and if you're sad like me,
you listen to radio too.
And you hear a song,
isn't it?
And you remember it really well.
And the DJ says that
that was Michael Jackson
from 1983.
And you're thinking,
no way.
That only seems like yesterday,
Billie Jean.
Where has the time gone?
Older people say to the young,
don't they?
Enjoy your youth
because it's going to go
in the blink of an eye.
Enjoy your kids
while they're young
because they grow up so fast.
And I've got to tell you,
it doesn't feel fast
at the time, does it?
It feels laboriously slow.
But then, bang!
And you look back
and time flies.
Time sneaks up on you.
Life sneaks up on you.
Death sneaks up on you.
And the day of Jesus
has arrived for this generation
in Luke
and time has run out.
And their intentions
with John the Baptist
and their plans
and their resolutions
and their,
I'll do it tomorrow's
to sort out their lives
with God
and to get right with him
have expired now.
And I'll do it tomorrow
won't work
because Jesus is here now
and tomorrow has come.
And today,
God has arrived.
There's this funny little section
in the middle, isn't there,
of our passage today
in chapter 13,
verse 1 to 5.
And it just seemed
out of place
on these people
coming to Jesus
and asking Jesus
about Pilate
killing these Galileans
whose blood
he's mixed with sacrifices.
It's really bizarre.
and the tower
falling on people's heads.
And the reason
why Luke puts that here
is just because
Jesus is saying
to people around him,
these are disastrous things
that are going on
in the world today
and they are telling you
that there is no time left.
Atrocities of unjust governments,
natural disasters,
accidents,
towers falling on people's heads,
people on killing them,
tell you that today
is closing time
for the world.
That this world
is at a crisis point.
And morality
and history
testify that
time is winding up.
So Sunday,
13th of October,
2019,
things going on
in the world today.
We look around us,
don't we?
There is something
terribly wrong
in the world today
and it's not Brexit.
It really isn't.
Get that out of your heads.
It's not climate change.
It really isn't that.
Things in the world
tell us
that there is something
awfully wrong
with the world
and it's a crisis.
That the vineyard
that God has made
is not a good place
that God wanted it to be
and that he had designed it to be
and it's got to be cleared.
And the signs of the times
tell us that time has run out.
Louis Armstrong says,
we've all the time
in the world
and that is exactly
why we should be worried.
Because when we look
properly at the world,
time has run out,
hasn't it?
And they were called
to repent
and turn back to God
but that was yesterday.
You might think this morning,
why are you telling me this?
I suppose you could say,
isn't it,
that this is hardly fair
because I've got no beef
with God.
We're okay.
I'm not an atheist.
I'm not a mass murderer.
I'm not a thorny person
and if God were to come
and visit me today,
that would be fine.
That is fine.
I'm not prickly towards God.
But I want to ask you,
do you need to be actively
hostile to God
to rebel against him?
To disdain the gardener?
Do you need to be
actively against him,
consciously against him
to warrant him
cutting you off altogether?
Just imagine your boss
comes to you this week
and he asks you
to do something.
Can you get hold of
such and such
or fill out that form
online or whatever?
Or your mum and dad,
kids,
comes into the room
and you're watching TV
and they come into the room
and they say,
can you get ready for dinner?
Or can you do your homework,
please?
And all you do
is just ignore them,
isn't it?
You just carry on
on your computer screen
at work
and you just blank out
your boss.
And you just keep
staring at the TV
and you just ignore
your mum and dad
stood in the room.
What is that?
It is passive rebellion,
isn't it?
It's passive aggression.
You don't have to
shout at your boss
and you don't have to
throw toys at your mum
and dad
to rebel at them.
You can do it
really quietly.
You can do it
passively.
You can even do it
really politely.
But it would
anger us,
wouldn't it?
If our employee,
if we were the boss,
just ignored us
or our child
just ignored us
when we gave them
instructions,
if we had
authority over them
to just be ignored,
sorry my mum,
I'm watching TV,
we would feel angry.
And God has every
right to feel angry
with that,
hasn't he,
when we treat him
in the same way.
You don't have to
join a militant
atheist group
or persecute
the Christian church.
Actually,
I reckon the vast
majority of people
rebel against God
quietly,
as nice people,
as good people.
And all you've
got to do
to deserve
God's rightful
response of anger
is to just
stay there,
isn't it?
And to just do
what you're doing
and don't change
a thing.
Just stare at
the telly
to rebel
and disdain
God,
the great gardener,
and to ignore him.
And so we,
like them,
we can have
little sense
of the impending
crisis of today.
It's so obvious
that the case
is stacked
against this world.
The Westminster
Directory
tells me that
my job this
morning is to
admonish you
in times of
health,
in order to
prepare you
in times of
sickness
and in death.
It's quite morbid,
isn't it?
It would be
much easier
this morning
to spend our
time just
numbing
ourselves,
just numbing
ourselves to
the truth
that time
has run
out.
And that
today is a
day when
Jesus comes
to you
in his
gospel
and the
world
crumbles
and our
lives crumble
under the
weight of
tomorrow
and of
his
judgment.
And what
God is
asking for
is that
we understand
that today.
the preacher
Matthew Henry
said that
many good
purposes,
resolutions
and intentions
lie in the
churchyard.
Because life
sneaks up on
you,
doesn't it?
And God
doesn't owe us
all the time
in the world.
He doesn't
owe us our
70 or 80
years of life.
He doesn't
even owe us
tomorrow.
Before he
should come
and meet us
and respond
rightly to
quiet rebellion.
So today
tells us we're
out of time
but there's
another thing
that we need
to hold in
tension.
Time is out
but today
tells us
there is still
time.
Today tells us
there is still
time but
not much.
Not much.
If you've
got the sense
of the New
Testament you
might have
heard parables
like this
before where
Jesus is
talking about
fig trees
and vines.
He talks
about it
a lot
doesn't
he?
There's
the occasions
in Matthew
and Mark
where Jesus
curses a fig
tree and
it withers
and dies.
And John
the Baptist
uses this
sort of
language we've
seen.
He talks
about the
signs of
the fig
tree later
on in Luke
chapter 21.
So this
is a picture
isn't he
that he uses
a lot,
that the
gospel writers
use,
that is a
classic picture
from the
Old Testament
of the
vine and
the fig
tree and
it pictures
the relationship
between God
and his
people.
Remember Isaiah
says the
vineyard of
the Lord of
hosts is the
house of
Israel.
And God
in his
tender loving
care means
his people to
be something
like Kew
Gardens,
isn't it?
Fruitful and
beautiful and
delightful.
people.
But as the
history of the
Bible shows
the people
harden and
rebel against
their loving
gardener and
they end up
more like my
backyard full of
thorns and
briars and
they get
prickly with
God.
And so God
is going to
come and stop
that and he's
going to cut
down this
fig tree and
that terrible
reality is in
the background of
the New Testament
imagery on the
vineyard.
But this
parable here
brings something
unique to that
picture.
to all the
other mentions
of vineyards
and fig trees.
This parable
speaks of
the ends,
doesn't it?
Of cutting the
fig tree down
but there is
more.
Just look at
verse 8 and
9.
And he
answered them,
Sir, let it
alone this year
also until I
dig round it
and put on
manure.
Then if it
should bear
fruit next year,
well and good.
But if not,
then you can
cut it down.
Today marks
a crisis,
but Jesus
says in this
parable,
for today,
that crisis
has been
averted.
John the
Baptist said,
didn't he,
judgment is
here.
Jesus says
now,
there's still
time,
but not
much.
In the
story,
the fig tree
is spared
for another
year,
isn't it?
There are
all kinds of
opinions on
why three
years,
why an
extra year,
about Jesus'
ministry being
three years
long,
I don't know,
there could be
truth in that,
but I think
just quite
basically it
shows,
doesn't it,
that three
years is
long enough
to see that
this fig tree
is in trouble,
that it
hasn't produced
fruit,
and it needs
another season,
it needs
another year.
This is
last chance
saloon,
isn't it?
This is
one more
go for
the fig tree.
And so
Jesus is
saying,
today is a
crisis,
but there
is another
day,
there's still
time,
but not
much.
And so
we learn
that Jesus'
ministry
operates on
the edge
between
judgment
and mercy.
because the
crisis day
has come,
but it's
also been
pushed back,
it's been
delayed.
And perhaps
the vine
owner thinks,
doesn't he,
just perhaps
this destruction
is not
necessary.
The story
has the same
bite to it,
God comes
and finds
no fruit.
He comes
to a world
that is
rebelling
against him
and he
should end
it right
now,
today.
And he's
not sentimental
about that.
I was
chatting with
someone at
the Lunchtime
Thoughts on
Thursday,
and he was
saying that
he's just
ordered a
plum tree
in his
garden.
And I
said,
that is
delightful,
isn't it?
A plum tree
in London,
that is
just lovely.
And I
was really
bigging up
this plum
tree.
What a
lovely thought,
this plum
tree.
I chopped
it down,
he said.
I've had it
for two years
and it hasn't
given me
anything.
Oh,
that's a
shame.
this is
one of
the loveliest
gentlemen
you'd ever
meet,
and he's
got this
plum tree,
but he's
just chopped
it down.
He's not
sentimental
about these
fruit trees
that he's
got.
And God
is not
sentimental
about people
who do
wrong and
who rebel
and live in
his world
as if he
isn't there.
But this
is the
unique thing
about the
parable.
He isn't
sentimental,
but he
is kind.
And in
his wrath,
he remembers
mercy.
And today
is the
day,
but there
is still
time,
but not
much.
There is
still time,
but it's
borrowed time,
isn't it,
for the fig
tree in the
parable.
And some
of Jesus'
audience in
his day
there,
literally may
only have
one day
with Jesus'
presence there
before he
moves on.
He's travelling
in this part
of Luke from
the north of
Israel down
to Jerusalem,
and they've
got this
one chance,
haven't they?
And Jesus
extends this
opportunity with
them,
and they don't
know when that
chance will be
over,
and they've
got to grab
it now.
And good
intentions and
resolutions,
and I'll do it
tomorrow,
are not what he
seeks from them,
and not what he
seeks from you
now,
because they and
we are on
borrowed time.
And he seeks
repentance,
fruit of
repentance,
of saying to
God,
I have not
lived life in
this world as
I should have
done,
and I've
quietly rebelled
against you,
and I'm going
to turn around
from that,
and I'm going
to live for
you.
And the
Lord Jesus,
he wants to
help you with
that.
It's not,
is it just a
cold deadline
extension,
it's not
just extending
the time,
but leaving
you to get
on with it,
and sort
yourself out.
Notice the
suggestion of
the vine
dresser to
rework the
ground.
He says,
no,
give it another
year,
and I'll
dig around
it,
and I'll
put manure
on the
ground.
Now that
is bizarre,
because fig
trees were
not known to
be high
maintenance
trees.
You didn't
need to do
much for
them,
you just
plant them
and let
them do
their thing.
And so the
vine dresser
is suggesting,
isn't he,
an unusual
amount of
help and
care for
this fig
tree.
He's going
to pull
out all
the stops
to get
this fruitful
tree fruitful
again.
And he's
going to
spend time
with them
to nurture
them and
to try
and give
them faith.
And that
is what
Jesus does
in the next
chapters.
He heals
in synagogues
and he goes
through towns
and villages
in Israel.
And he
teaches and
he journeys
and he
heals and
he preaches
and he
warns.
Today is a
day when
time is up
but there
is still
time to
be changed
by him
and to
come to
him.
And he
wants to
help you
with that
today.
You don't
have to do
that on
your own.
If you'll
come to
him and
you'll admit
how you've
lived your
life,
he will
come to
you and
he will
give you
what you
need to
be
fruitful.
He'll
provide the
manure that
you need,
the nutrition.
There's still
time but
not much.
And for
now the
mistake is
thinking that
since tomorrow
hasn't come
that somehow
we are
special,
that we're
different,
that we're
not going to
meet God
like these
people have
met God,
that we're
not like the
bad people
in the
world.
And that
is what
they think,
isn't it?
And this
whole question
of what
happened to
those people
that the
tower fell
on and
who were
killed by
Pilate,
the question
they ask,
isn't it,
was it
their fault?
But Jesus
turns that
around.
Because the
question they
should be
asking is
why haven't
we perished
for Jesus?
And if
you live
life ignoring
God,
the answer
is that
every day
that passes
away in
your life
isn't the
sign that
you're better
than anyone
else,
or you
deserve more
time than
anyone else,
but that in
God's mercy
each day
is another
crisis averted.
And don't
mistake the
postponing of
God's response
to our wrongdoing
as a cancellation
of that response.
It is delayed,
isn't it,
it is set back,
not discontinued,
not cancelled.
It's what Peter
says,
that the Lord
is not slow
to fulfil his
promise,
as some
count slowness,
but is patient
towards you,
not wishing
that any
should perish,
but should
reach repentance.
See,
when today
becomes yesterday
and tomorrow
does come,
it shows that
there is still
time,
but there
isn't much.
And not
because it
will never
happen,
but because
God is
patient.
Where Jesus
seeks to
rework you
and replant
you and
make you
fruitful and
pleasing to
God when
he does
come.
So this is
about preparing,
isn't it,
now while you
can,
of being
admonished
now,
and it's not
pleasant,
is it,
it's not a
nice thing
to think about,
to get
ready now
in times
of health
or when
there is
still
breath in
you.
I was
reading a
book by
this author
called
Jen Wilkin,
many of you
know her,
she's a good
writer,
and she
shares about
her struggles
that she had
with skin
cancer.
She was
unexpectedly
diagnosed in
her 30s,
and she
went through
treatment,
and thankfully
that went
well,
and she's
in remission,
but she
talks about
the scars
of her
surgery.
She says,
some people
have tattoos
with a mantra
for their
lives engraved
on their
bodies,
but I have
something better.
Perhaps you
can relate,
she says.
Unlike those
who ink their
credos into
their flesh,
I won't get
a tattoo,
not because I
disapprove of
them,
but because I'm
already sufficiently
marked.
I have a
satin slick
scar,
which if you
were to see
it traces
no apparent
pattern,
but to my
eyes,
more legible
than any
tattoo,
it forms
the words
tomorrow
if the
Lord
wills.
She says,
we view
time differently
if we see
tomorrow as a
place where
we go,
only if the
Lord wills.
When and
if Monday
tomorrow
comes,
it is because
the Lord
wills,
isn't it?
And if you
are not a
Christian believer
this morning,
we're really
glad you're
here.
Tomorrow,
you can start
by praying a
prayer,
can't you?
Lord God,
thank you for
another disaster
averted for
another day.
Thank you for
grace and
mercy tomorrow
if the Lord
wills.
Because time
really does
creep up on
you,
doesn't it?
God,
and you
can't ignore
this God
forever.
And so
today he is
not asking
you to be
a better
person.
He's not
asking you
to pull
your socks
up and
make a
better effort
to be
nicer.
That's not
the kind
of fruit
that he
wants.
John the
Baptist has
already said,
bear fruit
in keeping
with repentance.
That's the
sort of fruit
that he's
looking for.
Of saying to
God,
I have not
lived my life
as I should
have done in
your world.
And I'm
going to
turn around
and I'm
going to
live for
you now.
And in
doing that,
let Jesus
be the
Lord and
Saviour
that you
need.
And let
him help
you to
do that.
Let him
provide what
you need
to please
him.
Join with
me in
doing that
today.
Because when
you've got
all the
time in
the world
to do
that,
that's how
little time
you've got.
There is
time,
but not
much.
Let's
pray.