Third Sunday in Lent, The Fig tree Luke 13

 Sun, Mar 23, 2025 The Third Sunday in Lent Ex 3:1-15 Ps 103 or 103:1-12 1 Cor 10:1-13 Luke 13:1-9(10-17)  " YBH-Yes But How?..."

"A man borrowed a book from an acquaintance. As he read through it, he was intrigued to find parts of the book underlined with the letters YBH written in the margin. When he returned the book to the owner, he asked what the YBH meant. The owner replied that the underlined paragraphs were sections of the book that he basically agreed with. They gave him hints on how to improve himself and pointed out truths that he wished to incorporate into his life. However, the letters YBH stood for "Yes, but how?"

Those three letters could be writ on the margins of ours souls: "I ought to know how to take better care of myself, but how?" "I know I ought to spend more time in scripture reading and prayer, but how?" "I know I ought to be more sensitive to others, more loving of my spouse, more understanding of the weaknesses of others, but how?" These are all good qualities and we know that, but how can we acquire them? As Christian people we know the kind of life we ought to live, and most of us have the best of intentions to do so, but how? We are afraid because we know where the road paved with only good intentions leads!

This morning we hear Jesus' parable of the fig tree, telling us to repent and bear good fruit. We know what the Christian life requires of us and yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we also know how far short we fall. So the question that confronts us this morning is: "Yes, but how?"

It's a dilemma that has confronted God's people throughout the ages. Even Saint Paul found himself trapped. In Romans 7 Paul writes: It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love to do God's will so far as my new (redeemed Christian) nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind, I want to be God's willing servant, but instead I find myself enslaved to sin....  "from sermons@sermons.com

Lent. ( Morning Prayer bids us to do this too....repent.)

Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Joel ii. 13.

 

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Psalm li. 17.

 

I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. St. Luke xv. 18, 19.

The Gospel for today talks about repentance and fig trees.  

 

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree-Luke 13

"He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. 7Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? 8And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down"

Jesus told this parable to teach that without fruit the Christian is playing, and not believing with faith.  Repentance is necessary to enter the kingdom of God. Luke 13:5- " I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."

What is repentance? μετανοέω

Part of Speech: Verb

Transliteration: metanoeó

Pronunciation: meh-tah-no-EH-oh

Phonetic Spelling: (met-an-o-eh'-o)

Definition: Repent

Meaning: I repent, change my mind, change the inner man (particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of God), repent.

Word Origin: From the Greek words "meta" (meaning "after" or "beyond") and "noeo" (meaning "to think" or "to perceive"), thus implying a change of mind or heart. from  biblehub.com

1. The parable of the fig tree shows the need for repentance, and the " slowness of God to punish."Luke by Leon Morris. 

I have a tree in my front yard that has no leaves, but last year it did on the bottom half.  I have sprayed it for a certain bug that may be causing the problem, but the top half of the tree did not produce leaves all last year. Now I am not cutting it down even though the neighbor who has a similar tree across the road said I should.

I am waiting for some leaves this year on the tree.  The last phrase of this parable may be better thought of as, " you can cut it down." ( in the original language).  I had not seen that before,  and it shows that God is longsuffering and has patience with us. This is from Leon Morris' Luke.  ( a well known evangelical in the Church of England)

2.  The word for repentance should be thought of not just as change of mind, but change of heart.

 Another well known Bishop in the American Episcopal church Bishop Allison of South Carolina brings out a deeper point as well in his discussion on what the original word for repentance means in the greek language, " the word for repentance means in the greek change of mind, but it actually should read change of heart as the Greeks had no word for that." in The Anglican Way, Easter 2003.

" To truly repent we need to know what needs changing and it is not simply our minds. Mark Twain said that giving up smoking was the easiest thing in the world, ' I've done it a thousand times."

Changing our hearts is God's work in changing our hearts through His grace.  "The Heidelberg Catechism gives a good biblical definition of true faith:

Question 21. What is true faith?

Answer: True faith is not only a certain knowledge, whereby I hold for truth all that God has revealed to us in his word, but also an assured confidence, which the Holy Ghost works by the gospel in my heart; that not only to others, but to me also, remission of sin, everlasting righteousness and salvation, are freely given by God, merely of grace, only for the sake of Christ’s merits." 

I quote more here of the Catechism and a comment on it as it is so helpful at this point, " Repentance is turning from sin to obedience. Internally, it is a hatred of sin and a motivation to live in gratitude and love by obeying God’s commands. Externally it is changed conduct. Saving faith is a gift of God in our hearts leading us to trust him alone for our forgiveness, righteousness, and salvation, only because of what Christ has done for us.

So, which comes first—faith or repentance? The answer is faith precedes repentance; it is a fruit of saving faith—not the other way around. A person is reconciled to God (justified) by faith alone, not by faith plus works. Yet, faith without repentance is not saving faith.... 

Daniel Rowlands | “Faith or Repentance—Which Comes First? | May 10, 2022"

3. Lastly in conclusion. YBH.  Yes, but how? JC Ryle said it this way, " When you finally realize it isn't about cutting off sin, it's about loving God so much your desires to sin no longer exists."

Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Joel ii. 13.

And Amen.