Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Greetings, special people.
In less than an hour, Becki and I will be heading out for Wood Village to join in an event hosted by WoodMizer…the company that has manufactured my portable sawmill. So there will be no time for a walk/jog. I just told that to Max. He’s disappointed…but wagged his tail anyway. Then in the afternoon I need to complete the installation for the main sign for Cindy’s Café.
There is some low fog in the mix, but I can already tell it’s shaping up to be a gorgeous day. Mix that with a heart disposition that seeks the Lord and wins His blessing, and what do you have? A little taste of heaven on earth.
Love, Dad/Ray.
I confess that it is, at first glance, nigh unto irritating to read the account we read yesterday where Jesus seemed to arbitrarily curse the fig tree because it did not have fruit when He wanted. Upon more careful thought and consideration, however, I think we are led to see that there is some profound lesson content here for His disciples who saw and heard what He did and said. The fig tree can appropriately represent Israel in whom God has invested so much, and yet who are so unproductive of spiritual fruit. They have the stock and leaves of religion, but little to no fruit to please the desires of the Owner. To underscore this idea, notice that Jesus was at that time in route to Jerusalem where He, in a sense, cursed the fruitless fig tree of the Temple. In so many words, Jesus was saying, “This is supposed to be a tree of Life to the nations, a house where God is honored and worshipped. But you jerks are perverting it into a corrupt business that produces absolutely nothing pleasing to the Father!”
Today’s parable of the guys who rent the vineyard from the owner is in a similar vein. The Jewish nation is best understood as the tenants.
Beyond applying it all to Israel, I think there is an extremely important lesson for each of us. God simply desires fruit from your life and your faith. The leaves of religious activity are not enough. All our good deeds and good intentions are not enough. He doesn’t necessarily want all of the fruit. You can keep some joy, peace, and goodness for your own consumption. (See Galatians 5 again.) He just wants “some of the fruit” returned to Him in the form of true worship—along with the heart-level acknowledgment that HE RIGHTFULLY OWNS IT ALL ANYWAY. (See I Corinthians 6:19-20 again.)