Lent
March 24, 2019
Scripture Reading: Luke 13:1-9
Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” He replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.”’ –Luke 13:6-9
The above scripture asks probably the most difficult questions for any follower of Christ to answer. When is it ever appropriate to give up? I have struggled with the question more than once in lesser and more serious situations and have discovered in many circumstances that the concept of letting something lie fallow for a time is a helpful interim step to giving up.
Lying fallow is an agrarian practice when the land is cultivated and planted for a time allowing it to recover its nutrients. In most instances this is practiced in rotation so that one’s whole farm is not lying fallow at the same time. The practice is older than Exodus:
but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild animals may eat. You shall do the same with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard. –Exodus 23:11
I have grown weary of war, which in my lifetime has never solved anything, although we seemed to fight someone about something continuously. The same can be said about faith organizations. Jesus was very clear about his intent that his followers become one. Instead of wasting our energies fighting each other to see who is right and who is wrong, we might serve God better if we let the things that divide us lie fallow and work together on the things on which we agree. Jesus outlines several on which we might concentrate, feeding the hungry, providing safe water to the thirsty, healing the sick, restoring the prisoner, welcoming the stranger. We might be surprised at how those divisive issues take care of themselves over time as we better invest our time working together.
Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we devote more energy to the things that divide than to the things that are more likely to make us one. Amen.