One of my earliest memories occurred when I was only about three years old.
I had been misbehaving at the dinner table, so my father took me into the hall to spank me. I looked at him (with my cute little three-year-old eyes) and said, “I’ll be good! I’ll be good!” My father decided not to spank me, to give me another chance. When we got back to the table and I realized I had gotten away without a spanking, I went right back to misbehaving. This time when my father took me into the hall, I got a spanking despite my protestations. I had taken my father’s mercy for weakness, but I learned that day to value mercy (Mercy means not getting what I deserve!).
Jesus tells his listeners a parable about a fig tree in Luke 13:6-9. A landowner visits his vineyard. In the vineyard (where he cultivates grapes) there is a fig tree that has not borne any fruit for three years. The landowner is dissatisfied with the fig tree and orders the gardener to cut the tree down. To the landowner, this tree is just a waste of space.
The gardener brings a different perspective: let me tend to the tree; maybe with a little tender loving care it will finally bear fruit. Give it another year. The gardener, seeing the potential in the tree, pleads for a second chance.
When I read this parable, I see the landowner as judgment – the tree is unfruitful and deserves to be cut down to make way for a more productive plant. The gardener represents mercy – tending to the tree and giving it more time; in other words, not dealing with the tree in the way it deserves.
God is a God of both judgment and mercy, but God’s mercy comes first. This means that instead of getting what we deserve, we get more chances. When we are honest with ourselves, we can see areas in our life where we would like to be doing better. We can see the parts of ourselves that are damaged by hurt, anger, bitterness, loss, failure, bad habits, actions or words we regret. Those damaged areas reduce the quality of our life; we display less love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, or self-control than we are capable of.
The good news is that God sees us as the gardener saw the tree: with potential for new growth. Like the gardener, God will help us repair the damage and become fruitful again.
The parable of the fig tree invites us to open ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s transforming power at work within us. When we acknowledge our sin, God forgives us, and helps us do better. Yet we should not become complacent or assume that God will never judge. Don’t scorn God’s mercy like I scorned my father’s mercy.
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Nancy Frey serves as pastor of Listowel Mennonite Church.
