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Some people told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
These people who spoke to Jesus were like those recently mentioned by him who could not correctly interpret the signs of the present time. They demonstrated what we might recognize as a morbid fascination with the tragedies that were for them current events. We probably recognize such a fascination in ourselves. When was the last time we commented on the latest scandal or atrocity of this or this world leader?
Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way
they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?
By no means!
Rather than receiving the lesson that was present when those events were interpreted correctly it seems that the people distanced themselves from it by assuming that those particular Galileans were greater sinners than themselves. In other words, terrible things happened, and they were angry about those things, but did not see a deeper connection to their own lives. For us as well, we tend to enjoy the cycles of anger and outrage that the news provides, but without it resulting in much introspection on our part.
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!
An important lesson in hidden in every tragedy is that time is short for everyone, and that none of us knows when our last hour will come. We have the same options as the people killed by Pilate and those on whom the tower at Siloam fell: we can allow fate to take us by surprise or we can repent and thereby be ready at any time. The news is good for nothing so much as showing us how imperfect and impermanent are all of structures in this world to which we otherwise often cling for our security. May we not use such headlines as distractions from the pressing issues of our own holiness and conversion.
‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree
but have found none.
So cut it down.
Why should it exhaust the soil?’
The gardener does not desire that we should perish but "desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (see First Timothy 2:4). He is "patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (see Second Peter 3:9). But the point is that a tree with no fruit won't be allowed to exhaust the soil indefinitely. We damage not only ourselves by our failure to change but we also exhaust the soil on which other trees also rely. The gardener pleads for us, and himself cultivates the ground and provides fertilizer to facilitate our growth. But eventually "this year also" will end and by then let us hope to be found with fruit.
Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
...
Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (see Matthew 3:8,10).
Among the gifts given by God to aid the growth of the tree were the gifts of his Spirit listed by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, "he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry". We notice about these gifts that were not given primarily to do the work of ministry, but rather, to equip the holy ones, and that is us, to do that work, to bear that fruit. And why? Is it merely from fear that are meant to care for that work? No, rather it is the vision for how good it can be when that tree grows, is healthy, and bears fruit.
Rather, living the truth in love,
we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ,
from whom the whole Body,
joined and held together by every supporting ligament,
with the proper functioning of each part,
brings about the Body’s growth and builds itself up in love.
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