The Patient Gardener
“and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but it not, cut it down.” Luke 13:9 NASB
Next year – Is it next year? Has God been patiently fertilizing, pruning and watering you so that you might produce? Has the time come for His harvest? Only you can answer this question, but woe to the one who answers, “Not yet, Lord. You will have to wait longer for me.”
There is no doubt that God is patient. The entire history of Israel is a study in divine patience. God’s erek appayim in a central theme of Scripture. It is embedded in God’s own self-description. The patient gardener is willing to wait until next year. But when next year comes, there must be signs of production. Otherwise the tree is cut down.
The actual Greek phrase is eis to mellon. It actually doesn’t mean “next year,” although that might be what the parable implies since crops are annual. The phrase means, “into the future,” or “at some future date.” Perhaps literally God is a bit more patient than a calendar year, but the message is still the same. Without production, the tree will be cut down. God will not waste His gardening on trees that refuse to produce.
My “next year” took four decades. Apparently God was willing to be infinitely more patient with my production. He must have seen things about me that I did not see during all those years. But the day of harvest has to come and in that day I am expected to produce. I, for one, do not want to be cut down. It is with great regret that I realize how little fruit was produced for so long. He had every reason to cut me down. I needed to be forgiven much (but that is another story and another parable).
Let us not delay the harvest. We are more than capable of doing just that, of procrastinating the divine calling. There are always other things to attend to, things that try the patience of YHWH. In the end, we will have no excuses for failing to produce a crop worthy of the gardener’s efforts. We make a tragic mistake to believe that next year can always be the next year. There is a price to pay for all those years of failed production even if God, in His great mercy, rescues us from the axe. If God has been tending to your growth, resolutely replenishing the soil of your life, He has done so for reasons of His own. You are expected to reciprocate by flourishing under His care. Don’t delay. Next year has arrived. The axe leans against the trunk awaiting the verdict.
Topical Index: next year, eis to mellon, into the future, fruitfulness, Luke 13:9
We (who are His) will not be cut down (as in destroyed), but will rather be- “pruned”- or cut back, often severely. (Remember the “dark night of the soul?”) G-d’s pruning process is not nice, but needful and necessary if we are to bear fruit for Him. What fruit will we bear? (Galatians 5.22-23) and “the fruit is in the Root..” Are we “rooted and grounded in Him?”- then we will bear fruit accordingly. All that is necessary (simple, but not easy) is for us to (have we heard this before?) “abide in the Vine.” (John chapter 15) Questions worth asking.. – Who is the Vine? Who is the Vine-dresser? Who is the branch? What is the fruit?
My friends- It is YHWH who is working in us, both to will and to do of His good pleasure!” G-d started this, and what He starts- (as we know..) He completes. Growth is, in and of itself, a (often painful) process over a period of time. I am not who I was, neither am I who I will be, but I am a work in progress. Yes, “please be patient, G-d is not finished with me yet!” But I will say to all who will listen, I like the changes being made in me..- I like what G-d is doing!. I look at my life as a slope. Which way is the slope “tilted?” Upward or downward? My brothers- Hallelujah!- I’m pressing on the upward way, new heights I’m gaining every day, still praying as I’m onward (and Homeward!) bound, LORD plant my feet on higher ground!” We (together) are making Aliyah! We are journeying (as strangers and pilgrims!) to our final home- “the New Jerusalem!” We are twice-born people living in a once born world, no wonder we don’t feel at home here! -Does Heaven exist? lol! (actually roflol!..) Yes, oh yes, oh yes! Heaven is a wonderful place, but far more than “place” is “Person” and His name is?? -lol!
Give the Great Physician “permission” to use His knife. Allow Him, to slice, dice and chop. He has yet to lose a patient. Our compassionate (and yes, oh so patient) Elohim knows what He is doing.. (I feel so silly for even saying this- who am I to say such a thing..), yet- He does. Do I know? Brothers, listen again.. “He knows! -I “know not” what a day may bring forth, yet I do know Who “brings forth the day!” I know the Day-Maker and I know the Day-Runner!, and may I say it and shout it with a loud voice- “Blessed be the name of the LORD!”
This hurt me deeply to read and I sent it to several people whom I love dearly. I pray that seed of the Word will multiply in all our lives and we will bear much fruit to the praise and glory of Our Heavenly Father.
Dear lady,
Skip is right. A tree that uses up valuable nutrients and bares no fruit robs the other trees around it and withholds what belongs to the gardener.
Conviction from the Holy Spirit cuts hard but just deep enough, and not for long if you take it to heart and repent. Have hope! Weeping may last through the night but joy comes in the morning. The moment you turn your heart completely away from what ever is keeping you from doing what Avinu asks of you, your joy will return and strengthen you to walk in His instruction.
Look at Torah. A common man could go to war at age 20 but could not minister until 30. What most people don’t realize is that fruit trees need at lease 3 years of barrenness. If it tries to bare fruit you should pick it off. If you don’t, all of the tree’s energy supply goes to fruit production and it compromises the tree. From then on it will almost always struggle to bare fruit (and it will be inferior fruit at that!), it will be an unhealthy tree and it will be a short lived tree. All because the gardener wasn’t patient enough to let it mature!
But there is also something else to consider. Keep in mind some human trees don’t bare fruit for 4 decades.
Moses for example was called from birth. He was cast into the river but rescued. He tried to fulfill that calling in the flesh at age 40 and was cast out of Egypt but rescued. YHVH baked the flesh out of him in the desert for 40 years and sent him back to Egypt and he was cast out again at age 80 but rescued. Then YHVH was able to use him mightily with His people for 40 years. Men could no longer cast him out because YHVH wouldn’t allow it!
Can you imagine baring with all those whiners for 40 more years without the face to face relationship of YHVH? But look at how long it took for Moses to be fit to approach YHVH in that manner.
If the tree is in a place of harsh conditions I let it go for 4 years. It strengthens the tree to fight those conditions with all it’s stored up energy and vigor! After that “I” select the fruit it will bare. This way the tree is strong and the fruit is good. Sometimes the tree really does need 4 years.
A bad tree strains to bare bad fruit. A good tree effortlessly bares good fruit. ummmm!
Fear not! To everything there is a season.
Shalom
This actually frightened me; but in a good way, really. It’s a wake-up call that I needed to hear. May I continue to heed it, and not get so involved in “good” activities that are enemies of the “best” that the warning gets crowded out of my conscious mind…
Amein
Thanks for the kick
and Amein
We all have been pruned over the years, again and again, but have you been reduced
to a ‘stump’ yet ? Yes we bring forth more fruit when we are pruned as is the purpose of the pruning
When only the stump is left, only Yeshua and a life in Him and He in us remains.
Alive for His will only!
Shalom to all