Luke 13:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure.

NIV: 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it.

NASB: But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, leave it alone for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer;

CSB: "But he replied to him, 'Sir, leave it this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.

NLT: The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer.

KJV: And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

NKJV: But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.

Jesus is warning a crowd of Jews that their identity as a group is in danger. He's telling a parable about a fig tree that hasn't borne fruit for three years. The owner wants to cut it down; the vinedresser wants one more chance to nurture it into growth by digging up the soil so water can reach the roots and covering it with nutrient-rich manure. If such care doesn't work, he will chop down the tree (Luke 13:6–7, 9).

The fig tree represents Israel as a nation, but the idea can also be applied to individual Jews in the crowd. The owner is God the Father and the vinedresser is Jesus. "Digging up the soil" may refer to Jesus' teaching that disturbs the Jews' preconceived ideas about God and the world so the Holy Spirit can bring truth deep in their hearts. The three years parallels other periods of three years or three days in which a situation develops before a final decision or judgment (Genesis 40:12–13, 18–19; Exodus 15:22–24; 2 Samuel 24:13; 2 Kings 17:5; 18:10; Ezra 8:15, 32; 10:8; Nehemiah 2:11; Daniel 1:5; Luke 13:32–33).

Scholars say that the three years in which the tree did not bear fruit do not directly correlate to Jesus' three-year ministry. If it did, however, this extra year may be the ministry of the apostles in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. Many Jews, Samaritans, and proselytes did accept Jesus as their savior (Acts 2:41, 47; 4:4; 6:7), but still the religious leadership, like the nation at large, did not (Acts 24:1–9).

Peter may have thought of this parable when he wrote, "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). God gave the Jews almost forty more years to turn to Christ. They refused, so God let the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and scatter the Jewish people throughout the world for some nineteen centuries.

The vinedresser has a parallel in Moses. While he was on Mount Sinai receiving God's law, the people were building and worshiping a golden calf. God told Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you" (Exodus 32:9–10). Instead of taking God up on His offer, Moses begged for mercy for the people. He also pointed out that destroying the people would tarnish God's reputation among the pagan nations. God relented. This seems to have been a test for Moses to solidify his understanding of God's character and to strengthen his resolve to lead the "stiff-necked people" (Exodus 32:11–14).

Luke 13:6–9 completes Jesus' lessons about reconciling with others. People need to repent of their sins against others (Luke 12:57–59) and against God (Luke 13:1–5). Here, Jesus warns that the nation of Israel also needs to repent. God has been patient but they are in danger of imminent judgment. This is the last story in this section about the kingdom of God (Luke 12:1—13:9). Next are two sections that begin with a Sabbath miracle and continue with teachings about salvation and God's kingdom (Luke 13:10—35; 14:1—15:32).

Luke 9:51—19:27 is sometimes called "Jesus' Travelogue to Jerusalem." The segment describes how Jesus prepared the disciples for their future as He approached His own death and resurrection. Interspersed are a few altercations with religious leaders. There are calls for the crowd to repent of their sins and reconcile with God before it's too late. In Luke 13, two stories in particular reveal Jesus' heart. In one, He heals a long-suffering woman on the Sabbath; healing is a type of rest. In the last, He mourns the fact that, for now, the Jews as a nation will reject their Messiah.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.