It is hard to log on to the internet, turn on a T.V., or pick up a paper and not be bombarded by news about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It seems every headline from every major news outlet is about the war in Ukraine. CNN - “Biden on Putin: ‘I think he is a war criminal.’”, NBC - “U.S. has a clear warning for China: Don’t come to Russia’s aid.”, FOX – “ex-Russian official warns Putin’s plans don’t stop at Ukraine’s borders.”, The BBC - “Russia attacks theater sheltering civilians.”
I typically don’t watch a lot of news but for some reason I am consumed by the war in the Ukraine. As soon as I complete my morning Wordle, the war in Ukraine is one of the first things I check when I wake up in the morning and it’s one of the last things that I check before I go to bed at night. No doubt part of my interest in the war on Ukraine stems from the fact that the invading country has a nuclear arsenal pointed at the United States. However, I think the main reason the war on Ukraine has captured my attention more than any other war is because this war more than any other war in recent history seems to be affecting civilians. I have sadly become accustomed to military facilities being attacked, compounds being raided, and soldiers being killed. I am not so accustomed to seeing houses and hospitals being bombed into oblivion, people huddled in basements and subway tunnels, women and children lying dead in the streets.
Seeing so many innocent people suffer, and die is horrific. As Christians it becomes even more horrific when we realize that many of these people are fellow Christians. It is estimated that 2/3 of the Ukrainian population is Christian. Our own church body supports 17 different congregations in Ukraine. As of last Wednesday, all the Ukrainian Lutheran Church pastors are alive and the best we can say about the members of those churches is no deaths have yet to be reported. However, many of their homes have been damaged or destroyed, guns are firing and bombs are falling all around them, and food and water prices are rising quickly. Christians in Ukraine are suffering. It makes you wonder why.
Some people in our gospel lesson from Luke 13:1-9 were wondering the same thing. In verse 1 we read, “Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.” Pilate and Putin seem to have something in common; they are both cold blooded killers. Luke is the only one that records this incident, but it appears what happened was as the priests were offering a sacrifice in the temple courts, Pilate’s soldiers burst in. It is likely they were perusing men who were suspected of insurrection or rebellion against Rome. But, instead of arresting these men or dragging them off to be executed, the soldiers killed the men as they worshiped. The slaughter in the temple court caused the blood of the men to mix with the blood of the sacrifices. In doing so the sacrifice was polluted and the temple court itself became unclean.
Jesus compared this brutal attack by Pilate in the temple to a tragic accident that occurred in the city of Jerusalem. In verse 2 Jesus referred to “eighteen (people) who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them.” It is likely the tower was named Siloam because it was near the pool of Siloam. The pool of Siloam was near the pool of Bethesda where the crippled, lame, and paralyzed gathered to be healed. Which means it is very likely that when the tower of Siloam fell some, if not all, of the 18 that were killed were crippled, lame, and paralyzed.
Believers in Jerusalem were suffering, and the people who gathered around Jesus wondered why. But instead of answering their question, Jesus had a couple of questions of His own. Jesus asked, “2… Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?” About the victims of the Siloam tower accident He asked, “4… do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?” I am fairly certain this is not what the people expected Jesus to say. The questions Jesus asks seems to suggest that the people had a suspicion why this brutal attack and tragic accident occurred. It seems the people thought the victims were more sinful, more guilty than they.
Which leads me to ask, do we have similar suspicions about the people of Ukraine, or the people who live in the path of a hurricane or tornado or people who suffer from any other natural disaster, or the people who are suffering from a sickness or disease? If you believe people suffer because they are more sinful; more guilty than you are than Jesus’ words are going to smack you in the middle of your face. But I am confident most of you do not hold such a belief, at least you don’t think you do. But when we flip the question around, I am less confident. Instead of asking if people like the Ukrainians are suffering because they are more sinful and guilty try asking if you are not suffering because you are less sinful and less guilty. There is a temptation to believe that in some small way we deserve our blessings; that we have what we have because we are God fearing Christians. To entertain such thoughts as they apply to the lack of physical suffering and the abundance of physical blessing is dangerous enough. But the real danger lies in how quickly such thinking migrates from the physical to the spiritual. There is inside all of us a desire to believe that we will be spared the brutal attacks of the devil and the tragic fate of the damned because we are less sinful and less guilty than the Pilates and Putins of the world.
To all who suspect they are less sinful, less guilty than others Jesus says, “5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” He says it twice actually to make sure that we don’t miss the point. Jesus is very clear. If there is any part of you that feels in any small way that you are less sinful, less guilty than anyone else and therefore less deserving of physical and spiritual suffering, than you are sinning and Jesus says, if you do not repent of that sin, you will go to hell.
Instead of wondering why physical pain and suffering comes to others, Jesus tells a story that suggests we would be better off contemplating why spiritual pain and suffering has not come to us. In verses 6-9 Jesus tells a story about a fruitless fig tree that has been planted in a vineyard. This story can be understood on at least three different levels. With a broad focus you can think of the vineyard as the world and the fig tree as the nation of Israel. If you narrow our focus a bit, you can think of the vineyard as Israel and the fig tree as Jerusalem. If you narrow the focus even further and aim the scope at the 21st century, you can think of the vineyard as the church and the fig tree as you. That narrower focus is what I want us to think about today.
With that narrower focus in mind, I’ll read the story again to refresh our memories. Jesus said, “6… A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ 8 “ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ” With His story Jesus is saying, as long as you are of the opinion that you are less sinful, less guilty than others you are a fruitless fig tree. Unless you repent of your sin you, the fruitless fig tree, will be cut down, you will go to hell.
It is easy for us to become fixated on the fate of the fruitless fig tree, but we are better off focusing our attention on the gardener, because the gardener cares a great deal for the fig tree.
Jesus tells us the gardener planted the fig tree in His vineyard. A fig tree has no more business being in a vineyard than lost and condemned creatures like you and me have being in the church. And yet the heavenly Gardener has planted us here. Through the waters of baptism and the preaching of the word you and I are now members of God’s Church.
Jesus continues His story to reassure us the gardener doesn’t abandon the newly planted fig tree. Rather, Jesus tells us year after year the gardener kept checking on the fig tree. The best gardeners know a healthy garden requires persistence and patience. Our heavenly Gardener has been persistent and patient with us. Week after week He persistently comes where the two or three are gathered together in His name and He patiently listens as we confess our unfruitfulness.
As Jesus concludes His story, we learn that even after all reasonable persistence and patience have been exhausted the gardener extends the fig tree’s time of grace. ‘‘8… leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it.” I know this is just a story and there is no need for us to overanalyze it, but I can’t decide if I want to imagine the one asking for more grace to be the Holy Spirit or Jesus. You can make a strong argument for Jesus. In 1 John 1:21 we are told Jesus “speaks to the Father in our defense.” Romans 8:34 tells us Jesus “is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” You can make a strong argument that Jesus is the one asking for an abundance of grace on our behalf, but I don’t think we can rule out the Holy Spirit. The gardener uses this time of grace to dig around the fig tree to remove any weeds that are choking it out while at the same time making sure the fig tree has an abundance of what it needs to grow. You can’t help but think about the Holy Spirit using the law to weed out sin that has taken root in our hearts while at the same time using the gospel to strengthen our faith. As I said, the specific details of the story aren’t important. What is clear is our heavenly Gardener grants us an over-abundance of grace.
Jesus tells a story that redirect our attention from the suffering of others to the grace our Savior shows to us so that we aren’t tempted to entertain the thought that we are in any way less sinful or less guilty than anyone else. But that is not to say that Jesus does not want us to notice the suffering of others. The gardener was looking for fruit on the fig tree. God wants to see evidence of repentance in our lives. To be repentant means to do the opposite. That means God wants us to do the opposite of judging those who suffer. Out of gratitude for the grace our heavenly Gardener has shown to us we produce figs of faith. I don’t know what that fruit might look like for you. Honestly, I am still trying to figure out what that fruit looks like for me. What does the opposite of being judgmental of the suffering look like? What does the opposite of standing at a distance being critical of people who are suffering at home and abroad look like? Part of the reason these fruits of repentance these figs of faith are so hard to describe is because seldom do figs of faith look the same. And that is probably a good thing because the variety of fruit makes the harvest more interesting.
The media is rightfully putting a lot of attention on Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine. But, as you set out to be fruitful fig trees, I encourage you not to limit yourself to the Ukraine. I know the suffering of the saint in Ukraine is compelling. But before you fix your eyes on the war-torn county of Ukraine, allow me to encourage you to cast but a glance at the prayer list in the front of our bulletin. There you will find fellow believers who are suffering. There you will see people who will benefit from your figs of faith. After having nourished the believers who are closest to you, then look to places like Ukraine and think about what figs of faith you might be able to share with them to ease their suffering as well. If you find yourself struggling to figure out what your figs of faith might look like at home and abroad come talk to me after service and I will see what I can do to help.
As we observe suffering of the saints, at home and abroad, may God keep us from the sinful notion that we are somehow less sinful, less guilty than they. Likewise, let us respond to the abundance of grace God has shown to us by producing figs of faith. Amen.