Title: Tree of Probation (Luke 13:1-5)
Content From verses 1 to 5, it can be seen that two major events became a social problem at the time.
First, the governor Pilate murdered the Galileans who had come to sacrifice. When Pilate made a plan for the repair of the capital in Jerusalem and decided to use the cost in the temple account, the Jews revolted and rose up.
When the protesting crowd gathered, Pilate changed his army into plain clothes and lifted a club to infiltrate the crowd, and when it got worse, he tried to disperse it. Because of this incident, two people came to Jesus and made an accusation.
The second is the case in which 18 people were crushed to death by the collapse of the tower while Pilate was working on waterworks as part of the modernization of the city.
Jews associate sin with suffering. When Job's daughter was tortured to lose his fortune overnight, and when his daughter was groaning in pain, his friend Eliphaz came to him and said, "Think, who is the one who perishes without sin? Where is the cut off of the upright? Those who do, reap the same, and they all perish with the breath of God, and with the snoring of God they perish” (Job 4:7-9). (Job 4:7-9) (John 9:1-2) Seeing the blind man and asking, "Rabbi, whose sin is this man born blind?", the thought of retribution was thorough.
Jesus' views on both events have a common denominator. He said, "Unless you repent, you will perish likewise." Do you think that the Galileans who were sacrificed by Pilate's sword were more guilty than all the Galileans? Do you think there are more? That is not to say. There is death that raises a warning for the living, so they must be considered alive and must bear their share. Without repentance and determination, he foresaw the great devastation that the Roman Turtus army will inflict on Jerusalem in the near future.
And I heard an appropriate analogy for this. A farmer planted figs in an orchard twice a year. The first year it sprouted, and after three years there was no fruit. The owner waited for three years, but was disappointed. I couldn't wait any longer and decided to take a picture But the keeper of the orchard lamented, "Lord, let it be this year as well, and I will dig it all around and fertilize it. This tree is a tree that received a probation for one year.
In Palestine, vines and fig trees are grown together in orchards. Like fig trees transplanted into a vineyard, we are promising prospects with great expectations from our Lord. If it does not bear fruit, the owner is disappointed and has no choice but to curse. There was a time when Jesus cursed a fig tree that was full of leaves and had no fruit. He thirsted for fruit, but there was none, so he cursed him, and he withered and died. (Mark 11:12-14), Jude 1:12, the apostate who has forgotten his office is referred to as "a dead and uprooted autumn tree without fruit."
So, what kind of fruit does God want?
1. The fruit of repentance (Matthew 3:8-10)
is John the Baptist The first thing in Jesus' evangelism was "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2, 4:17). Repentance is a change of direction, the initiation of faith, which means the transformation of man, and the first fruits of believers. A sound faith cannot be formed without passing through the gates of repentance.
In the Pilgrims Progress written by John Bunyan (1628-1688), Christian faith means the determination and adventure toward nature with longevity behind. Therefore, when John the Baptist was baptizing in the Jordan River, when he saw the Pharisees and Sadducees flocking with curiosity, he said, "You brood of vipers, who taught you to flee from the wrath to come? "I tell you, God is able to make these stones also Abraham's offspring." You must abandon the womb in the nation of Israel to become an Israelite. You must inherit the lineage of Abraham to become a child of God. To become a true Israelite (John 1:47) is to become a descendant of Abraham.
2. Fruit of righteousness (Philippians 1:11)
It means virtuousness, decency, and transcendence. Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, also said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
The Bible says that human nature is righteous. It is because He has given us a conscience that can discern right from wrong. They have true feelings such as justice, kindness, faithfulness, purity and affection.
However, the fallen man who broke God's commandments became a sinner and became a prodigal son who could not keep the law. Therefore, "There is none righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:11).
Here is the Gospel: Abraham believed the Lord and it was counted as righteousness (Gen. 15:6), and Paul also believed in God and counted it as righteousness (Romans 4:3).
The fruit of righteousness means a just life. Mature faith seeks a just life. This is because every good tree produces beautiful fruit (Matthew 7:17). Today's society is full of injustice and injustice. It is sad that heresy, a pseudo-religion, is spreading by selling the name of Christ and practicing illegality and corruption in the name of the church.
It is a time when the Samaritans who met the robbers and became people's true neighbors are needed. As illegal acts such as fraud, embezzlement, human trafficking, depravity, murder, and robbery grow, love grows colder, but when a robber meets a robber, the Samaritan considers the person to be sympathetic, binds them, puts them on a donkey, sets up an inn, and pays for treatment.
3. Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) The fruit of the Spirit is abundant fruit. The nine are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and kindness. It is said that Korean ships are superior to any other ship in the world. It is beautiful, fragrant, delicious, cool, nutritious, and has commercial value. Likewise, if you are filled with the Holy Spirit, your words, actions, and life will be consistent, your private and public life will be clean, and good fruit will be produced in the family and church society.
Let's imagine that the tree that was probated for one year is our self-portrait.
19th-century Russian writer Dostyevsky was sentenced to death at the age of 28. On a cold day of minus 50 degrees, I was taken to the prison. Three pillars were erected in the hyeongjang. Since he was the 8th person, he executed three people at a time, so he was tied to a pillar in the middle of the third and was shot to death. You have 5 minutes to live on the ground.
I decided to spend 2 minutes to give my last words to someone I know, and 1 minute to look around the land and nature where I lived until today. So, after kissing the two friends next to me, and thinking about the rest of my family for a moment, two minutes passed. After three minutes, I was dizzy as to where I was going. I regretted not being able to use the 28 years of my life moment by moment. Now, if I could live again, I desperately needed the feeling that it would be worth it moment by moment, moment by moment.
Then there was the sound of gunshots. The moment I was tired of the unbearable fear of death, there was a buzzing sound in the hall. When I opened my eyes, a soldier was running towards me from afar, waving a white handkerchief.
The soldier came with the emperor's special order. He was released and returned to life. After that, he spent four years of exile in Siberia and lived a tumultuous life, but he did not forget what happened at that time. It is said that he had a sincere life with the thrill of being resurrected, thinking about the time when he was imprisoned on a death pole in a prison sentence of minus 50 degrees Celsius, no matter how painful it was.
conclusion
When we say that we were given a one-year probation through the intercession of Jesus the gardener, "Leave it as it is this year as well, I will dig it around and give you oil, and if the fruit opens, cut it." The fruit of repentance, the fruit of righteousness, bear the fruit of the Spirit, "You did not choose me, but I chose you, so that you may always bear fruit, that you may receive whatever you ask of the Father in my name." (John 15 :16)