Third Sunday of Lent

As we journey deeper into Lent, we continue to hear how much God loves us and forgives our sins and transgressions, no matter what. This season of Lent also gives us the opportunity to reflect on our Baptism, the time when we were marked and sealed as Christ’s own forever.  The paschal light and the refreshing Baptismal waters beckon us and strengthen us in our relationship to God and to each other.

On this Third Sunday of Lent we hear a parable told by Jesus to strengthen us all to come closer to God and to each other, and yet the meaning of this reading doesn’t immediately jump out at us in a clear way that makes us nod our heads in understanding. In fact we could be quite perplexed by it. The first part of the passage tells us that some of the crowd told Jesus about the Galileans who Pilate had murdered in the middle of their sacrifices, which caused their blood to mingle with the sacrificed animal’s blood. We need to remember that the Jewish people were always getting involved in political trouble with the occupying Roman forces, and they didn’t have to high a regard for the puppet King Herod either. Its one of the main reasons they didn’t understand who Jesus really was, they expected a Messiah who would fight the Romans and kick them out of Palestine, and then kick Herod out after them, what they got was a man professing love and peace, turning the other cheek, going the extra mile.

But the Jews also believed that death like the Galileans suffered - life cut short, death that was painful and punishing - was a sign of God’s judgement on the people.  They rigidly connected sin and suffering.  Which is understandable when we recall how often God had punished them for turning away from God.  Indeed, much of our scriptures, especially in the Old Testament, tell us that people with wealth, possessions, children are blessed and favoured by God, and those without are punished because of something they have done.  And that philosophy is part of our beliefs today, even though Jesus utterly denied it in the case of individuals. As we know, it is often the Saints of this world, past and present, who suffer the most.

When things are not working out for us, when some tragedy happens to us or our loved ones, we ask why God has cursed us, we wonder what we have done wrong, we can even think God is punishing us for something we have done wrong. But Jesus challenges this notion, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did”. The tragic death these Galileans suffered was not due to sinfulness or faithfulness, was not due to God’s curse or God’s blessing. 

You see we are all guilty of failings in our lives. No matter how hard we try not to fail, we do, its our human condition, and ultimately, what Jesus is calling for is our repentance.  Unless we turn our lives around, and direct our lives to serving God, come closer to God, and accept God’s call to us, we are sure to perish, not in death, which inevitably finds us all, but in separation from God who loves us unconditionally.  God doesn’t abandon us, we abandon God.

As we reflect on our Baptism today, as I will again this afternoon as I Baptize two children, let's remember the questions put to every candidate or their parents and godparents: Do you turn to Christ? Do you repent of your sins? Do you renounce evil? And reflect on the fact that God loves you; God loves each one of us, no matter what we do in our lives to makes us feel guilty and not worthy to come to God, actually God really loves us.  Just imagine God telling you that “You are my Beloved child, with you I am well pleased”. It’s a wonderful feeling to be loved by God. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that God is always there for us, no matter what we do, as long as we repent and turn to Him.

And when we hear the story of the fig tree and the lavish care the gardener gives it to encourage it to bear fruit, it reminds us that God gives us lavish care to encourage us to grow in faith with Him, through Jesus our Saviour. It also reminds us that we are given time to grow. The gardeners amongst us would surely understand the principles of good planting, good watering, good nurture, allowing the seed to germinate or the fledgling plant to establish roots in order to grow into a mature tree or plant. You can’t rush gardening, you can’t rush faith. Giving our selves to God in His service is not something that happens immediately, we may think it does, but it takes a long time, and God allows us that time to grow in His love.  Its also worth remembering we are all unique individuals, and need individual care, attention and time to grow.  One size does not fit all, but God knows that about us, because He knows us intimately, as Psalm 139 tells us, “O Lord you have searched me and know me.  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made”.

Because we are human we tend to want uncomplicated lives, certainty in what we do and what happens to us.  We want our choices clear and simple. Can we earn God’s love or is it really free to us?  Unfortunately life isn’t as simple as that because we are a diverse people living in a world full of half truths so life can be confusing for us, but as the American theologian Richard Foster tells us, “The Christian life comes not by gritting our teeth but by falling in love”.

When Jesus told His disciples that anyone who wants to repent must deny themselves take up their cross and follow Christ, it may sound like an invitation to grit our teeth and dig deep in our resolve, but when we look at what happened to Jesus followers, it seems the opposite happened. Jesus’ death and resurrection gave them hope and purpose that fired their lives as they began to form a new community of faith.  They clearly had fallen in love with God for having loved them so lavishly in sending Christ to them.

Somewhere along the path of Christian discipleship, we got it stuck in our heads that God is an either/or God.  Either we grit our teeth and earn our spot in heaven, or our path is easy and God hands over grace and love and we don’t think about it anymore.  Perhaps its because we can look around and see people who seem to lead an easy life with little or no trouble, when our lives so often seem full of care and worries. But this notion of either/or, is what German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer called CHEAP GRACE.  God calls us for something more incredible.  The joy of both, God’s grace and love is totally free but demands of us the hard work of discipleship, which is also life changing.  That’s what repentance means, if we truly repent we change our lives as well.

So, in hearing the story about the fig tree, we hear Jesus calling us to turn to God, repent of our sins, turn against evil, and reminding us that God who knows us inside out, wants us to bear fruit in this broken and troubled world. Jesus also promises to fertilize our lives with tender care, encouragement, love and grace, even if it means a bit of pruning in our lives.  God abundantly forgives us and allows us to try again, because He loves us.  True love, as we know from our human relationship is free, it cannot be bought or sold. Its given and received as a gift, but no one ever said love, true love is easy, or that true love did not require hard work, or care, or discipline.  It’s the same with God’s love, we have to work at it, but we can never earn it, because it is freely given.

Isaiah tells us to come to the waters, you who thirst and freely drink, and drink deeply of God’s free, challenging, difficult and loving grace, because we all have a chance in this life to repent, to change, to turn to God, to be given new life. We all have the chance to grow in faith to bear fruit for God.  And that’s the best gardening tip I can give you. Amen.