" A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, 'I've waited three years, and there hasn't been a single fig! Cut it down. It's just taking up space in the garden."
**Pause at this point for commentary thoughts**
"Aggh. Okay, I know what happens next. This is the part where you say 'Chop it down dude! Throw it in the fire!'
There isn't any room for fruitless trees, I know, I know.
And then as I continue to read, I was baffled by what Jesus (the gardener) said to the man.
"The gardener answered, 'Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I'll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs, next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down."
Hmmm. I'm pretty sure I've read this story before, but it has never struck me like this.
Different situations began flooding my mind of times that I treat people like the impatient man yelling at the gardener saying "Cut down the tree already! It's a waste."
Like the person that goes to church that can never seem to 'get it right.'
Those that raise their hands in worship, yet lead a totally different life when they leave the door.
The alcoholic friend who promises a thousand times they'll stop, and they continue.
The needy person who keeps promising to turn their life around, yet continues begging for your money, a shelter, and food.
The flaky friend that makes empty promises and commitments that leave you angry and disappointed.
People that do wrong, blasphemous, or violent things under the name of Jesus.
Cut them down Jesus!
But Jesus responded to this man in a way that defies all logic and all reasoning.
"Let them have just one. more. chance"
"Let me love them, and give them special attention"
All throughout the Bible, Jesus continually roots for the underdog.
un·der·dog
[uhn-der-dawg, -dog]
noun
| 1. | the competitor least likely to win a fight or contest |
| 2. | a person in adversity or in a position of inferiority |
Rarely ever does Jesus focus his attention on the 'righteous' or 'religious leaders'. No, He came to save what was lost. Those who were broken. The weak who without Him, had nothing going for them. Those who needed someone just to give them one more chance and rip off the label that declared them to be worthless, purposeless, a waste.
In a world that believes that the "Survival of the Fittest" is the way we should live, it is so easy for us to develop a temperament that screams self achievement, all the while forgetting about the grace that has pulled us through in the first place.
All of us are broken, and are in desperate need of someone to give us a second chance.
It's easy to give up on those who have continually disappointed us, yet so hard to realize the amount of times we should have disappointed Jesus. The many times He should have just given up on our stubbornness and moved on to someone who would be more receptive.
But instead,
He saw us, and pleaded on our behalves to just have a little more time with us.
A little more time to work on our hearts so that one day they would come to love Him.
Aye.
Unfortunately, judgment is so much easier to dish out than grace sometimes.
But thankfully, Jesus came to restore that in us, and make us a people that choose to be people's advocates rather than their adversaries.
What a sweet, and a loving 'Gardener' we have in Jesus.
We thank You for always rooting for us: your crazy, messed up kids--
The Underdogs.
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