Figs

 

Have you ever seen a fig? When I was your age, I thought figs only came in cookies. My mom bought me Fig Newtons and put them in my lunchbox. As I got older, I realized figs grew on trees. Did you know that figs appear in the Bible over 70 times?

Did you ever eat a fig? They taste sweet. Some people like figs more than they like sugar. If you have a sweet tooth, you might want to eat figs instead of candy.

Figs are healthy for people like me who have high blood pressure. They’re also good if you have a stomach ache. They are also good for our bones. But you should not eat too many figs a day. That might not be too good for you.

So, why all this talk about figs? Well, in our Gospel today (Luke 13:1-9), Jesus tells a story about a fig tree. This fig tree was not doing too well. The man who planted it was upset because he had planted the tree three years ago, and he did not get one fig from it. Go figure!

So, he wanted his gardener to cut it down. The gardener said that they should wait another year. The man agreed to let it live one more year.

Jesus was not talking about figs in his story. He was talking about people and God. God gives us so many gifts, but some people never show kindness or love or forgiveness. Some people are like fig trees that do not grow good figs. The lesson is: Don’t be a fig tree that gives no figs. Be a fig tree that makes figs. That shows others that you love God and people.

With that, let us pray. Heavenly Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and earth is named: Bless these and all children, and give their parents the spirit of wisdom and love, so that the homes in which they grow up may be to them an image of Your Kingdom, and the care of their parents a likeness of Your love. We pray in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.