What should be our reaction to the suffering of others and to news of disasters? Should we end our addiction to doomscrolling and follow Jesus to a deeper truth?
Every generation has at least one iconic breaking-news event. Some would cite the assassination of American president John F. Kennedy, while older ones would remember the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Yet others would mention the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communist oligarchy in Europe; and for many, the focus would be the attacks of September 11, 2001. Without any doubt, the current generation will remember the coronavirus pandemic. While the sensation of these events retains the same focus, the technological sophistication of these newsflashes and communication of breaking news tends to show an increase in intensity and fervor.
A similar news-spread seemed to have occurred in Jesus’ day. Luke 13:1 to 5 records two events that were on everyone’s “media feeds.” First was a geo-religio-political affair where the reigning Roman government under Pilate massacred some nationalistic civilians of Galilee during their visit to the temple. One side advocated for law and order, while the other pushed for equality and justice. This could have easily been ripped from today’s headlines. The second was a natural calamity when the Siloam tower fell, resulting in 18 casualties. Whether it be apartment buildings, skyscrapers, earthquakes, or tsunamis, natural and manmade disasters still leave behind disastrous results.
What do these events mean? Moreover, how would Jesus react to the news of today? With both incidents, Jesus asked whether the victims were worse sinners than the survivors. In a modern application, were the 9/11 survivors more righteous than those who died in the Twin Towers? Were people who died of COVID-19 worse sinners than the rest of us?
In short, Jesus’ answer addressed the temptation to think along “pagan” lines. How many times have you been tempted to think that bad stuff happens only to bad people? The corollary to this is thinking that good things happen only to good people.
Some in the developed world have a mindset that argues that God is blessing them because of their own merit. The developing world must have sinned or have some innate fault that prevents the blessings from God. You might think yourself too sophisticated for this thinking, but how many times have you seen the reflex-like thinking that God causes suffering because of sin? Yes, there are obvious repercussions of sin and wrong decisions, but what about unconnected incidents?
This kind of thinking occurred in biblical times also. Upon the death of her son, the widow in 1 Kings 17:18 accused God of remembering her sins and punishing her for them. Such assumptions are based on pagan thinking—that the gods are angry, petty, and in need of appeasement. However, Matthew 5:45 says that God “‘makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust’” (NKJV).*
What then should be our reaction to the suffering of others and to news of disasters? Perhaps should we end our addiction to doom-scrolling and follow Jesus to a deeper truth? Note that Jesus transitioned from the discussion of the slain Galileans and the disaster in Siloam into a parable, and that the parable has no ending. The implication is that the readers must determine the ending. Luke 13: 6 to 9 is set in a vineyard with a fig tree in its midst. The question is: Why is there a fig tree amid grape vines?
Fig trees and grapevines
Fig trees were known for their productivity, since their fruit could be plucked multiple times throughout the year. The tree was a symbol of Israel, and the Bible references the two together (Joel 2:21–25; Matt. 21:18–22). Famously, Jesus cursed a fig tree that bore no fruit (Mark 11). The fig was also known as the “poor man’s fruit,” which had enough vitamins and nutrients to sustain one person for a whole day.
Interestingly, this farmer decides to plant a fig tree in the midst of a vineyard for a purpose. Figs and grape vineyards are often mentioned in the Bible together (Deuteronomy 8:8–10; Micah 4:4; 1 Kings 4:25; and Zechariah 3:10). While the exact agricultural relationship is unknown, the two were to have some benefit to each other, either shade for the vines, predatorial deterrent (birds going for figs instead of grapes), potential nutritional symbiosis, an aesthetic complementarity, or some mixture of these. Whatever the case, it is clear that Israel as the fig tree had a function and specific purpose to be a blessing to the vineyard of other nations. However, instead of being a blessing, the tree sucked out all the nutrients and did not provide its own fruit. Israel was receiving the blessings of God, but did not bless the nations around it, which God had intended to be its original function.
The same question could be asked of the church today—whether we have been merely receiving the blessings of God, or if we are reciprocating those blessings to our communities, campuses, and circles. The church has a message to families, but are our marriages and families a blessing to those around us? We have hospitals, health educators, and nutritionists, but are we truly healing the vineyards we are planted in, or are they merely our patients and clients? We have schools, churches, community centers, and centers of influence, but are we in a symbiotic relationship with them for true education and God’s glory, or are we merely absorbing what we want?
While fruit may not appear the first year, subsequent years should see some harvest. The mention of three years in the parable causes us to ask: How did you spend your last three years? Your last three years in school? Especially during the pandemic?
Digging and dunging
In verses 7 to 9, the parable continues with the discouraged owner ordering the felling of the fig tree. At that moment, a gardener intercedes for one more year of mercy. Two courses of treatment are prescribed: digging and fertilizing (to “dung it,” KJV). Because of hard, impacted soil, nutrients and water at times cannot penetrate the ground to reach the roots. So skilled digging is necessary to break apart the soil, allowing for seepage while not damaging the root structure.
I had the opportunity to visit some of my relatives in the rural countryside of South Korea away from electricity, roads, or stores. I watched them make use of every resource they had. Being raised in the United States, I was used to my creature comforts, namely a toilet. The only available outhouse was outfitted with a bottom compartment that could be removed to extract the dung. Those communities living away from civilization have to make use of everything! Mixed with other chemicals and fertilizers, the dunging process was quite disgusting, odorous, and loathsome. But under skillful hands, fertilization revived dying plants and withering crops, regardless of condition. As appalled as I was by the process, I was still amazed at their expertise.
How does God deal with a people that refuse to look beyond the satisfaction of their own needs? Rather than immediate judgment, an Intercessor pleads for extra time to produce fruit, or symbolically, souls for the kingdom (John 15:16) and the character of Jesus (Galatians 5:22). Under the hands of the Master Gardener, a regimen of experiences is permitted, digging through our stone-hard hearts and dunging with foul and fragrant grace—the exact components needed for growth.
Singer-songwriter Laura Story’s 2012 Grammy Award winning song, Blessings, contains lyrics that illustrate the response we need to trials and tribulations in our lives. When her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor, she prayed for “blessings,” but was met with seeming silence. She later realized that the experience she went through was the blessing itself whereby she received peace, healing, and a greater desire for spiritual things. Digging and dunging indeed!
Grace to endure
God does not always remove suffering but rather grants us the grace and strength to endure through suffering. He gives us the patience, endurance, and character through the pain. Under the hands of a Master Gardener, our hearts are made more verdant through His digging and more resilient through His dunging. He imbues us with the nutrients and resources for true spiritual-life growth. This is grace. This is mercy. For this year also.
The shock of the headline is not meant to show us how petty God is. Rather, Jesus says twice, “‘Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish’” (Luke 13:3, 5). In other words, Jesus sought for His hearers—and us—to be shocked into reflection and repentance; woken from self-centered drunken slumber, only to ponder their and our true purpose here on this earth. Are we producing fruit, souls, and character for the kingdom? As Luke 13:9 states, “‘“if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.”’” Any other purpose is a waste of time and will result in our being just another statistic for the news. How will you answer this open-ended question? Will you allow Christ to dig and dung for “‘“this year also”’”?
* Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references in this article are quoted from the New King James Version of the Bible. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Justin Kim (Master’s in pastoral ministry, Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Michigan, U.S.A.) serves as Assistant Director of Sabbath School and Personal Ministries and Editor of the young adult InVerse Bible Study Guide for the General Conference of the Seventh- day Adventists in Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A. He is also the Host of the inVerse telecast on Hope Channel (https://www.hopetv.org/watch/hope-channel/).
Recommended Citation
Justin Kim, "This Year Also," Dialogue 34:2 (2022): 16-17