THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT 2025

MARCH 23, 2025

FR. JERRY THOMPSON

ST. JAMES’ CHURCH, FREMONT, NE

There was just over a year between my son’s death and the time my ex-wife left our marriage. My good friend, Kurt, who was also the church organist where I worked at the time, shared with me that after Carol left, the administrator at the church asked him, “Why are such horrible things happening to such a good person?” She meant me!

Now I like being considered a good person, but that’s not the point. The point is that her question could reflect – although I don’t think it actually did – but it could have reflected a theological perspective that Jesus denies in our gospel reading this morning; that is, that if something horrible is happening to someone, if they are suffering in some way,

it’s a punishment for sin, it’s the consequence of being unfaithful to God.

In our gospel reading, Jesus says to those “who have told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices”: "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. “Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them--do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."

Jesus then goes on to tell the parable of the landowner with the fig tree that isn’t producing fruit. He has been waiting for three years for the tree to produce fruit – more than enough time for that to happen. But it has failed to do so. Therefore the landowner is ready to fell the tree, to cut it down. However, his gardener says to him, “Let the tree alone for one more year. “Give it a little more time. I’ll nourish it with some good manure. “If it bears fruit next year, great. If not, then cut it down.” The gardener is interested in giving the fig tree more time; maybe it will change its ways.

In the Jewish tradition there was a strain that said righteousness, or faithfulness to God, led to blessings from God; while unrighteousness, unfaithfulness, led to punishment rom God, evidenced by suffering of some form by the unfaithful.  You can find that in scripture.

There was also a strain in the tradition that said no such correlation exists, more of the Job perspective. While Job suffered greatly – profusely – it had nothing to do with his righteousness; Job’s righteousness was unsurpassed. He was utterly faithful to God.

It is this part of the tradition Jesus upholds: unfaithfulness is not the cause of suffering, he says. Instead, he uses the suffering of the Galileans to point to the universal need we all have to repent: “These Galileans were not worse sinners than any other Galileans; “but unless you repent, you will perish just as they did.”

He warns those who are present of their need to repent, to change their ways, to get in line with the ways of God, to start practicing faithfulness to God throughout their lives and righteousness toward one another all the time; otherwise they will face the consequences of all unrighteous people, which includes suffering.

Suffering seems to be a part of life itself in this fallen world, and, for those who choose to pursue unrighteousness, it is a guarantee, because God has created the world in such a way that suffering results from being unfaithful, not as a punishment, but as the natural result of not following the ways of God. Since that’s the case, we can see how people inverted the relationship, and they ended up saying that if someone is suffering,

they must have sinned. But Jesus says no; that’s misunderstanding things.

Still, Jesus calls those who listen to him – those who were listening to him then and those of us who listen to him now – he calls us to repentance, to change our ways and to be more faithful. It’s part of the Lenten season in which we are living right now, as we turn our attention to our own sinfulness, the ways we and the communities we belong

all too deliberately choose not to follow the way of God.

After this call to repentance, Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree, its owner, and its gardener. The point he stresses with this parable is two-fold. One is the accountability we have toward God to produce the fruit of righteousness with our lives. That is what God looks for, that is what the evaluation of our lives’ worthiness to God is based on.

Simply to exist, simply to stand, enjoying the provisions of God, that is not enough. We are expected to produce fruit for God’s kingdom; we are expected to show that we care about God’s kingdom; we are expected to show with the lives we have been given that we are loving the Lord our God with everything we are and everything we have, and that we are loving our neighbor as we love ourselves – at least that much - if not far more.

We are expected to make use of God’s provisions to us for the good of others. We are expected to love our Father as much as Jesus loves him, and we are expected to love our brothers and sisters as much as Jesus loves us all.

Love is not a feeling; it is a verb; love is made known in our actions. Love is the fruit of our commitment to God and the ways of God. And then there’s also the gardener, who shows us the second point. The gardener intercedes with the landowner and pleads for a merciful approach. “Let the tree alone for one more year. “I’ll put manure around it; I’ll nourish its soil and do everything necessary for it to produce fruit. “Maybe it will come through! “If it doesn’t, then down it comes.”

Herein rests the second part of what Jesus is saying. There is mercy toward the unfaithful creation of which we are part. God our Father is willing to be patient, our Father is willing to be more than patient – God is willing to give us all we need to serve him and his kingdom, to nourish us in the ways we need to serve him.

But the parable also says that his patience has limits. At some point our Father will have had enough if we do not repent and produce fruit for his kingdom.

In Jesus, our Father has given us what we need as a human family. He nourishes us with the Holy Spirit and with Christ’s body and blood. He has shown us what faithful life is – and he has shown us with his very self.

And he expects us to repent and to turn to his ways. Not when we get around to it. But now.

With us and with our communities, it might be more like we are orchards than individual trees. Some of our trees produce fruit, other don’t produce much at all. It’s time for those trees that are empty to start producing fruit for God’s kingdom; it’s likely past time.

I pray that we all are considering those places in life where we are not being faithful. I pray we are making that effort.

I pray we are considering how as a community we could be more faithful, where we are not following God’s ways. I pray we are making that effort. And I pray for our nation and for our world, that our hearts might turn, with deep repentance and with deep desire, toward serving the ways of the Lord our God, toward being part of God’s kingdom; turning away from injustice and cruelty and turning toward sacrifice and love toward those who most need it.

I pray that we make that effort to follow the ways of God, which will indeed mean tremendous repentance.

Because the pursuit of justice and love toward all – especially toward the most vulnerable - that is the way of God. And it is past time. And if we continue to ignore the way of God, there will be consequences, and they will be serious, and there will be suffering.

There already is.

And it is of our own human making and our own human choice, it’s the result of our decision not to repent, not to follow the ways of God.

Amen.