The context of this parable is important. Earlier in the chapter Jesus is told about the “Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices” (Luke 13:1-2). He also refers to another disastrous event when the tower of Siloam collapsed on unsuspecting bystanders (Luke 13:4-5). Christ uses these unfortunate events to teach a lesson about the need to repent and change the direction of our lives before it is too late. He warns time and chance can happen to everyone (Ecclesiastes 9:11). We could be unexpectedly caught up in circumstances beyond our control, with the worst case scenario being our life could be snuffed out in an instant.
This message is at the core of what Christ meant when preaching about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God as quoted in Mark 1:15: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” In other words, change and “bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8). Repentance means to stop going in one direction, a direction that can be self-destructive, and to turn to a productive, godly way of life by obeying the law of God.
Galatians 5:22-23 defines the kind of fruit God wants to see produced in our lives: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” These qualities are the fruit of God’s Spirit, which can be produced by God in our lives when we repent and believe the Gospel, led by His Holy Spirit.
This important parable shows us God is compassionate, patient and loving, but He is also a God of judgment. There is a time of final judgment—especially when we have been warned and had the opportunity to make a decision to obey God. He is aware and inspecting His “vineyard” to know the condition of each of His trees, and His desire is that none perish, but that we produce the fruits of repentance and inherit eternal life:”The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV).
Our loving Father is patient and grants us time to change and bear fruit, although none of us knows how much time we have left.
