Catalyst Question
Share about a time when, even after you made a mistake, someone gave you a second chance.
Repentance as the Fertilizer of Faith
This week, the annual NCAA basketball tournaments begin. Dubbed “March Madness,” two tournaments seek to crown the respective men’s and women’s team champion for Division 1 basketball. While there’s plenty of controversy coming for missed foul calls questionable decisions from coaches and players alike, controversy always begins with Selection Sunday. On this day, when the teams are chosen to participate in the tournament, there’s always someone left out. This year, both West Virginia and Indiana had men’s teams miss out, while North Carolina barely snuck in. On the women’s side, Virginia had two teams feeling snubbed in Virginia Tech and James Madison. Though it’s too late for these teams to compete for a national championship this year, hope springs eternal for next year’s tournament.
Luke 13:1-9 doesn’t address basketball, but it does address questions like “How late is too late?” and “Who is in and out?” Jesus speaks both of the importance of repentance as well as the possibility of grace. It’s a lot of theology packed into just a few verses. Though a tournament selection process is not a matter of salvation, despite the passion of certain fanbases, it does ultimately ask similar questions. Who is in and who is out of the field is based on many factors, including the performance of more than three hundred basketball teams per bracket, as well as how those teams fared in their own conference play. In other words, the fruit that they bore led to their inclusion–or exclusion–in the tournament. Those teams that are left out, though? It’s not the end of their story. There’s another tournament next year and, depending on how they perform, they could possibly find themselves on the inside next year.
That’s why this language of fertilizing a barren fig tree is so important in Lent. Just because a tree doesn’t bear fruit today doesn’t mean it’s dead. Just because a team didn’t make the tournament this year doesn’t mean they won’t next year. And just because we fell short in our faith life today doesn’t mean we can repent in ways that open up life tomorrow.
In a way, repentance is the fertilizer of our faith, kickstarting our growth after a dormant season. Fertilizer doesn’t bear fruit for a plant, but it does spark its growth. Similarly, repentance isn’t doing better, but it does acknowledge a shortcoming and embrace the opportunity to practice in the offseason rather than just wait for next year.
Ask Yourself
Take some time to reread Luke 13:1-19. Have you ever felt as though you couldn’t do good enough? Imagine that someone defended you, like the gardener defended the fig tree, and asked to spend extra effort preparing you to do better the next time you tried?
Ask a Friend
After reading Luke 13:1-9, write (in a journal or in the notes app on your phone) at least three things that you’d like to know more about in this short scripture passage. Then, ask three different friends what they know about one of these places, people, or practices that you’d like to learn more about.
