“‘If it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’” Luke 13:9 ESV1
Read Luke 13:1-9
Where I live, Autumn quickly approaches. Crops ripen in the fields. Apple trees burst with fruit. Bright orange pumpkins dot the landscape. Farmers gear up to bring in the harvest. Children anticipate corn mazes, costumes, and candy. Adults look forward to sipping warm apple cider and pumpkin lattes while consuming fresh apple donuts. Everyone is abuzz with the talk of cooler weather and the soon-to-be changing color of the leaves. In my area, this time of year often brings with it a sense of peace and thankfulness for God’s provision.
When Jesus walked the Earth, He had a time when the changing of seasons and the hope of an abundant harvest were on His mind. Though it was Spring physically at this time in Jesus’ earthly life, spiritually speaking, Autumn approached as Jesus went along a specific road to a particular task. The harvest about which Jesus was thinking was not yet observable to the human eye. The awesome change about to take place was not apparent to the untuned heart. But what would soon happen would be the most significant change the world had ever experienced and the most momentous harvest of history was soon to begin.