Luke 13:6

He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. HE SPAKE ALSO THIS PARABLE; A CERTAIN MAN HAD A FIG TREE - meaning Israel as the visible witness for God in the world; but generally, all within the pale of the visible Church of God: a familiar figure-compare Isaiah 5:1; John 15:1, etc. PLANTED IN HIS VINEYARD - a spot selected for its fertility, separated from the surrounding fields, and cultivated with special care, with a view solely to fruit. AND HE CAME AND SOUGHT FRUIT THEREON - a heart turned to God, the fruits of righteousness. Compare Matth...

6._He spoke also this parable. _The substance of it is, that many are endured for a time who deserve to be cut off; but that they gain nothing by the delay, if they persist in their obstinacy. The wicked flattery, by which hypocrites are hardened, and become more obstinate, arises from this cause, that they do not think of their sins till they are compelled; and, therefore, so long as God winks at these, and delays his chastisements, they imagine that he is well satisfied with them. Thus they indulge themselves more freely, as if, to use the words of Isaiah, (Isaiah 28:15,) they _had made a covenant with death, and were in friendship with the grave. _And this is the reason why Paul denounces them in such earnestness of language for treasuring up to themselves the wrath of God against the last day, ...

6-9 This parable of the barren fig-tree is intended to enforce the warning given just before: the barren tree, except it brings forth fruit, will be cut down. This parable in the first place refers to the nation and people of the Jews. Yet it is, without doubt, for awakening all that enjoy the means of grace, and the privileges of the visible church. When God has borne long, we may hope that he will bear with us yet a little longer, but we cannot expect that he will bear always....

Verse Luke 13:6. _A CERTAIN_ man] Many meanings are given to this parable, and divines may abound in them; the sense which our Lord designed to convey by it appears to be the following: - 1. _A person_, τις, God Almighty. 2. _Had a fig tree_, the Jewish Church. 3. _Planted in his vineyard _- established in the land of Judea. 4. _He came seeking fruit _- he required that the Jewish people should walk in righteousness, in proportion to the spiritual culture he bestowed on them. 5. _The vine-dresser _- the Lord Jesus, for God hath committed all judgment to the Son, John 5:22. John 5:6. _Cut it down _- let the Roman sword be unsheathed against it. 7.

THIS PARABLE - See the notes at Matthew 13:3. VINEYARD - A place where vines were planted. It was not common to plant fig-trees in them, but our Lord represents it as having been sometimes done....

EXPOSITION LUKE 13:1 _Signs of the times. The Lord continues his solemn warnings. Israel pictured in the parable of the barren fig tree._ LUKE 13:1 THERE WERE PRESENT AT THAT SEASON SOME THAT TOLD HIM OF THE GALILAEANS, WHOSE BLOOD PILATE HAD MINGLED WITH THEIR SACRIFICES; better rendered, _now there were present at that particular time; _namely, when the Master was discoursing of the threatening signs of the times, and urging men to repent and to turn and make their peace with God while there was yet time, for a terrible crisis was impending on that doomed land. Some of those then present, probably Jerusalem Jews, specially told off to watch the great Teacher, struck with his grave foreboding tone, when he spoke of the

HE SPOKE ALSO THIS PARABLE,.... That is, Jesus spake, as the Persic version expresses it, that which follows; and at the same time, and upon the above occasion; setting forth the patience of God towards the Jewish nation, their unfruitfulness, and the danger of their being destroyed, in case of non-amendment: A CERTAIN MAN HAD A FIG TREE PLANTED IN HIS VINEYARD. This was not at all contrary to the law in Deuteronomy 22:9 "thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds": for according to the Jewish canons e, "the prohibition on account of divers seeds in a vineyard, concerned divers sorts of corn, (as wheat, barley, c.) and divers sorts of herbs only: but it was lawful to sow other sorts of seeds in a vineyard, and there is no need to say other trees.'' And there are cases put, and instances given, which express, or suppose fig trees, par

Luke 13:1. _There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices._ This was a matter of common town talk, so of course they brought the news to Jesus. Notice how wisely he used this shameful incident. You and I too often hear the news of what is happening, but we learn nothing from it; our Saviour's gracious mind turned everything to good account; he was like the bee that gathers honey from every flower. Luke 13:2. _And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things?_ «Do you imagine that there was some extraordinary guilt which brought this judgment upon them, and that those who were spared may be supposed to have been m

CHAPTER 13 __ 1. The Necessity of Repentance. (Luke 13:1 .) 2. The Barren Fig Tree. (Luke 13:6) 3. The Healing of a Daughter of Abraham. (Luke 13:10) 4. Parable of the Mustard Seed. (Luke 13:18) 5. Parable of the Leaven. (Luke 13:20) 6. Solemn Teachings. (Luke 13:22) 7. The Answer to Herod. (Luke 13:31) 8. Lament over Jerusalem. ...

EXHORTATIONS TO REPENTANCE. The theme of Luke 12:57 is continued and illustrated by references to two incidents and by a parable. The section is peculiar to Lk. A company of Galilean pilgrims had come into collision with the Romans and had been massacred by Pilate's orders while they were sacrificing in the Temple courts. A garrison was always kept in the Tower of Antonia to quell disturbances. Neither Josephus nor any other writer refers to the affair, but it is quite in the line of Pilate's policy and conduct. Jesus, hearing of it, declines to admit that the calamity implied exceptional sin on the part of the sufferers, but emphasizes instead the truth that sin involves calamity, and warns His audience that unless they repent they will surely be overwhelmed in the coming disaster. He repeats the warning by reference to an accident that had recently happened in Jerusalem. Eighteen workm...