Description: The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree explores the intertwined themes of grace, mercy, and judgment. In the original parable it is quite likely that the vinedresser represents Jesus—the one fighting for delayed judgment on the barren fig tree. So why does the teacher in this video (who likely represents Jesus) assume some of the guilt? Like many of Jesus’ parables, we don’t know how this one ends. The fig tree gets one more year, but we don’t know what happened to the tree once the year was up—just as we don’t know what the student in this video is going to decide.

Luke 13:6-9
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ 8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”