Today's Gospel in Art - Leave the fig tree one more year

Port Jackson Fig Tree, by Lloyd Rees © Lloyd Rees Estate/Licensed by Viscopy, University of Queensland

Gospel of 24th October 2020 - Luke 13:1-9

Some people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, 'Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.'

He told this parable: 'A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, "Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?" "Sir," the man replied "leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down."'

Reflection on the Pencil Drawing

Our drawing by Australian artist Lloyd Rees shows a very mature, over 100-year-old fig tree, maybe somewhat similar to the fig tree Jesus is talking about in today's reading. Drawn in 1934, it almost feels like we are looking at an old master painting. In 2016 there was a retrospective of the artist in Sydney titled 'Painting with Pencil' which I think sums up Rees' work very well. The infinite care over the smallest of pencil lines (have a look at the houses in the background for example) shows the artist's skill and patience when making these drawings.

And it is to skill and patience that Jesus is calling us in today's reading. With us as with a fig tree, it takes a while to produce fruit, and we have to be skilled to nurture the tree and patient to await its fruit. Jesus tells us that God is patient with us and always ready to give us more time. God trusts in our capacity to bear fruit. Therefore this parable of the fig tree is a great story of hope, where the Master Gardener will do what He can to produce beautiful fruit from every fig tree… from you and me...

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/584

Christian Art - www.christian.art