Bible Memory Verse
“Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:20
Luke 13:6-9
“Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree, planted 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, cut it down.”’”
Luke 13:1-5
“Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. (2 Jesus answered, ‘Do you think that these Galileans are worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? (3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.’ (4 O those eighteen who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? (5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish’”
Matthew 7:15-23
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. (16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? (17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit. (18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. (19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
(21Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ (23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers!’”
1. Why does the man that owns the vineyard want to cut down the vineyard?
2. Why does the man give it another chance?
3. What is the man that takes care of the vineyard going to do for the fig tree?
4. If the man who takes care of the vineyard represents the believer and the vineyard represents the unsaved world, what does this parable suggest the believer should do for the unsaved world?
5. What will determine if the vineyard is cut down or not? This is what Jesus said just before He told this parable:
Luke 13:1-5
“Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. (2 Jesus answered, ‘Do you think that these Galileans are worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? (3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.’ (4 O those eighteen who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? (5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish’”
6. How does this passage of Scripture pertain to this parable:
Matthew 7:15-23
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. (16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? (17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit. (18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. (19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
(21Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ (23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers!’”
“The death of the Galileans at the hands of Pilate and the accidental death of those on whom the tower fell are presented by the Lucan Jesus as timely reminders of the need for all to repent, for the victims of these tragedies should not be considered outstanding sinners who were singled out for punishment.
The slaughter of the Galileans by Pilate is unknown outside Luke; but from what is known about Pilate from the Jewish historian Josephus, such a slaughter would be in keeping with the character of Pilate. Josephus reports that Pilate had disrupted a religious gathering of the Samaritans on Mt. Gerizim with a slaughter of the participants (Antiquities 18, 4, 1 #86-87), and that on another occasion Pilate had killed many Jews who had opposed him when he appropriated money from the temple treasury to build an aqueduct in Jerusalem (Jewish War 2, 9, 4 #175-77; Antiquities 18, 3, 2 #60-62).
Like the incident mentioned in Luke 13:1 nothing of this accident in Jerusalem is known outside Luke and the New Testament.
Following on the call to repentance in Luke 13:1-5, the parable of the barren fig tree presents a story about the continuing patience of God with those who have not yet given evidence of their repentance (“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance…” Luke 3:8). The parable may also be alluding to the delay of the end time, when punishment will be meted out, and the importance of preparing for the end of the age because the delay will not be permanent.” Taken from Internet—footnotes from the American Standard Bible