Being Merciful

This morning I came across another principle of God's kingdom - his nature and the way he rules - in Luke 13:6-9.

Jesus tells a parable about a man who had a fig tree planted in his vineyard - apparently a common practice in biblical times. For three years the owner of the vineyard came looking for fruit from his fig tree. He was fully justified in doing so; it had been planted in the fertile soil of his vineyard for the very purpose of bearing figs for him. However, for these three years he found nothing on the tree when he looked.

Impatient with its unfruitfulness he instructed the keeper of the vineyard to cut it down. "Why should it use up the soil?" he said (v. 7). Again, he was perfectly within his rights to make this decision. It could be said that efficient husbandry demanded that he replace the tree with something more productive. However, in the story, the keeper of the vineyard intercedes for the tree. "Sir," he said, "leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilise it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down" (vv. 8-9).

In the context this parable is referring to the unfruitfulness of the nation of Israel. Matthew and Mark both relate an event in the last week of his life when Jesus cursed a barren fig tree - again, a symbol of God's judgment upon unfruitful Israel (Matthew 21:18-21; Mark 11: 12-14, 20-24). The people of God had been given plenty of time to bear fruit but, in spite of their privileges, hadn't. Judgement was looming. This seems to be the idea here as well.

The  intercession of the vineyard worker in this parable is really an appeal for delayed judgment. And the apparent readiness of the owner to comply with the request points to God's longsuffering, his readiness to show mercy, his withholding of judgment in order to give more time for people to repent and be saved (2 Peter 3:9). That's the kingdom principle that surfaces here. The God of the Bible is merciful. He withholds judgment in the hope of repentance. He is slow to anger and doesn't reward us according to our sins (Ps. 86:15; 103:8). That's the kind of God he is, and that's the way things operate under his gracious rule. He is not rash and hasty, but overwhelmingly patient and ready to give another chance - up to a point. There is a day of judgment, and on that day all who have failed to yield the fruit of faith and godliness will be condemned. But his mercy and love make him slow to act.

This holds challenging implications for Christian farmers who want to reflect the character of God and live according to the ways of his kingdom.  Modern agriculture is intolerant of the unproductive. Production and profit demand that the barren cow be slaughtered and the ewe that bears only single lambs be ditched. Why, even the young hogget can find herself on the way to the freezing works - or at least, to someone else's farm - if she hasn't conceived. 

The same is true of pastures and grain crops. If they are not producing, change them - instantly. Fine in terms of economics, perhaps, but potentially deadly in terms of character. The production/profit-driven farmer can end up becoming ruthless and callous in his efficiency. In fact, ruthless intolerance of unproductivity its often viewed as a virtue in the modern farmer. 

Jesus' parable doesn't demand that farmers give barren sheep yet another year's grace to bear lambs. But it does caution against intolerant, ruthless attitudes. The fact is that God is not that kind of a God. If he were as impatient with our unproductivity as we can be with the seeming infertility of our animals and sluggishness of our pastures, there would be no chance for any of us. Christian farmers, in their pursuit of farming efficiency and excellence, can't afford to lose the qualities of patience, longsuffering and mercy. Somehow they need to be reflected in farming practice.