God's Last Words

Hoping for Figs

Luke 21: 25-36 (NRSV)

Welcome to Advent - that time of year when we lift up the arrival and importance of the Christ Child while trying to strip away the human garnishment we call "the Holiday Season." When thinking of Christmas go with the real stuff and God's purpose and not the commercial appeals to divest your hard earned loot to places like Target, Walmart, Amazon, and E-bay. Jesus is the reason for the season!

These facts are true - or at least are reported to be: The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without killing them used to burn their houses down - hence the expression "to get fired."

Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

The term "the whole 9 yards" came from WWII fighter pilots in the South Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got "the whole 9 yards."

In order to learn things in life you have to listen, read, and pay attention. In order to be a complete Christian with knowledge of the Bible you have to pay attention even to the end times prophecies of the Bible:

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 

“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Frederick Buechner says this about Luke 21: 25-36: "I don't know any other passage in the Gospels that is harder to understand, to feel our way into, to know how to respond to, than these words of Jesus about the Second Coming. He is speaking about the end of the world and about the coming of the Kingdom of God as the climactic last act of history, and he is speaking in words and images as foreign to our whole way of thinking as his subject itself."

One of the ancient signs of hope is the fig tree.  Fig trees are right there in the beginning of the Bible, when Adam and Eve suddenly discover they are naked, after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they cover themselves in fig leaves. 

A large fig tree can become an incredible shelter.  Fig trees can live hundreds of years and are some of the oldest living things on the planet.  Rabbis often studied Torah on the cool shelter of fig trees, and the tree was associated with a quiet place to seek wisdom. 

The fruit of the fig tree is often symbolic of blessings and prosperity in the scriptures. Many times the Old Testament prophets spoke of the hope of grape vines and fig trees.  If they saw trouble on the horizon, they spoke of fig trees being cut down by their enemies.  Eating figs in the shade of the tree is the good life.

Jesus speaks of fig trees three times in Luke’s Gospel.  In each case he spoke of the importance of tending the fig tree, and being patient for its fruit to come, and working towards bearing fruit in our own actions. 

In Luke 13, he tells a parable of a man who is contemplating cutting down his fig tree because it has not given fruit for three years.  He is persuaded to wait one more year, fertilize and tend it, but after that he is not going to keep a barren tree wasting the soil. 

Here the message is that God will be patient with us and tend us till we bear fruit, but hopefully we will get around to it and not just waste our space on earth. This would have been perceived as practical wisdom by his audience, since fig trees often took two to five years to bear decent fruit.

The Greek philosopher Epictutus, born 20 years after Jesus, said, “No great thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.”

In today’s parable, Jesus uses the fig tree to note that we also must be patient with the work of God.  The rest for our souls and peace in the world we long for does not always come quickly.  So we have to be watchful, paying attention to the signs of hope in our midst.  Jesus says, “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that the kingdom of God is near.”

Let me note two interesting words of advice Jesus gives on how to be hopeful through tough times.  Jesus notes that there will be times when “people faint with fear and for what is coming upon the world.”  In those times Jesus promises to come to us, so “when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” 

To me, that sounds like the opposite of what we do in times of trouble.  Most often when there is conflict, confusion, hardship or threats to us, we hunker down and wait for it to pass.  That doesn’t naturally seem like a time to raise your head. 

The Marines have a TV ad that says they are trained to run towards the sound of chaos, towards tyranny, injustice and despair.  Maybe Jesus words are challenging us to get involved before the Marines come in with their version of fixing things. 

When others faint with fear, we are called to lift our heads and look for the signs of God’s presence. Jesus also councils us to not get caught up either in the distraction of intoxication or worry.  Many people place comfort in intoxicating things (not just substances, either!).

I heard an interesting but sad fact last week - Did you know that authorities in our black communities suggest that 1400 young blacks are killed each year over their sneakers?

Don’t fall into the trap of sedating ourselves in times of trouble (and in our times we have so many ways to anesthetize our fears with prescriptions, TV and Angry Birds), nor should we give in to the temptation of constant worry.  Worry stifles hope.  It keeps us looking for trouble rather than being vigilant for the signs that God is near.

It is Advent, and time to be vigilant and watchful for a light shining in the darkness.  We have lit our own candle of hope this morning, and during the coming week it is our job to protect and nourish the flame. 

Sometimes we must be patient with God, like waiting three or four years for the fig tree to bear fruit. Wishing for quick fixes is not true hope. Band aids and duct tape wear off. The wounds and scars are still there underneath, yet God's comfort lingers.  

Hope seeks true healing, lasting fixes, real change in our lives.  Hope is like planting and tending a fig tree, paying attention and being patient that we may reap a lifetime of good fruit. Amen.