When something bad happens to someone, does the thought that perhaps they must have done something to deserve what happened come to your mind? Or maybe the opposite, when something good happens, you think that this is their reward for being a good person? Some people use the saying “what goes around, comes around”, or have a belief in a type of karma, that if you do good, you’ll get good, or if you do bad, you’ll get bad back. Our Gospel reading today gives Jesus’ answer to that. Let’s see what He has to say.
As our Scripture opens, some people had told the Lord Jesus about something that had probably just happened in Jerusalem. A group of Galilean pilgrims had traveled to Jerusalem to make sacrifices at the Temple, and while there, something must have happened involving this group that angered Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea (vs. 1). The Gospel does not elaborate as to what this was. Perhaps they got mixed up in some zealot anti-Rome uprising. However, whatever it was, Pilate crushed it, and had them put to death. Another tragic incident also recently happened when a tower in the village of Siloam fell, killing eighteen people (vs. 4).
Whispers were going through the crowd as people said that these unfortunate people must have done something to merit these tragedies to happen in their life (vs. 2, 4). It was a popular belief then, and is still among some today, that these victims suffered because they were greater sinners. Jesus told the crowds that this thinking was not correct (vs. 3, 5). Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Joseph the son of Jacob, and St. Paul are examples. Jesus specifically corrected His disciples when they questioned whether the man born blind was so afflicted because of his sins or the sins of his parents (John 9:2-3).
Galatians 6:7-8 says that we reap what we so, but unlike karma, God doesn’t promise justice here on earth (II Thessalonians 1:6-7), and He doesn’t promise an easy life for believers (John 16:33). Jesus refuted the notion of karma, and emphasized that all individuals are sinful and equal in need of repentance. He told the crowds there that day that it was imperative that everyone repent and turn to God, because judgment is coming, and if they don’t they “will all likewise perish.” This underscores the urgency of spiritual repentance for salvation, and reminds us that judgment can come unexpectedly. We are not guaranteed tomorrow, as both of these groups found out. None of those who died in these verses expected when they woke up that death would meet them before the end of the day.
Jesus then proceeded to tell the parable of the barren fig tree (vs. 6-9). A man had a fig tree in his vineyard, and for three years it was not producing any fruit. He told the gardener that he wanted it cut down, but the gardener asked to give the tree one more chance. He would give it special care and fertilize it. If that didn’t work, then he would cut it down. Fig trees had long been a symbol of the nation of Israel, and in Jesus’ parable, it represents them, and more broadly, anyone who fails to bear spiritual fruit despite God’s blessings. Cutting it down shows God’s righteous judgment, but the gardener’s plea for another year shows God’s patience and mercy. God’s mercy is abundant, but it is not limitless. Without repentance and fruitfulness, judgment is inevitable.
Our fruitfulness matters greatly to God, but only when it is the genuine article, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. That fruit is produced as we abide in the Vine, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 15:5). No matter how impressive, works achieved solely through human effort have zero value in God’s eyes.
In closing, let us realize that each of us is personally accountable to God. We need to examine our life for spiritual fruit. Are we bearing fruit for the Lord Jesus, or are we a barren tree, not truly saved, and just taking up space? We need to heed the call to repent, recognizing God's mercy, but not taking it for granted. We need to be careful not to judge others, that somehow their misfortune was brought on by their behavior. Don’t mix Christianity with karma or any Eastern religion (Colossians 2:8). It is important, though, that we heed Jesus’ warning to repent and accept Him as Savior, for we never know what will happen before the end of any day.
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