HAPPY EASTER 2013

Easter celebrates

a transformed and revitalized life

in the Risen Lord Jesus.

Let's face it.

What does Easter mean to the aged,

like Pope Emeritus Benedict,

who are getting weaker day by day,

whose bones are aching, 

limbs no longer controllable, 

sight and hearing failing etc.

HAPPY EASTER TO YOU ALL

WITH CARE, LOVE AND PRAYERS.

How do you know Jesus actually has risen?

Easter is meaningful to Christians and all those who are grateful for being given a second chance in life. The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of Christianity. With the passion and resurrection of Jesus, God and sinners reconcile. Through faith in the resurrection of Jesus, Christians become the adopted children of God and as children, partake in the eternal life of God. Easter is a joyful feast because we celebrate the remission of our sins and a transformation of our life for the better.

We don't have any forensic evidence to prove the resurrection of Jesus. Even the famous relic, the Shroud of Turin, is carbon dated to be a piece of 12^th century fabrics. Fortunately, the truth of our faith does not rely on the authenticity of relics. For us modern Christians, we believe in the resurrection of Jesus handed down throughout the ages by the witnesses of generations of Christians. We experience the risen Lord and his transformative power from within. Truly, we may never know and understand how the resurrection actually took place in our life time on earth. We will know it when we meet our Creator. One easily thinks that the first generation Christians were in a better position to know but it is a mistake to think so.

From what we can gather in the canonical gospels, the first generation Christians who ate and walked with Jesus, had a hard time accepting this resurrection event. If we read the gospel according to St. Mark, we find that the disciples did not accept the witness borne by the women disciples until Jesus appeared to them and "upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart" (Mark 16:14). If we read the gospel according to St. Matthew, we find that the eleven Apostles met Jesus on a mountain as directed by him in Galilee. Yet, some doubted (Matthew 28:17). The story in St. Luke is a bit more elaborate. The women disciples reported to the Apostles. "but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them." (Luke 24:11) Then Luke recorded the story of Jesus' apparition to the two disciples returning to Emmaus and when the two disciples reported back to the Apostles, they were told that Jesus had also appeared to Simon Peter (Luke 24:34). No further details are given.

The story in John was what we read on Easter Sunday. It is more enigmatic!
After seeing the stone being rolled away, Mary Magdalene ran and reported to Simon Peter and John. The two of them ran to the tomb to check it out. John outran Peter and reached the tomb first. John looked in and saw the linen cloths but did not enter the tomb. Peter arrived and went into the tomb. The gospel reported that he saw the linen cloths and the napkin, which had been on Jesus' head, rolled up in a place by itself. Period. The gospel does not say anything about the response of Peter.
"Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;" (John 20:8).
Peter saw the same thing but the gospel does not say that Peter believed. John saw and the gospel says that John believed. Of course, silence does not imply absence. The gospel of John does not say whether Peter believed or not. From this, we cannot conclude that Peter did not believe. Yet, I tend to think that Peter did not yet believe until some time later when Jesus appeared to him. John did not need such "strong" evidence. The empty tomb with linen cloths lying around was enough to convince John that the Lord had risen. I repeat, our faith does not rely on evidence, whether strong or weak. The Holy Spirit will help us and teach us what we need to know to keep this faith in resurrection.

Dear Holy Spirit, be our Advocate and defend us from doubts and despair. I pray that we can have the faith of John. Amen.

What does the Passion of Jesus mean to us?

Among the four canonical gospels, Luke is the best for spiritual reflection. Luke skillfully tells the story of Jesus in such a way that we are drawn to reflect on our relations with Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. The Passion Narrative is a masterpiece for such a spiritual meditation.
Scholars have reached a consensus that the gospel of Mark was written first. The other two synoptic gospels follow his outline and embellish it with carefully selected details.Therefore, gospels are not simply a collection of news reports of the daily life of Jesus. Each evangelist has his own agenda.

For example, while the other two synoptic gospels report that Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, the Lucan version is more electrifying by adding a challenging line.
but Jesus said to him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss?" (Luke 22:48)
Judas can be replaced by any proper noun. It can be Alex, Betty or Charles. Anyone of us could betray Jesus today in our life situation and cover up our betrayal with a good intention or excuse. Can we not be careful in our daily life?
One more example. Perhaps because of a lack of confidence as a result of personal shortcomings, we seldom look at people in their eyes. We think that it is impolite to do so, one more excuse. Read the three denials of Peter. The cock crewed and the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered Jesus' words, broke down and wept bitterly (vv 60-62). Oh! How much do I desire to look at Jesus in his eyes so that I may truly repent. Luke is able to create such a scenario for us to meditate upon. Thank you, Luke.

We have entered the Holy Week, the climax of Jesus' ministry. What happened in this fateful week was a roller coaster ride, putting our faith in a tempest. Many have fallen and only a few could stand the ground. Are we among the falling? May God help us. Amen.

Before the Easter Holiday, I played a BBC "Mysteries of the Bible" documentary in class to make students know a bit more about the life and passion of Jesus. The first episode was entitled "Who killed Jesus?" To be sensational and contentious, BBC proposed three suspects: Caiaphas, Pilate and Jesus himself!

The Passion of Jesus is not a simple drama which took place two thousand years ago. It is an occasion to reveal the true human nature to us. As a Catholic, I should not be pessimistic towards human nature. However, it seems to me that human nature makes little progress since then. The plot repeats itself throughout history in different reincarnations. Caiaphas and Pilate seem to be some sort of an archetype who surely will pop up in the political theatre.
Caiaphas whose financial and political interests were threatened by Jesus, used a utilitarian reason to persuade the Sanhedran to kill Jesus (John 11:50). Many political leaders use utilitarianism in their reasoning to justify their policies and decisions and people would not hold them immoral. Had Caiaphas not been the High Priest, we would have forgiven him for his proposal to kill Jesus. But he was the High Priest and how could a religious leader not stand up to defend the life of an innocent?
Pilate was in a different position. He was a Roman governor and as such a politician. We don't expect politicians to be principled. They will not hesitate to bend to political pressures. So, when Pilate could not find fault with Jesus and publicly declared him innocent, Pilate would bow to pressure and handed Jesus over to be crucified. We do not blame politicians for not having backbones. It is our misfortune to have politicians of such a low calibre to occupy the seats.
These days, Hong Kong people have witnessed many such "bending" incidents among government officials. The drama of Jesus' passion repeats again in different reincarnations nowadays. So, help us God. Amen.

Why should we forgive sinners?

Sin is ugly not just because of the sufferings inflicted upon the victims. Sin is ugly because it erodes the souls of sinners. Sin sips away the compassion in sinners so that they are unable to sympathize with the sufferings of fellow sinners. Gradually, sinners turn self-righteous, forgetting that they are sinners. Other fellow sinners are sinners. They are no longer sinners! That pretty much sums up what the story of the adulterous woman in John tries to teach us. However, I believe that God has more to tell us than this.

"Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." (John 8:7b).
This famous verse reminds us that we are all sinners. Though we are called and baptized to be saints, our human nature is still crippled by our old sinful habits. The Israelites were delivered from Egypt, baptized in the Red Sea and signed a covenant with God to be a holy people, a nation of priests. Yet, this people remains rebellious throughout the ages. We are living in a sinful environment we have created for ourselves. Therefore, it is impossible for us to be transformed overnight on the night of baptism. Our journey home is a life-long one. Along the way, we need continual support. What is the most effective support a sinner needs? Forgiveness.

And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again." (John 8:11b)
Condemnation destroys while forgiveness builds up. Therefore, before the end of the world arrives, we should forgive. Leave the condemnation for the Last Day. God will condemn. Leave this dirty job to Him. As for us, let us build people up. Let us forgive and give people a second chance.

Fr. John Wotherspoon, OMI visits prisoners. Last Christmas, we celebrated a Christmas Mass in the Tai Lam Women's Prison. My wife and I helped out as volunteers. Fr. John carried a lot of booklets to hand out and his knapsack was very much overloaded. There was a fragile extended handle for the owner to drag the heavy load more comfortably. Not many prisoners turned up. There were about 12 in total. In the end, Fr. was only able to unload a few booklets. The knapsack remained heavy. I offered to pull the knapsack for him. In my hand, the fragile handle snapped! While I blamed myself to be too careless, Fr. John came over to thank me instead! He was returning to Australia that evening and would stuff the knapsack even more heavily. It was lucky that the handle gave way here instead of elsewhere in the airport or on the plane. That would be chaotic! Fr. John showed me why Jesus did not condemn the adulterous woman. Needless to say, I would be more careful in whatever I do next time. Fr. John personifies Jesus. His spirituality is truly deep.

Dear Jesus, I thank you for allowing me to meet Fr. John and to learn from him. There is still a lot for me to learn. Send forth thy light! Amen.

天主的仁慈與修和聖事

This Sunday, I did a homily at 9:30 a.m. mass in my parish in Chinese. Actually, I did the same story two weeks previously during the Deacons Monthly Sharing as a part of training. During the Deacons' Sharing, the members generously commented on my performance. I was too ambitious and lost the focus. This time, the audience are different. I tuned down the homily to suit them.
However, there was one hiccup. I was given a mike, not the lectern! So, there was nowhere for me to put my paper! I had to do the homily from my head! Unfortunately, my memory was no longer as avid as in my younger days. I forgot some beautiful lines!
Here is the homily. I hope you enjoy.

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「浪子回頭」是一個家傳戶曉的故事。故事中的父親象徵了天主，小兒子代表了罪人，而大兒子是那些自以為是的人。罪人不識好歹，離棄天主，結果自討苦吃。痛定思痛後，決定悔改，回歸父家，結果得到天主的寬恕，得到天主的接納。
相信大家都有聽過「陳振聰受浸，信奉耶穌基督」的新聞。如果我們懷疑他的誠意，不能接納一個曾經裝神弄鬼，既貪心，又對太太不忠的男人，悔改皈依的話，我們就好像比喻中的長子所影射的法利塞人與及所有自以為是的人，他們好像長子一樣，未能體諒親心，領悟到天主的心意了。天主是非常歡喜，非常渴望看見我們悔改，回歸父家，與祂共享永恆的生命。這一點相信大家一定已經十分明白，大家一定不會好像大兒子那樣心胸狹窄，不能接受天主對眾生，特別對罪人的慈悲。
天主是忠信的，千年猶如一日。祂二千年前對猶太人的慈愛，今天對現代人仍然一樣慈愛。福音成書，已幾乎接近二千年。不過，它是天主的啟示、天主的說話，二千年後的今日，它仍然有說不盡的話，向我們傾訴。
所以，不要忽略故事中的一些細節，因為它們亦包含了不少的智慧和真理，值得我們「默存心中，反覆思量」。例如有關分家產的細節。今天，我邀請大家與我一起默想這些細節，對我們說怎麽。

• 故事是這樣開始的：
  「一個人，有兩個兒子，那小的，向父親說：父親，請把我應得的一份家產，分給我吧！父親於是把產業，分給他們。」
  即是說，分家產是由小兒子提出。按理，在亞洲地區，長子嫡孫是享有特殊地位，而聖經亦有祝福長子的記載，所以，哪會有小兒子提出分家產的可能！他這樣提出，很大可能是大兒子慫恿他這樣做，所謂「精人出口，笨人出手」。父親是一個明理的人，哪會不明箇中袖裡，但他仍然把產業分給他們兩兄弟。其中有很大的做人道理，值得大家進一步默想。
• 我們很容易被粤語長片的橋段所引導，用中國人分家產的印象生硬的套進去，以為父親把全部的產業分給兩兄弟。長子嫡孫分雙份，負責供養父親；又或者現代化一些，兩兄弟平分產業，輪流負責供養。但很奇怪，比喻中的父親竟然保留了一份給自己。福音是這樣記載的。父親去勸解大兒子的時候說了以下的一句話：
  「孩子！你常同我在一起，凡我所有的，都是你的；」
  所以比喻中的分家產，並不是分了全部的家產，父親仍保留了可觀的一份！所以他說「凡我所有的，都是你的。」聽起來有點兒不合理。
  請大家注意，在真實的人類歷史社會制度當中，父親一定要安排好全部家產的分配，否則，不在生前亦必在死後，一定會引起爭產的是非，遺禍子孫。
• 不要奇怪為何分家後，比喻中的父親仍保留一份給自己。其實，他並不是故意留一份給自己，而是他的兒子根本無可能瓜分全部的家產！我們作為天主子女的，又怎能分得盡天主的家產呢？一日我們在天主身邊，一日我們都能享有「起初如何，今日亦然，直到永遠，及世之世，亞孟」的恩寵。能夠留在天父的身邊是一件多麽有福的事。
• 就算我們能分盡俗世的父親的一分一毫，如果能夠與上了年紀的老父同住、孝順他；能凝望、默想你的根源，回憶、細味他對你的照顧，你是多麽有福，多麽令人羨慕。

「信德年」已開始了超過三個月！慈母聖教會希望藉著紀念召開梵二大公會議五十周年，讓大家重溫信仰，刷新我們作為天主教徒的眼光，更有效地向世界傳播天國的喜訊，與世人，與失散了的兄弟分享天父的恩寵。 現在讓我們溫習小許有關「聖事」的道理吧。雖然我們藉著水的洗禮，洗去了原罪及本罪，加入了教會，成為天主的子女。但洗禮未能完全康復原罪和積習已深的壞習慣對人類本性所留下的創傷，所以，天主藉教會施行其他的聖事，幫助我們善渡基督徒的生活：「堅振聖事」賜予聖神，加強我們的靈性生命力；主耶穌藉「聖體聖事」與我們結合為一，在世上繼續祂未完成的工程；聖事總不會無緣無故，好像「瑪納」一樣，從天上掉下來的。所以有「神品聖事」，祝聖一些在教會內蒙受特別聖召的人，加入公務員行列，履行訓導、管理和聖化天主子民的任務；而「婚配聖事」祝聖男女二人，以婚姻生活，見証天主對世人的愛；至於「傅油聖事」，它堅強病弱的兄弟，把病弱的痛苦，昇華到成為傳福音的支援，好像聖女小德蘭一樣。最後就是……，就是最多別名的「悔改聖事」，它又稱為「皈依聖事」、「懺悔聖事」、「告解聖事」、「寬恕聖事」、「修和聖事」 （【天主教教理】 #1423-4）。
皈依天主不是一時衝動的事，而是聖保祿所說的「一生努力不懈的賽事」。保祿告訴我們，作為基督徒是蒙召成聖的。「洗禮」，就是「成聖馬拉松」的起步，以後還有很多抽筋、口渴和跌倒的機會。所以，教會在沿途設有「告解聖事」、「修和聖事」去醫療大家的傷口，去完成這場「成聖馬拉松」賽事。
我邀請大家在這個星期，找一本【天主教教理】，或者上網搜尋，或者用智能手機的Apps，從第1423條開始讀一讀，重溫一點基本的道理。然後星期五晚返聖堂拜苦路、辦告解，為過復活節，好好作準備。
天主保佑。

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The Prodigal Son is a well-known parable in which the father symbolizes God, the younger son sinners and the elder son those self-righteous people. Not knowing the seriousness of the consequences, sinners rebel against God and suffer. After chastened by sufferings, sinners decide to repent and return to God, obtaining forgiveness and acceptance.
I trust most of you have heard of the recent news about Tony Chan's conversion to Christianity. If we doubt his sincerity, if we do not accept the repentance of a greedy rascal who is also unfaithful to his wife, we are no different from the elder son in the parable, the Pharisees in Jesus' time and all those self-righteous people the story warns against. Like them, we do not appreciate the mercy of God, our Father. God rejoices in seeing us repent, in returning to Him to share His eternal life. I believe all of you understand this point very well. You are not as narrow minded as the elder son who cannot accept God being merciful to all, especially to sinners.
God is faithful. A thousand years is just one day to Him. Two thousand years ago, He was merciful to the Jews. Today, He is merciful to modern men. The Gospels have been written for more than 2000 years. However, the revelation of God, the Word of God is still speaking to us, like there are endless words to say.
So, let us not ignore some details in the story because they contain wisdom and truth worthy of "keeping and pondering" in our hearts. For example, the details of sharing the property. Today, let us meditate together what this sharing of property is trying to tell us.

• Here is how the story begins:
  "There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.' And he divided his living between them." (Luke 15:11-12)
  That is to say, it was the younger son who demanded the sharing. Theoretically speaking, anywhere in the continent of Asia, a younger son was in no position to make such a demand. First born sons enjoy special privileges. Even the Bible has records of blessing of the first born son, such as what Isaac did in Genesis. The younger son did not have a chance to demand sharing the property. Most likely, the elder son cheated the younger son to do it for him. Of course the father knew it. Yet he still divided the living between them. There is great truth in this detail which is worth further pondering.
• We will be easily misguided by our Chinese conception of dividing the living and interpret it likewise. The first born son gets a double portion and is responsible for supporting the father; or in a modern context, the two brothers share equally and take turn to support the father. Surprisingly, the father in the parable keeps a portion for himself! According to the parable, when the father came out to invite the elder son to join the feasting, he said, "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours." (15:31)
  So, in the parable, the sharing of property is not total. The father still keeps a handsome portion. That is why he said "all that is mine is yours".
  This is surprising. Pay attention. In real life situations, the father must properly divide ALL his property. Otherwise, if not after his death, there will be disputes over his property even during his life time and this is disastrous for children.
• Do not be surprised why in the parable the father still keeps a portion for himself. In fact, he does not deliberately keep a portion for himself. Rather, the children are unable to share all his property! How can we, as children of God, be able to share all that God has? As long as we stay with God, we will be able to enjoy His grace, "as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen." Staying with our heavenly Father is a blessing.
• Even if we are able to share the last cent of our earthly father, if we can still live with our aged parents, honour them, gaze and meditate our origin, remember and appreciate how he has nurture you. You are lucky and everybody envies you.

The Year of Faith has already begun for more than three months. The Mother Church wants us to take the opportunity of the celebration of the convocation of Vatican Council II to refresh our faith, to brush up our sight as Catholics, to be more effectively to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world, to share the grace of our Heavenly Father with all men and our lost brothers. Now, let us review some doctrines on Sacraments.
Although we have our Original Sin and our personal sins cleansed to join the Church and become children of God through baptism, it does not heal all the wounds inflicted and left behind by the Original Sin and bad habits in our nature. So, God helps us lead our Christian life well through the administration of Sacraments by the Church. The sacrament of Confirmation gives us the Holy Spirit to strengthen our spiritual life. Jesus unites with us through the sacrament of the Eucharist to continue his unfinished mission. Sacraments do not rain down from heaven like manna out of nothing. So, there is the sacrament of the Holy Orders to consecrate some specially called ministers to carry out the teaching, the governing and the sanctifying ministries. The sacrament of Matrimony consecrates man and women to lead married life to bear witness of God’s love to the world. The sacrament of Anointment strengthens the sick and elderly members to sublime their sufferings into support of evangelization like St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Last of all, the sacrament with many nicknames: the sacrament of Conversion, of Penance, of Confession, of Forgiveness, of Reconciliation (CCC 1423-4).
Conversion is not an impulsive thing, but like what St. Paul said, a competition of a life time. St. Paul tells us that Christians are called to become saints. Baptism is only the start of a 'Marathon of Sanctification'. Like a marathon, there will be many occasions in which we cramp, we thirst and fall. So, along the way, the Church administers the sacrament of confession and reconciliation to heal our wounds, to finish this Sanctification Marathon.
So, in this week, may I invite you to get hold of a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or search the Internet or run an Apps in your smart phone. Start reading from #1423 to review some basic doctrines. Then come back on Friday to join the Stations of the Cross, make a confession to prepare well for Easter.
May God bless us all.

Why Plants a Fig Tree in a Vineyard?

I could not shake off the question and failed to obtain any satisfactory answers from commentaries or web pages. My last resort is to post the question to the professors in the College. I asked Fr. Placid Wong, O.F.M., the moderator for my graduation thesis from the Catholic Biblical Institute. Here are the email exchanges. Hope you enjoy his scholarship as well.

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On March 3, I wrote:
Dear Fr. 

  After listening to the gospel reading of this Sunday, Luke 13:1-9, I am curious about a minor detail.

  Did the Jews in the New Testament really plant fig trees in vineyards? Do people in the Holy Land plant fig trees in vineyards nowadays?

  I am only a book worm and have no farming experience. I do not see any logic planting fig trees in vineyards. I searched the Internet to look for answers in vain. Can you help me?

-- 

Yours in the Risen Lord
Alex Kwok

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On March 8, Fr. Wong answered.

Dear Alex,

Sorry for my late reply.

Fig trees and Vine trees are common plants in the Holy Land. In fact they are commonly planted in the regions surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

As far as I know, vine tree is not a huge tree but a kind of plant supporting itself by climbing, twining and creeping along a surface. Usually the farmers set up some frame structures similar to the scaffolding of a building but much smaller for the vine branches climbing up lest the grapes would not grow healthily. Or sometimes they plant some trees used as the frame structures for supporting the vine trees. Thus, calling a vineyard means that the field is mainly for planting vine trees, not exclusively. Other trees, like fig trees, palm trees, may also be planted in that area. Therefore it is possible to have a fig tree in the vineyard as the Gospel says.

It seems to me that there is no special meaning of planting a fig tree in a vineyard in Lk 13:1-9. What Jesus stresses is to call for conversion of the Jews.

Regards.

Fr Placid Wong ofm

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Immediately, I wrote back.

Dear Fr.,

  Thanks for your explanation.

  However, Leviticus 19:19 and Deuteronomy 22:9 forbid people from planting mixed seeds. How does it square with the parable in Luke 13?

  These verses are the sources of my uneasiness. Please help.

--
Yours in the Risen Lord
Alex Kwok

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Early the next morning, Fr. Wong gave me the answer that quenches all my thirst.

Dear Alex,

Yes, these two verses really cause confusion and make us uneasy.

To explain the two verses, we have to understand the context and the background of the two passages.

The background of the passages was that the Israelites came out of Egypt and settled in the Promised Land. However, they were not living alone but among the gentiles. So the instructions tried to separate Israelites from the gentiles. They were allowed to live together with the gentiles but  were forbidden to have mixed marriages with them unless the men of the gentiles became part of Israelites by circumcision.

Therefore, the two verses, Lev 19:19 and Deut 22:9 follow such concept and give different examples. The examples may not be appropriate in the modern sense but the concept is clear.

Take Lev 19:19 for further understanding, the verse can be divided into 3 parts, (1) "do not breed your domestic animals with others of a different species", (2) "do not so a field of yours with two different kinds of seeds", (3) and do not put on garment woven with two different kinds of thread". The first part is clear and understandable, but for the second and third part are confused. We cannot understand these two parts in literal sense, we have to follow the sense of the first part "one species cannot be mixed with another species". If we follow the context and read verses 23-25, we may find interesting that the Israelites could not eat the fruit which they planted in the Promised Land for three years since the fruit "remains uncircumcised". How come the fruit to be "circumcised" or "uncircumcised"? As we know, only men can be circumcised, not even women. Thus we may conclude that it is a matter of Israelites instead of animals or plants. The Israelites were chosen people of God. They should be purified and could not mixed with the impurified gentiles. But the gentiles might become "purified" by circumcision.

Therefore we may understand the second part of Lev 19:19 in such a way that, it is not forbidden to plant different kinds of seeds side by side in the same field but mixed species is forbidden since it is allegorically referring to mixed marriage between an Israelite and a person of the gentiles.

Regards.

Fr Placid Wong ofm

A Barren Fig Tree

We have studied the gospels for nearly two thousand years and frankly speaking, we have not exhausted the meanings for every story. Each time we study them, we will discover something new. The stories have a life of their own and they really speak to us.

Today, we read of the parable of the Barren Fig Tree in the gospel of Luke (Luke 13:1-9). The message seems to be simple --- we are fig trees planted by God. If we do not bear fruit, God will cut us down. In other words, God looks for our repentance. If we don't repent, we will perish.
The immediate context of this parable was a political incident brought to the notice of Jesus. Recently, some unpleasant thing happened, perhaps in Jerusalem. Pontius Pilate, the notorious Roman Governor, killed some Galileans, perhaps rebels, and mingled their blood with their sacrifices, to defile them (Luke 13:1). Ancient people naturally would conclude that these unlucky Galileans must have done something very wrong and thus incurred God's wrath on them. They told Jesus this incident, perhaps expecting Jesus to agree with them. However, Jesus did not concur. Jesus brought up a larger issue.
"I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." (13:3, 5).
Jesus spoke it twice, together with another accident/incident, the collapse of the Tower of Siloam, killing 18 people. Therefore, the message is loud and clear. Repent or Perish! In such a context, Jesus told the story of the Barren Fig Tree.

The first curious thing that attracted my attention was the location of the fig tree. Why did the owner of the vineyard plant a fig tree in his vineyard? I am only an urban book worm and have no agricultural experience. Can fig trees grow in vineyards? Is the soil appropriate? Will the fig trees do harm to the vines, or vice versa? What is the point of planting a fig tree in a vineyard?
In fact, a search in the Bible will yield verses forbidding mixed cropping, e.g,
"You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; nor shall there come upon you a garment of cloth made of two kinds of stuff." (Leviticus 19:19)
"You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole yield be forfeited to the sanctuary, the crop which you have sown and the yield of the vineyard.
You shall not plow with an ox and an ass together. 
You shall not wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together." (Deuteronomy 22:9-11)
I raised this question in the Bible sharing session of the deacon monthly meeting. Deacon Francis Cheung Ka-wai was kind enough to enlighten me that it is a privilege for the fig tree to be planted in a vineyard. The Lukan Jesus was trying to stress the point that with such privileged provision, the fig tree still failed to bear fruit. Therefore, it was righteous of the owner to cut it down. The fig tree deserves to be cut down.

Given that when the fig tree is given a second chance and still does not bear fruit and thus it deserves to die, who is going to cut it down? The owner told the vinedresser to cut it down in 13:7. But after the advocacy for the fig tree, the vinedresser told the owner to cut it down himself in 13:9!
Superficially, the Father plays the role of a Judge and the Son the role of an Advocate. The Son refuses to play the role of an Executioner. He prefers the role of a Redeemer. However, it doesn't seem right. God the Father will not play the role of a Judge. The Father is reluctant to destroy His Creation, especially human beings. He wants all to be saved because He is not God of the dead, but of the living (Mark 12:27). Furthermore, the command "Cut it down; why should it use up the ground?" (Luke 13:7) sounds more from the Devil than from the Father.
Of course, we have to understand that no analogy can completely convey the transcendence of God. The command does not only serve to convey the righteousness of God, but also His mercy! The command is a warning. We ignore it at our peril! If God does not warn us, we perish. He warns us and we follow His instruction, we live. Of course, we ignore it at our own peril! We are stupid. What we need is the moral courage to repent, to return to the Father.

Sweet Jesus, I thank You for Your advocating for me. Pull me up and waste not Your mercy. Amen.