Lent day 14: turn

Luke 13:1-9  At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ²He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? ³No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. ⁴Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? ⁵No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”  ⁶Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. ⁷So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ ⁸He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. ⁹If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’

So, Jesus' friends are asking the big question -- "How come crappy things happen to good people?"  How about those great guys from Galilee? What did they do wrong?
And Jesus basically responds with a "Really?" This is what you are focused on now?  And he tells them -- roughly -- you've got to know by now that it has nothing to do with what they did wrong or right.  Just like the car accident, or the cancer, or the hurricane.  What you DO need to think about is your own life -- and I mean life here.  He says, "repent."  And what repentance is all about is turning it around.  Stopping the crappy stuff you are doing or doing more of the real and good stuff you should be doing. It's about taking the better road to life with him.
Then, Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree, to send it home.
The tree isn't fruiting.  The orchard owner wants to chop it down.  That is the world, right.  Didn't get an A in math this year -- doomed to a different path -- one for the kids who "don't get math."  Didn't show up at the meeting on time  . . . sorry, thanks anyway for your service.
But God says, yes we do need fruit.  We need all the beautiful gifts you have to offer to this world.  We need you to bloom and flourish.  You need to take a different road, take a different view of things and get on with it.  We know it has been a tough year, month, week.  But I'll feed you.  I'll water you.  You get on with the healing and the growing and get on the path where you will thrive. So this is our lenten journey.  Making the turn toward life, toward being fruitful.  I'm digging deep into the soil, trying to figure out the turns.