As spring break begins in McPherson, many of us share a special kind of anticipation. Those refreshing first days when students celebrate freedom from alarm clocks and homework, when families might plan special activities, when the promise of spring starts appearing in tiny green shoots pushing through the soil. Yet alongside that anticipation, we often carry hidden worries. Parents wonder how to balance work schedules with kids at home. Students might feel the unspoken pressure to make every moment count. Some face the reality that this break brings loneliness rather than connection. These mixed emotions — hope alongside anxiety, opportunity alongside uncertainty — mirror what we find in today’s scripture.
Jesus faces both tragic news and direct threats while teaching about God’s patient nurturing and protective love. His message speaks to those in-between seasons when we’re not sure what’s growing beneath the surface or what dangers might lie ahead. As we journey through Lent toward Jerusalem with Jesus, this passage invites us to examine how we respond to life’s uncertainties and challenges, while trusting in God’s unwavering care.
On Ash Wednesday, we saw Jesus make the bold decision to head toward Jerusalem despite knowing the challenges ahead. Last Sunday, we watched him expand everyone’s idea of what it means to be a neighbor through the Good Samaritan story, then show us two different ways of welcoming others through Mary and Martha.
Today, we find Jesus still moving forward, but now facing direct opposition while teaching about God’s patient love. Like a thread weaving through all these stories, we see Jesus remaining determined to fulfill his mission despite obstacles. From his first steps toward Jerusalem, through his teachings about radical welcome, to today’s lessons about perseverance – Jesus shows us what it means to stay faithful even when the path gets tough. Through each story, we’re learning that the way home to God often requires both courage and patience, both love for others and trust in God’s larger purpose.
When Luke wrote this part of Jesus’ story around 80-85 AD, he was helping second-generation Christians understand their faith better. Think of it like explaining your grandparents’ life-changing experiences to your kids – you want to get the details right and show why they matter.
This passage comes as Jesus is heading toward Jerusalem, teaching along the way. The Roman Empire controlled everything in those days, and people lived under constant pressure to keep the peace and pay their taxes. Local religious leaders tried to protect Jewish traditions while navigating Roman rule – kind of like trying to preserve your family’s culture while adapting to a new country.
Luke puts two stories together here: First, Jesus responds to news about tragic deaths by challenging people to think differently about how God works. No, he says, bad things don’t happen because people are worse sinners. Instead, everyone needs to turn toward God’s way of living. He tells a story about a fig tree getting one more chance to bear fruit – showing how God is patient with us but hopes we’ll grow.
Then the scene shifts. Some Pharisees warn Jesus that King Herod wants to kill him. But instead of running away, Jesus shows stunning courage. He compares himself to a mother hen trying to gather her chicks to safety – a surprising image of God’s protective love in a world that valued power and strength.
Throughout both stories, Luke emphasizes God’s patient nurture that keeps believing in our potential to change and grow. This connects to other Bible passages about God’s persistent love, like Hosea comparing God to a parent teaching a child to walk, or Isaiah describing God as a vineyard keeper carefully tending the vines.
The core message? God keeps believing in us and working for our growth, even when we’re slow to change or facing opposition. Like that patient gardener and protective mother hen, God never gives up on helping us become who we’re meant to be.
These ancient words about tragedy, transformation, and God’s patient love speak powerfully to our experiences today. Consider sitting in a team meeting where taking an ethical stand might cost you professionally. Like Jesus facing Herod’s threats, you feel the pressure to stay quiet and play it safe. Yet this passage reminds us that meaningful growth often requires courage to stay true to our values, even when that brings opposition.
Or think about those moments when tragedy strikes – whether it’s shocking news that shakes a community or personal loss that makes us question everything. Jesus’ response to those who brought him news of terrible events challenges our instinct to assign blame or find simple explanations. Instead, he points us toward examining our own lives and how we might grow through difficulty rather than being paralyzed by it.
Perhaps you’re in a season where it feels like nothing’s happening – prayers seem unanswered, efforts appear fruitless, change looks impossible. The fig tree story speaks directly to this experience, revealing a God who sees potential worth nurturing even when others see only failure. Like that patient gardener, God keeps working with us, providing what we need to grow, believing in possibilities we can’t yet see.
This week, consider how you might partner with God’s patient work. Maybe that means resisting quick judgments when you hear troubling news, choosing instead to look deeper for opportunities to bring healing. Perhaps it’s standing firm in what you believe while still showing grace to those who oppose you. Or it could mean simply trusting that your small efforts to grow and change matter, even when progress seems slow.
In every situation, remember that the God who confronts tragedy with transformation, who faces opposition with courage, who nurtures growth with patience, is at work in your life too. Whether you’re navigating conflict, processing grief, or waiting for signs of growth – God’s persistent love creates space for genuine change and new life to emerge.
The good news is that God’s patient, protective love transforms even our darkest moments into opportunities for new life. Just as Jesus refused to let either Herod’s threats or Jerusalem’s resistance define the story’s ending, God’s redemptive power consistently turns what looks like failure into fertile ground for growth. When Jesus compared himself to a mother hen gathering her chicks, he revealed God’s heart that has been constant throughout scripture – from sheltering the Israelites under eagle’s wings in Exodus, to providing refuge in the shadow of God’s wings in the Psalms, to Jesus longing to gather Jerusalem close.
The fig tree parable shows us how God’s grace operates – not with harsh judgment, but with persistent nurture and hopeful tending. This reflects God’s character we see in the prophets, where God keeps working with stubborn people, and in Jesus’ parables about seeds and growth, where small beginnings lead to abundant life. Even when others see only fruitlessness worthy of cutting down, God sees potential worth cultivating.
This reveals a profound truth about salvation – it’s not just about a single moment of transformation, but about God’s ongoing work of nurturing new life in us and through us. Christ’s death and resurrection become the ultimate expression of this pattern, where what looks like defeat becomes the source of endless new beginnings. This means no situation is beyond God’s redemptive reach. Whether we face opposition like Jesus did, encounter tragedy like those in the news, or feel spiritually unproductive like that fig tree, God’s patient, protective love keeps creating paths toward new life.
Whether we’re enjoying spring’s renewal or walking through life’s valleys, Jesus shows us that God remains the patient gardener and protective parent. When uncertainty surrounds us, when opposition rises against us, when growth seems slow or impossible, God keeps believing in what we can become. Like spring’s persistent green shoots pushing through the soil, God’s transforming love keeps making a way through the valley, nurturing new life where others see only barrenness.
Will you pray with me?
God, thank you for your patient nurture and protective love. Help us trust your care when the path feels uncertain. Give us courage to keep growing, even through life’s valleys. Amen.
In crafting today’s sermon, I employed AI assistants like Claude and Apple Intelligence, yet the ultimate responsibility for its content rests with me. These tools offered valuable perspectives, but the most influential sermon preparation hinges on biblical study, theological insight, personal reflection, and divine guidance. I see AI as a supportive aid to enrich the sermon process while ensuring my own voice in proclaiming the Word of God.
Rev. Andrew Conard 