Understanding Christ’s “...I shall dig about it, and dung it...” in The Parable of the Unfruitful Fig Tree

Beloved of God, see Christ's word in The Parable of the Unfruitful Fig Tree in Luke 13--

"6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. 7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? 8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down."

Now any Jew who knows the Torah will find verse 6 to be very strange- a fig tree planted in a vineyard where grapes are planted is something that the law forbids. Deuteronomy 22:9 says--

“You shall not sow your vineyard with different kinds of seed, lest the yield of the seed which you have sown and the fruit of your vineyard be defiled."

Recall Christ shows us in Luke 24 that the Scriptures (Old Testament) are all about Himself and our salvation in Him?

To cut a long story short, the fig tree (righteousness from self aka Law) planted in the vineyard (righteousness by Faith in Christ) is a picture of that horrid mixture of Law and Grace that is being passed off as Christianity in some places of worship: claiming to be righteous by Christ's obedience yet trying to keep the law and doing all sorts by human strength in order to be godly, earn God's blessing and to escape wrath. Here, both the pristine nature/severity of the law AND the free free and unmerited nature of Grace is lost on such who follow this "neither cold nor hot" mixture doctrine, hence--

“You shall not sow your vineyard with different kinds of seed, lest the yield of the seed which you have sown and the fruit of your vineyard be defiled."

In the Parable, God is the Owner of the vineyard. Christ in whom is the fullness of the Godhead bodily is the Dresser or Keeper. The fig tree in the vineyard is a picture of self-righteousness in the church of Christ (vineyard) which is all about righteousness by faith. Recall Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves in Eden when they saw that they were naked (lacking in righteousness) after eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil- a picture of the law which tells what is good and what is evil and kills just like the tree? That is the purpose of the law, beloved- to show us how naked (devoid of righteousness/guilty of sin) we are--

"19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are." Romans 3.

As Adam and Eve did with the tree, many depend on their ability to obey the law to make them godly (be like God) and cover themselves with fig leaves of self-righteous works to make up for their unrighteousnesses. But God clothed them with animal skins- a death has to happen for sins to be remitted, beloved. All of those works and obedience that many indulge in to get into God's good graces are mere fig leaves which cannot cover anybody's nakedness/guilt.

It's not surprising that the Owner of the vineyard found no fruit on the fig tree in His vineyard. But this is not because the person with the "fig tree" mentality is not producing works. It is because all of his (self-)righteous works of the law which he is doing in a bid to get God to bless him are as described in Isaiah 64:6--

"We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight."

Like the woman with the issue of blood who could only produce menstruation rags and no child/fruit as long as she was enmeshed in all sorts of fasts, attempts at obeying the law and works in a bid to bear fruit, such people are inside church trying to bear fruit by their works. But only when we forsake such self-righteous "fig leaves" works and depend utterly on Christ as our Righteousness and Strength do we bear "much fruit."

So the Vinedresser (Christ Himself who speaks God's heart) said:

"8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall DIG about it, and DUNG it: 9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down."

I put "dig" and "dung" in caps for emphasis.

"Dig" in Hebrew is "Karah" and it means "to give a banquet or feast." Beloved, Christ's "I shall dig about" the fig tree is Him inviting from every angle the self-righteous (those who think they have even an iota of good in themselves) to come and feast FREELY on His goodness of salvation from sins, redemption from the curse, freedom from satanic oppression and salvation from death preceded by its symptoms of every earthly ill which many are trying to get from God by their obedience and 70 days fasts. We see this in the Parable of the Great Banquet in Luke 14:15-24. 

Also very important: "...and DUNG it:...."

Dung it. Dung it. Dung it. If you take anything away from this piece, by God's Grace, let it be "Dung it." This is what Christ is doing in the world that God so loved today - Dunging the fig tree aka those who think that they are or can produce the fruit of righteousness before God by their arm of flesh/human effort. 

But what does "Dung it" it mean? 

We see this in the life of Paul- a former Pharisee of Pharisees who "obeyed the law without fault" He wrote in Philippians 3: "According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless." Definitely not before God sha! Paul had stupendously more human credentials than those which many wave about as why God blesses or should bless them today, unaware that it is by God's mercy that they are not consumed by heinous sins and terrible calamities. But he counted all of his human works/credentials as DUNG so that he might gain Christ! See Philippians 3:8 below--

“2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh!3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, exult in Christ Jesus, and do not rely on human credentials 4 —though mine too are significant. If someone thinks he has good reasons to put confidence in human credentials, I have more: 5 I was circumcised on the eighth day, from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. I lived according to the law as a Pharisee. 6 In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless. 7 But these assets I have come to regard as liabilities because of Christ. 8 More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things—indeed, I regard them as DUNG! - that I may gain Christ, 9 and be found in Him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness —a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness." 

Beloved, that is the life of the one for whom Christ has "Dung it." In His mercy, He stripped we who are under Grace of all self-righteous works that man thinks should help him notch up points of righteousness before God, causing us to see that they are but DUNG; He makes us see that all of those things which man does to get God to bless, save and deliver are DUNG and He clothed us with His own robe of righteousness which is free for all who stop their silly efforts to save themselves and look utterly to Christ for salvation from sins, earthly ills and death, including death in hell. And so we are not cut down but we flourish in the courts of our God.

Recall Christ says in the Parable: “8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down."

This is what Christ wants us to do, beloved-- like Paul, see all those fig leaves/self-righteous works of the law and those activities such as 70 days fasts and other arm of flesh-driven works which "pastor" says will make God bless, save or deliver as DUNG. Christ is not ALL in their equation. Those works do nothing but serve as a barrier to its doers’ being embraced by God's Grace who is Christ Himself- the True Vine. Galatians 5:4 says of all who are yet to see as DUNG all of their (self-)righteous works and obedience that they feel should make them right with God—

“For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law you have been cut off  from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s Grace.”

As it was with the woman with the issue of blood, only by abandoning such works and trusting utterly in Christ (being in union with Him) do we get to stop producing "a menstrual rag" aka dead works and get to bear much fruit to God. Christ says so in John 15:5--

“I am the sprouting vine and you’re My branches. As you live in union with Me as your Source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from Me you are powerless."

Beloved of God, when your believing is right, right living will follow. So ask our heavenly Father to open your eyes and your mind to utterly receive Christ's invite of "dig about it" and to "dung it" to you now. Beloved, our Abba Father is eagerly waiting to love you into wholeness and fruitfulness in His loving embrace of pure Grace.