The contradictions of the burning bush

Luke Timothy Johnson, known for his scholarly commentaries on the third Gospel, described this Sunday’s Gospel reading as a call not only to repentance from sin but also a call to become aware that God has visited humanity to proclaim a new kingdom. On this third Sunday of Lent, we are invited to become aware of God’s presence through living things like bushes and fig trees as well as in the contradictions that reveal divine mystery.

“God called out to him from the bush,” as a voice came out of the flames, "Moses! Moses!” (Ex 3:4). An actor that few have ever heard of, Delos Jewkes, played the voice of God crying out to Moses in the 1956 film, “The Ten Commandments.” When the film debuted, Delos was never mentioned in the credits and remained anonymous for his role in this blockbuster. For many, however, the most lasting detail of the entire film remains that anonymous voice from the burning bush crying out basso profundo, “Moses! Moses!” The prophet responded by saying, “Here I am,” which was itself a play on the name of God, “I am.” Moses remained somewhat anonymous, merging his identity into divine mystery (Ex 3:14).

Notice the contradictions. First, a property of fire is to consume, yet the bush remains intact. In fact, the consuming fire actually made God present. Second, God offers a name that only deepens the mystery of divine presence. God’s name does not define or restrict the divine nature. “I AM,” rather, “was,” “is” or “will be,” is a mystery Moses must accept and attempt to communicate. As a result of God’s self-revelation, the mystery of faith only deepens in this Sunday’s first reading. 

Just as this Sunday’s first reading focuses on a bush, this Sunday’s Gospel passage involves a fig tree. The other two Gospels, from Mark and Matthew, each contain parables and stories involving fig trees that fail to produce fruit. Their end results in a negative outcome. Luke takes a different approach, and emphasizes the value of cultivating the ground around a barren fig tree: “I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future” (Lk 13:8-9). 

Parables are meant to be strange and sometimes contradictory. This Sunday’s Gospel passage emphasizes both urgency and patience. The orchard owner wants to take quick action against a tree that did not seem able to produce. The gardener, by contrast, understood the need for gradual care. Perhaps the proper interpretation is to view the kingdom of God as something that exists in its own kind of time, a mystery that inspires urgency even as it calls for patience. For anyone who hears this parable, urgent repentance requires the acceptance of the kingdom’s power to initiate lifelong changes. This Lent, may we all accept the Gospel’s surprising expectations as a way of building over time a life like Christ’s.