The Fruit of the Fig Tree

Ἡ εὐαγγελικὴ συκῆ, ἡ ἀνθρωπότης ἐστὶν, ὁ οἰκοδεσπότης, ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ, ὁ ἀμπελουργὸς, ὁ Υἱος τοῦ Θεοῦ, φιλοπονῆσαι καὶ ἐκκαθᾶραι ἡμῶν τὸν ἀμπελῶνα ἐνδημήσας, ἐκκοπῆναι κελευσθέντα παρὰ τοῦ οἰκοδεσπότου ὡς ἄκαρπον. Ἄφες δ' αὐτὴν, φησὶ, καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἔτος. Εἰ διὰ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν οὐκ ἐβελτιώθησαν, καὶ μετανοίας καρποὺς οὐκ ἀπέδωκαν, καὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἀδεσθῶσι δόγμασι καὶ παθήμασι· κἂν μὲν ποιήσωσι καρπὸν εὐπειθείας· εί δὲ μή γε, εἰς τὸ μέλλον ἐκκόψεις αὐτὴν, εἰς τὸν ἄλλον αίῶνα τὸν ἀπέραντον, τῆς τῶν δικαίων σου μερίδος ἐκτέμνων αὐτούς. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΤΙΒ', Εύλογιῳ

The fig tree in the Gospel is human nature, the master is God the Father, the vine worker is the Son of God, coming to the vineyard to work on us and purify us, cutting away by the command of the master that which is unfruitful. 'But leave it,' he says, 'even this year. If through the law and prophets it is not made better and the fruit of repentance it does not bring forth, with my teaching and suffering it shall be watered, thus to make the fruit of obedience, and if this is not so, in the future cut it down, and in another age endless, from the portion of your righteous ones it shall be cut off.'1 Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 312, To Eulogius 1 Lk 13 6-9