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Scripture Story Sketch Notes · Luke 13:1–17

The Barren
Fig Tree

“Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it.” Luke 13:8

Jesus told of a fig tree with no fruit after three years, and a gardener who asked for one more year to help it grow. Then He set free a woman who had been bent over for eighteen years.

Walk the vineyard ↓ Read Luke 13:1–17 first
Hand-drawn doodle map of a winding path: people hurrying to Jesus with news, a crumbled stone tower lying in ruins beside a pool, Jesus teaching a crowd with an open hand, a fig tree in the corner of a vineyard, the owner lifting its leaves and finding no fruit, the owner pointing at the tree with an axe leaning against it, a gardener kneeling and pleading beside the tree, and the gardener digging around the roots as the tree begins to bear figs.

Before you begin

The story in brief

Some people told Jesus about Galileans whom Pilate had killed while they offered sacrifices. Jesus asked if they thought those people were worse sinners, and answered, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” He said the same of eighteen people killed when the tower in Siloam fell. Then He told a parable: a man came three years looking for fruit on his fig tree, found none, and told the gardener to cut it down.

The gardener answered, “Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it,” and if it still bore no fruit, it could be cut down. Later, teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath, Jesus saw a woman who had been bent over for eighteen years. He called her, said “Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity,” and laid His hands on her. She stood straight and glorified God. When the synagogue ruler objected, Jesus answered him, and all the people rejoiced.

Who’s who

  • Jesus Christ: the Gardener who pleads and helps us grow
  • The vineyard owner: who came seeking fruit
  • The gardener: who asked for one more year
  • The bowed woman: loosed after eighteen years

Where and when

On the journey toward Jerusalem, and in a synagogue on the Sabbath.

Watch for the Savior

Watch what the gardener asks for and does, and how Jesus sees the woman who was bowed down.

Read it yourself: Luke 13:1–17

Part 1 of 7

The way, mapped

Eight stops from hard news to a tree that bears fruit. Scroll, or tap a number on the map.

    Part 2 of 7

    The story, plainly

    Four scenes: the news, the vineyard, the gardener and the woman made straight. Look for the Savior in each one.

    Read it plainly

    The words that trip people up

    Tap any dotted word for its meaning. The scripture stays exactly as written.1

    1. Luke 13:1“whose blood Pilate had with their sacrifices”
    2. Luke 13:7“the of his vineyard”
    3. Luke 13:7“why it the ground?”
    4. Luke 13:8“and it”
    5. Luke 13:11“a spirit of ”
    6. Luke 13:15“his ox or his ”

    Part 3 of 7

    Look closer

    Small details tell the story. Some cards are details in the text; others share insights from Church leaders, Church resources or outside sources. Each card says which.

    0 of 9 turned

    Part 4 of 7

    Where are you?

    Feeling fruitless, wondering why, being helped up, or bearing fruit. Which feels most like you right now?

    Try it

    Tend the tree

    The Gardener asked for one more year to help the tree. Tap what you’ll do this week, and watch your tree grow toward fruit.

    He digs, He nourishes, He waits. We choose to grow.

    Part 5 of 7

    Their world, their words

    A little background on the tragedies in Jerusalem, fig trees and the Sabbath healing helps the story come alive. Outside sources are labeled.

    Church resource · Student manual

    Not a punishment

    Jesus used these events “to challenge the belief that calamities are always punishments from God.” He also emphasized “that all have need of repentance.”2

    Everyone needs Him.

    Church resource · Student manual

    Who is who?

    The “certain man” represents God, the fig tree represents the Jewish remnant of Israel, and the gardener “represents the Son of God.”2

    He is the Gardener.

    Church resource · Student manual

    One more year

    “He granted a final year for the tree to bear fruit, during which time it had to either produce fruit or be removed from the vineyard.”2

    Time to grow is a gift.

    Church resource · Student manual

    Loosed on the Sabbath

    From His answer, “we learn the importance of looking for good things we can do on the Sabbath day.”2

    He made her free.

    Word study · Greek

    suké συκῆ · “fig tree” (Luke 13:6)

    Bible Hub: “a fig-tree.”5 Outside · lexicon

    A common tree in Israel’s vineyards. Everyone listening knew what a fig tree should give back.1

    Word study · Greek

    metanoeó μετανοέω · “repent” (Luke 13:3)

    Bible Hub: “to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider.”6 Outside · lexicon

    Repenting means seeing things a new way and turning to Him. Elder Renlund noted it implies “change.”3

    What the text does not say

    Jesus doesn’t say hard things happen because people are worse than others. He doesn’t say the tree is hopeless, either. He asks for more time, gets to work beside it, and invites everyone to turn to Him.1

    Part 6 of 7

    Look to Him

    He is the Gardener who pleads for more time and works to help us grow. He sees those bowed down and sets them free.

    “Real repentance must involve faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, faith that He can change us, faith that He can forgive us, and faith that He will help us avoid more mistakes.”

    Elder Dale G. Renlund3
    “Let us not wait for things to get hard before turning to God.”
    Elder Jorge M. Alvarado4
    “Sweet repentance is part of a daily process.”
    Elder Jorge M. Alvarado4
    “Without the Redeemer, the inherent hope and joy evaporate, and repentance becomes simply miserable behavior modification.”
    Elder Dale G. Renlund3

    The woman

    She praised God

    “And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.” Luke 13:13

    The people

    They rejoiced

    “All the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.” Luke 13:17

    Part 7 of 7

    Seek Him today

    A question to ask in prayer

    What fruit wouldst Thou help me grow this year? Luke 13:9

    Listen for one fruit: patience, kindness, honesty, faith. Then let Him help you tend it.

    Try it today

    One way to let Him tend you each day. It saves on this device, one day at a time.

    0 of 7 today

    This week:0 of 7 days

    A quiet moment

    “Let it alone this year also.”

    Read Luke 13:6–13 slowly. Picture the gardener kneeling beside the fruitless tree, asking for more time. Then picture Jesus calling the bowed woman to Him. Luke 13:6–13

    A verse to hold

    Talk about it

    1. Did Jesus say the people who died were worse sinners? What did He say instead?
    2. What did the owner want to do with the fig tree? What did the gardener ask for?
    3. How is Jesus like the gardener?
    4. What did Jesus do for the woman who had been bent over for eighteen years?
    Open

    For adults and deeper study

    Go deeper

    Longer readings, harder questions, and where to study next. Each one says what it is before you click.
    Apostle

    Elder Dale G. Renlund, “Repentance: A Joyful Choice” (2016)

    Why repentance is joyful because of the Savior, and what “repent” really means.3

    Read the talk →
    Church leader

    Elder Jorge M. Alvarado, “Embrace the Lord’s Gift of Repentance” (2024)

    Not waiting for hard times to turn to God, and repentance as a daily, joyful process.4

    Read the talk →
    Church resource

    New Testament Student Manual: Luke 9–14

    The fallen tower, the barren fig tree and the Sabbath healing, explained.2

    Read the chapter →
    Scripture

    Luke 13:1–17

    Read the whole chapter opening, from the hard news to the woman made straight.1

    Luke 13 →
    To ponder

    Harder questions

    • Why do you think Jesus followed hard news with a story about more time to grow?
    • What does it mean to you that the Savior is the Gardener in this parable?
    • How has He “dug about” and nourished your life?

    Sources

    Every quotation, gloss, and piece of background on this page is listed here: scripture first, then Church sources, then outside scholarship (labeled).

    Scripture

    1. Luke 13:1–17: “Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it.”

    Church leaders and Church resources

    1. New Testament Student Manual, “Luke 9–14”, Gospel Library.
    2. Elder Dale G. Renlund, “Repentance: A Joyful Choice”, general conference, October 2016.
    3. Elder Jorge M. Alvarado, “Embrace the Lord’s Gift of Repentance”, general conference, October 2024.

    Outside sources (labeled on the page)

    1. Strong’s 4808, suké, Bible Hub lexicon.
    2. Strong’s 3340, metanoeó, Bible Hub lexicon.

    Quotations checked against the linked pages on October 11, 2026. Scripture is quoted from the King James Version as published in the Gospel Library.

    “If it bear fruit, well”

    He is the Gardener who pleads for more time and works beside us. Let Him tend you. Luke 13:9

    Back to this week: March 15–21 Earlier: Hidden Treasure, the Pearl of Great Price and the Net Next story: Feeding the Five Thousand All New Testament Story Sketch Notes Study Luke 13 verse by verse
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    Everything on this page as a 11-page letter-size PDF: the map, scenes, cards, activity, word studies, tracker, Go deeper and sources. For home, class or a quiet Sunday.

    See the printable · $3.99All New Testament sketch notes

    Independent study notes from Weak Things, not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. The words are in Luke 13:1–17; the insights in “Look closer” are labeled by source.