Warning to Israel to Bear Fruit

6  Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7  So he said to the worker who tended the vineyard, ‘For three years now, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and each time I inspect it I find none. Cut it down! Why should it continue to deplete the soil?’ 8  But the worker answered him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer on it. 9  Then if it bears fruit next year, very well, but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”