Read the Lectionary Texts   Today’s Scripture reading from Luke is to me one of the most interesting of all the parables of Jesus. It is actually a backwards parable, because Jesus starts with the explanation first, and then tells the parable at the end. For our purposes today, though, we’re going to start with the parable of the barren fig tree. It goes like this: A certain guy has a fig tree planted in the middle of his vineyard. Being a lover of figs, this man goes out to the tree every day to see if there’s any fruit. But there never is. A [READ MORE]