<P> The owner is an absentee landlord, only visiting his vineyard once a year . The law regarding first fruits, Leviticus 19: 20 - 25, forbids eating fruit from a tree in its first three years . The vinedresser has disposed of the fruit, either by plucking it at an early stage, or dropping it for compost, to prevent anyone from inadvertently eating the forbidden fruit . The story suggests that the vinedresser is an observant Jew and the owner is a pagan, unfamiliar with the laws of first fruits . Now that the tree is entering its productive period, the vinedresser has saved it from the ax, without letting the master know what happened to the earlier fruit . However, the owner has yet another surprise coming, because in the fourth year, all the fruit is offered to the Lord . Luke may have picked up a Jewish tale of a Jewish laborer outsmarting his pagan master . In the end, the faithful prevail . </P> <P> Although the parable is found only in Luke's gospel, there is no strong argument against authenticity . A majority of the members of the Jesus Seminar voted it authentic, although most reject the findings of this seminar . </P>

Parable of the fig tree in the bible