Jesus leaves us hanging. Does the tree improve? Does the owner of the vineyard even grant the vinedresser another year? Or does the tree finally get the ax?
No Bible passage is so clear that we cannot twist it to conform our own presuppositions and prejudices. We do this because we fear the implications of what the text says.
This is a word of comfort, because it assures us that even when our words fail, our heart can rest secure, and even when our heart doubts, we can still speak the simplest three-word creed: Jesus is Lord.