His parents used to go to Jerusalem every year at the Passover Festival.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of the Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod governor of Galilee, while his brother Philip was governor of the territory of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was the governor of Abilene,

To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor!"

He answered, 'Let it stand this one year more, sir, till I dig around it and manure it;

perhaps it will bear fruit next year. But if it does not, you can have it cut down.' "