The gospel reading
started off with Jesus “cursing” a fig tree because he was hungry and it did
not have any figs on it. This is a
puzzling and troublesome story. Why
should Jesus take out his frustration at being hungry on a fig tree that had no
figs?!? And how is the owner of the
tree going to feel when he sees that his tree is dead? If his insurance policy doesn’t cover “acts
of God” he’s out of luck!
We have to
remember the context of this story. And
for me, I also have to remember that Jesus didn’t actually curse the tree. Biblical scholars point out that Jesus just
said, “May no fruit ever come from you again!”
That not technically a curse, although it doesn’t bode well for the tree
no matter what you call it!
When we remember
the context of this scene we remember that Jesus is in Jerusalem and it is
Monday of Holy Week. Palm Sunday, the
day before, Jesus had entered Jerusalem while being greeted by the crowds. He rode in on a donkey as a prophetic act
fulfilling what was predicted in Zechariah 9:9.
There the king comes riding into Jerusalem humbly after God has won
battles against the nation’s enemies.
Then Jesus entered
the temple complex. He drove out those
who were selling and buying in the outer courtyards of the temple. He then cited the prophet Jeremiah when he
said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den
of robbers.” In the same way we are
technically wrong to say that Jesus cursed the fig tree, so we are also
technically wrong to think that Jesus is upset by corruption or by buying and
selling in God’s house. This is another
prophetic act. It brings to life what
Jeremiah criticized. Jeremiah’s
criticism as was that the people in political and religious power at the time
misunderstood the intention of the temple.
They were exploiting it.
So, keep in mind
the king riding humbly in on a donkey.
Add to it the rejection of the authorities in the temple. Then take the next step of the fig tree being
fruitless. No the stage is set for
another prophetic action.
The prophets often
used objects in their teachings and sometimes performed strange acts. For example, Jeremiah wore and ox yoke to
make a point. At another Jeremiah used
rotten underwear as an example. The fig
tree is full of leaves. It looks lush
and healthy. All would say it is doing
great. But Jesus uses it to represent
the religious authorities and the temple system. It may look impressive, but it is
fruitless. And since it is fruitless it
has no real value. So the tree becomes a
prophetic example. When Jesus says, “May
no fruit ever come from you again,” he is really saying: may no fruit ever come
from the temple again. It’s time is
finished. It will forever be fruitless.
To reinforce the
point, remember the setting. He is on
his way to Jerusalem from the village of Bethany. That’s about two miles away across the Mount
of Olives. So, as our scene today
happened, Jesus is likely on the Mount of Olives overlooking the Temple
Mount. I picture Jesus and his disciples
walking along a road. Their descending
from the Mount of Olives and the Temple Mount is across the narrow valley ahead
of them. A fig tree is growing along the
side of the road. It withers at Jesus
command. As the disciples remark about
this, Jesus says, with the Temple Mount right in front of them, “Truly I tell
you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been
done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain,” [and pointing at
the temple mount] “‘Be lifted up and
thrown into the sea,’ it will be done.
Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.”
If you say to the
fruitless Temple Mount ‘be lifted up and thrown into the sea’ he does not mean
it to literally fly up into the air and land in the nearest body of water. It’s an illustration. From a faith perspective the temple is
finished. It is done. Its time is over.
The operation of
the temple was based on blood sacrifice from animals as the key to a right
relationship with God. But Jesus is bringing
about something different. Now the
center of right relationship would be faith.
But of course all the actions were not yet fulfilled. For Jesus to really replace the temple we
must see the rest of Holy Week play out.
That, of course, ends with Jesus being crucified.
We’ll come back to
faith and fruitfulness in a moment, but first we need to look at the rest of
the gospel reading.
Jesus enters the
temple and begins teaching. Remember, it
is the Passover holiday and there are likely large crowds around. Certainly not everyone there was listening to
Jesus. But enough were that it came to
the notice of the religious leaders.
They confront him as to why he has taken it upon himself to set up in
the temple and teach. What are his
credentials? Who does he think he is to
give himself such authority?
We may think
Jesus’ response about the baptismal ministry of John the Baptist is
uncooperative and a bit gruff. Just like
making the fig tree wither was a bit gruff.
But keep in mind the fruitlessness of the temple that Jesus has just
rejected. Are the fruitless religious
leaders really in a position to respond to what Jesus has to say? No.
They’re more worried about the appearances of green leafiness than they
are about the actual fruits of the religion.
Next week we read
the next scene in Matthew’s gospel.
There Jesus gives four parables that illustrate the rejection of the
religious leaders, and give warning against self-righteous arrogance. From the trajectory that we see there we know
what to ask of ourselves as we consider the fig tree.
We live in a time when all sorts of
things people took for granted are falling apart. Politics is perhaps the easiest example. The priorities, civility, and critical
thinking that existed for decades are gone. Civic pride, community organizations (churches
included), and family priorities are all collapsing. Youth sports seem to rule our culture. They dictate family’s schedules – all the way
from school to church to work to family vacations and everything else.
Financial
realities are little better. Not too
long ago one income could buy a house and support a family. Now many young adults cannot afford a
household even with two incomes.
Manufacturing jobs
are nearly gone. Family farms are
effectively extinct. Many people have
college educations but no real job prospects for those educations. And artificial intelligence poses all sorts
of threats.
In these times it
is very easy to be like a fig tree: full of leaves but bearing no fruit. Life becomes about appearances but has no
substance.
Older people
condemn younger people for having wrong priorities. Young people condemn older people for not
understanding and for consuming too many resources. Republicans build their ivory towers and
condemn Democrats. Democrats build their
ivory towers and condemn Republicans. People
with college educations consider those who don’t to be ignorant simpletons who
have nothing of value to contribute.
Those laborers who don’t have college degrees call those who do elitist
snobs who don’t actually know reality.
But where is the
fruit in all of this? Is not every
position looking at their own lush greenness of their position and thinking,
“Look how good I am!”?
Faith in Jesus
Christ produces fruit. It is not
interested in putting forth all sorts of pretty green leaves to be
admired. Jesus said that whatever you
ask for in prayer with faith you will receive.
That’s not to be understood with greed.
For a greed-based prayer is not a prayer of faith.
Authentic prayer
done in faith goes a long way to seeing through the fruitless lies many people
live by. I do not mean that in a
condemning way; for prayer does not condemn.
A faith-based prayer is based on the crucifixion. That is a set of priorities wholly different
from the priorities of society. It isn’t
easy, but it does weed through all the false promises of lushness. It puts relationship with God first and
foremost. It asks, “Since I am a child
of God, how do I respond constructively?
Where do I need to work more?
Where do I need to forgive? Where
do I need to be forgiven?”
I promise you the
answers will not be easy, comfortable, and convenient to live out. Ease, comfort, and convenience are all the
stuff of lush green leaves. Bearing
fruit takes work. It often hurts. It’s seldom easy.
Look at the apple
trees on the church property. If they
are not pruned annually they grow many lush green leaves. But the apples are few and puny. The trees do not like being pruned. Many of their finest stems that would create
leaves have to go. But with pruning
comes apples. Live to be fruitful. Do not live for appearances, for appearances
are fleeting. The fruit of faith is enduring.
Let me conclude
with these words from C.S. Lewis which, I think help us to understand this
better. He writes, “There are no ordinary
people. You have never met a mere
mortal. Nations, cultures, arts,
civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a
gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke
with, work with, marry, snub, exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting
splendors.” (The Weight of Glory
(1942) para 15, pp 18-19)
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