FIGS AND WASPS AND FOOLISH GENIUS PART 3: FIGS, REPENTANCE AND JUDGMENT

Figs, Repentance and Judgment

“Then there is the curious story of the fig tree, which always rather puzzled me. You remember what happened about the fig tree. ‘He was hungry; and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, He came if haply He might find anything thereon; and when He came to it He found nothing but leaves, for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it: 'No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever' . . . and Peter . . . saith unto Him: 'Master, behold the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.' This is a very curious story, because it was not the right time of year for figs, and you really could not blame the tree. I cannot myself feel that either in the matter of wisdom or in the matter of virtue Christ stands quite as high as some other people known to history. I think I should put Buddha and Socrates above Him in those respects.” -- Bertrand Russell, 1927

The Story of Jesus and the Fig Tree to which Russell was alluding:

 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it.

 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: " 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.  

When evening came, they went out of the city.

 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!" Mark 11:12-19 

Why did He do this?

Just a little bit of anger, perhaps, Jesus blowing off steam because of what was going on in the Temple courtyard?  Jesus sometimes showed anger. He showed frustration, weariness, disappointment, sorrow, pity, and all the human emotions as well. There is nothing wrong with having emotions and there is nothing wrong with righteous anger.  But if this was righteous anger, why take it out on the poor fig tree?

Well, being totally human, Jesus did display emotions, but being totally God, I don't believe he did anything without the purpose of instruction. This is strictly my opinion and interpretation, but I think the cursing of the Fig Tree had everything to do with repentance and judgment, and was also prophesy about both the immediate and distant future.

If we go back into Luke, starting at Chapter 11, verse 37, we find Jesus with a group of Pharisees. He really lays it on them about their hypocrisy, pronouncing six woes. When Jesus gets up and leaves them, they begin to try to catch him in some mistake by asking all kinds of questions; meanwhile, a huge crowd has gathered to hear what He had to say. 

Before Jesus addresses the crowd, He speaks with His disciples about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and tells them to be on their guard about this. He then begin teaching the crowd. He covers several things, including acknowledging Him before the Angels of God, then about the rich man who stored up treasure, but died that very night, followed by his telling us not to worry about our food and clothing, but to store up our treasure in Heaven. He then gives a long passage about being watchful and always ready for His coming, how He has come to bring Fire to the earth and then admonishes those present about being unable to see the signs of His coming.

Some then ask Him about a group of Galileans whose blood was mixed by Pilate with their sacrifices. Jesus answered this way: "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

He follows this with a parable of a Fig Tree:

"A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'

 " 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' "

Notice two things about the placement of this parable. It follows a warning about always being ready for Jesus' coming ("Be dressed ready for service") and it comes after an admonishment to repent or perish. And it has also followed Him telling those who should know, that they cannot interpret the signs of the time. Keep these thoughts in mind.

This is not the only parable Jesus told about a Fig Tree.  In Mark 13, Matthew 24 and Luke 21 we have a long discourse on the signs of the end times. The disciples have asked him how to know when the end will come and Jesus gives them an answer. He is talking about His second coming in this passage and at the conclusion He says this

"At that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. At that time, They, men, will see the Son of Man coming in on the clouds of the sky, with great power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens, from one end of the heavens to the other. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

 He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things happening, you know that it, the kingdom of God, is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' " 

Lets try to understand the withering of that fig tree now. Jesus has told us a story of a Fig Tree that didn't bear fruit and so was useless and should be cut down. A servant asks to tend the tree a bit longer and then if it doesn't bear fruit, let it be cut down. He has tied this story both to the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and religious people of the time, and to repenting or perishing. He has also indicated they should be always watching for His coming.  The Fig tree often represents Israel in Scripture. Jesus has found the religious leaders failing to abide by the Word of God and lead the people correctly. He has warned them over and over they must repent and they must bear fruit. Time was growing short when He told this parable, but He did give them more time and He and the disciples went out fertilizing and watering for a while longer, but to no avail.

I find a couple of interesting references within the parable warning: "When the rooster crows" and "Do not let him find you sleeping...Watch!"  

In the week to come he will have one Apostle betray him, of course, but one of his supposedly staunches will deny even knowing him and when will he do this? Three times before the rooster crows Peter will fail to be a fruitful tree. 

He warned in the parable, "Do not let him find you sleeping...watch!"; yet when he asked James, John and Peter to watch in Gensemee while he went and prayed, what did he find? Those three asleep, not watching and this also occured three times.

Now it has come to the final week. Jesus has come to Jerusalem and been hailed by the people as a king, they waving palm fronds and cheering. But in the Holy City, in the Holy temple He finds merchants and moneylenders and desecration of God's house. There are attractive leaves to lure the crowds, but no real fruit to give them. They are, in fact, about to reject Him, just as He was rejected by the fig tree when he expected fruit on it. And now He is about to reject them and Israel will wither and the temple will be torn down stone by stone as He said.

Yes, as He told the disciples after He withered the tree, if they had faith they could do that and also tell a mountain to move and it would. The disciples were about to be sent out to move mountains. They were to spread the truth of Christ across the world and move the responsibility of producing fruit from Israel to the Church. This is an awesome responsibility.

The Church, we Christians, have the responsibility to bear fruit until the end of time. In His other parable, told after the withering of that Fig Tree, coming after a list of events pre-staging his second coming, He admonishes us to watch and be ready and to know these signs. One of the signs is the leafing of the Fig Tree, for then summer is near, and I believe this fig tree represents Israel as well. It is the rebirth of that nation and when we see that rebirth (which we have) we will know the coming of His Kingdom is not far.

I don't think we can dismiss the Withering Fig Tree as a puzzling curiosity. I think it was a sign that Israel had failed in its purpose to God and a warning that we as the church had better not fail in ours, and that we as individuals need to repent and bear fruit or we will perish.

Is their anything else in scripture that supports the Fig Tree as a sign of prophesy and in the ways I have just described. I believe so and I will talk about them.

NEXT: WITHERED AND RESTORED