A Parable in Action
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree
In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
This is one passage that has confounded me for years, so I was uncertain how to proceed when I read the lectionary choices for today. Jesus’ action seems like one of pique and uncharacteristic of the an that deliberately includes children and forgives sinners. Why would he do such a thing, when it was clearly not the season for fruit?
I studied this using an interpreter’s Bible to try to understand. The Old Testament prophets, Jeremiah, Joel, and Micah, had used the metaphor of Israel as a fruitless fig tree. Also, the mention of the season is important, because who appoints the seasons? God. Jesus knew what we call the Old Testament very well, so this was fulfilling more prophecies.
Learning all of this helps to understand that this is a parable in action. Jesus, God incarnate, looked for a fig, but the tree of Israel didn’t have any, and so he rejected it. He even goes further and says that a mountain can throw itself into the sea by faith, fully remembering that the Temple in Jerusalem was situated on a mountain. God was promising Jesus’ resurrection and our salvation to more than the Jewish people, but to all who believed. This reiterates Sunday’s lesson of the faith the size of a mustard seed. Our faith is essential to our salvation. Thank you, God, for including all of us!
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