JC & the Law: cursing the fig tree … (12/09/18)
At least as far as the Gospels of Matthew & Mark are concerned1, we next arrive at that curious moment when Jesus seemingly curses2 a fig tree. In this tale, Jesus – having spent the night in Bethany – is returning to Jerusalem once more (the morning after his “triumphal entry”) when he spots a fig tree off the road. Seeing the tree already had leaves3 he looked for fruit (even though the author of Mark admits that it was “not the season for figs” ~ Mark 11:13). Finding none, Jesus spoke to the tree, saying, “May no fruit ever come from you again” (see Matthew 21:19)4, whereupon the tree withered and died.5 When asked by his astounded disciples about the encounter, Jesus tells them “Whatever you ask for with faith in prayer, you will receive.” (see Matthew 21:20-22)6
Quite fittingly (i.e. in full harmony with the principle contention of this treatise: that Jesus was a devout supporter of the Law via acting as a most radical reformer of the ways it was to be practiced), Israel is symbolically equated with plants & gardens & plantings throughout the Old Testament – as various trees (including the fig) in Judges 9:8–15, as a vineyard in Isaiah 3:14 & Jeremiah 12:10, and even as the fruit from a fig tree itself in Hosea 9:10 & Jeremiah 24:5. Indeed, several times in the Hebrew Bible the prophets write of God long ago inspecting Israel for “early figs” – namely, those who were devoutly obedient to the Law (see Micah 7:1, Jeremiah 8:13, & Hosea 9:10-17). Finding none at the time, God then poured out a curse of barrenness upon the land (see Hosea 9:16) and the people of Israel became “like rotten figs” (Jeremiah 29:17). Despite this, God remained merciful and promised to replant Israel one day and bring forth healthy figs there once more (see Joel 2:22, Amos 9:14, Micah 4:4, Zechariah 8:12, & Ezekiel 36:8). Like every other devout Jew, Jesus was well aware of this promised legacy of abundance. In truth, his encounter with the barren fig tree hearkens back to the earlier days of his ministry; days when he called upon his followers to produce spiritual fruit (see Matthew 3:8-10, Matthew 7:16-20, Matthew 13:8, & Luke 3:7-9 et al) – demanding much more than a mere adherence to the legal traditions established by the priests & the scribes & the Pharisees; demanding a fulfillment of the Law instead (Matthew 5:17-18) – a radical enlivenment of perfect Love via selfless service for others (especially caring for the downtrodden & being kind to one’s enemies; deeds that he felt were the very essence of the Law – see Matthew 5:44-48, Matthew 18:21-22, Matthew 24:12-14, Matthew 25:35-40, Luke 6:27-36, Luke 10:29-37, Luke & John 13:15-17 et al). Jesus had been preaching these principles and announcing this new Way for almost three years, and yet people were still falsely proclaiming him to be their king – their military savior – when he rode into Jerusalem on the back of donkey just the day before. How fitting then, that the very next morning he encountered an early blooming fig tree – a tree that symbolically bore the promise of a renewed Israel (just like his ministry bore the promise of a renewed Judaism) – and a tree that, like so many of his followers, was bearing no fruit. Was this why he responded so aggressively thereafter when he entered the Temple and overturned the tables of the money-changers? Probably not (after all, annoying the authorities was part of his pre-arranged & self-organized crucifixion, and he had already turned over those same tables on another occasion near the beginning of his ministry – see John 2), and yet it very well explains why he would openly “curse” that tree and then shortly thereafter tell the elders and chief priests of the Temple that “the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given instead to those who produce the fruits thereof.” (Matthew 21:43)
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1While it is not at all unusual for the Gospel of John to avoid mentioning the contents of its Synoptic relatives (as is the case at hand), it is odd indeed whenever the Gospel of Mark mentions a particular event and the Gospels of Matthew &/or Luke (the authors of which both quite obviously used Mark as a foundation for their own Jesusian portrayals) fail to do so. That having been said, Luke does show Jesus relaying a parable about a fig tree that contains & underpins many of the major themes of the fig-tree-cursing event portrayed in Matthew & Mark – a parable that simultaneously encourages diligence & patience with acts &/or others when it states: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. And so he said to the gardener ‘For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil? Whereupon the gardener replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I can tend it and fertilize it. Then, if it bears fruit next year, all will be well and good. And if it doesn’t, then you can cut it down.’” (Luke 13:6-9)
2For those concerned about Jesus (or any supposedly peace-oriented prophet) “cursing” an innocent fig tree, let it be realized A) that there is no evidence in either version of the story that shows Jesus extending any malice (or even any annoyance) towards the tree for not bearing fruit out of season, B) that it is Peter who claims the tree was “cursed”, not Jesus (see Mark 11:21), and C) that the Greek word translated as “cursed” in Mark‘s Gospel (kateraso – Strong’s #2672) was not a term of damnation or profanity, but rather one of mere verbal denigration (see Matt 5:44 & Luke 6:28).
3NOTE that this tale is told in the late Spring (just before Passover) and as such the fig trees were only just beginning to bud. And yet here Jesus has spotted a fig tree already fully “in leaf” – that being, an early blooming plant whose fuller foliage signaled that is should have been bearing early figs as well. The manuscripts do not explicitly state that Jesus was angry (or even at all disappointed) that there was no such prize ready for consumption, and yet it would be reasonable to assume as much – at the very least because the encounter would have reminded him all too well of his nemesis, the scribes & the Pharisees; those whose dogmatic-yet-condemnatory following of the Law too was “all leaf and no fruit” … Also worth noting is Jesus’ “Lesson of the Budding Fig” mentioned in all three of the Synoptic Gospels – a mini-parable that metaphorically encourages all to remain aware of the signs in each moment, and that directly told Jesus’ followers to heed the eternal wisdom at the heart of his teachings – especially the purposeful transcendence of (and thereby the effective fulfillment of) the current fruitlessness of the Law (see Matthew 24:32-35, Mark 13:28-31, & Luke 21:29-33)
4This statement could just as readily be translated as “No fruit will ever come from you again” – a factual declaration of the possibility that a fully-leafed fig tree bearing no fruit might very well be permanently barren. Interestingly enough, Mark has Jesus far more harshly declaring “May no one ever eat fruit from you again” (Mark 11:14), though this statement could also be similarly re-translated to a neutrally non-judgmental “No one will ever eat fruit from you again.”
5Intriguingly, it is worth noting that the Roman Empire was militarily occupying Judea at the time of this encounter – meaning that this incident occurred in a time of war; a time when it was explicitly forbidden for Jews to kill fruit trees of any kind (though admittedly primarily the fruit trees of a conquered enemy – see Deuteronomy 20:19).
6While Matthew 21:22 (“Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive”) and Mark 11:24 (“whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”) both directly reflect Jesus’ similar claims made in Matthew 7:7 & Luke 11:10 (“Ask, and it will be given you; Search, and you will find; Knock, and the door will be opened”), the true nature of these seemingly selfish (and thereby seemingly contradictory – at least as far as the essence of Jesus’ selfless Gospel is concerned) claims cannot be truly comprehended (nor can the deeper meaning of the incident involving the fig tree be truly gleaned) until we look to the similar statements Jesus made in John 14:13, John 15:16, & John 16:23 (“I will do whatever you ask in my name”). For the name of Jesus (which was Emmanuel – see Matthew 1:23) meant “God is with(in) us”, and thus the only way anyone can truly ask “in his name” is to ask the only way the all-Loving Father can ask (Matthew 5:48) – namely, to ask for the opportunity to give fully and serve selflessly. regardless of task or trouble, and regardless of time or season.
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