Fig Trees, Faith and Final Chances

Fig Trees, Faith and Final Chances Matthew 21:18–22 (NIV84) 18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then Jesus said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. 20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. 21 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Mark 11:12–24 (NIV84) 12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 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. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. 15 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, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 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.’” 18 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. 19 When evening came, they went out of the city. 20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” 22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” How do you respond when things don’t go your way, when you are hit by life’s uncertainties, when you look at the bad that happened in the past, and you doubt whether the present or future will be any different? Do you sing like Doris Day in the Hitchcock movie ‘The man who knew too much’: “Que será, será – Whatever will be will be?” Do you shrug your shoulders like John from TOLL who has learned to say: “It is what it is!” Or are you like Habakkuk when he was confronted with plague and pestilence, with earthquakes and hurricanes, with floods and droughts – “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy…16 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. 17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.” Habakkuk 3:2, 16-18 (NIV84) Friends, this morning we’ve listened to 2 different Gospel passages. In both passages, Jesus is the main actor. These passages have always fascinated me. Both readings, Matthew and Mark, is an acted parable that refers to the same historical incident that happened when Jesus returned to Jerusalem after overnighting in Bethany on the night of Palm Sunday. Matthew and Mark share the story of the fig tree. This story is an enacted parable. In other words, Jesus used a real-life situation to convey a message just like a parable would. In all parables there are two things to consider: First, the metaphors used. Second, the doctrine or mysteries implied by these metaphors. I want to look at these passages, its metaphors and the underlying doctrines to assess God’s urgent message to us. So, reign in your wandering thoughts, focus your attention and listen to what God wants you to know. Over the centuries, people have highlighted many elements of these parables – all of them probably valid, but not all of equal importance. I suggest that we need to look at it a bit more in depth to see what we can learn regarding it. When we compare Matthew and Mark’s versions of what happened that morning, we find they are not identical. There are a few distinct differences. Matthew is shorter. Mark longer. Both tell us that Jesus was hungry. Both tell us that Jesus was travelling to Jerusalem. Both mention a fruitless fig tree. Both mention a curse. Both mention that the curse was effective. Both mention the disciples’ response to this miracle. Both mention Jesus’ response to the disciples’ surprise. But is that all we should observe? Shouldn’t we ask ourselves: “Why did Matthew and Mark share what they did?” Don’t you think that their reason for sharing this incident contains more than merely letting us know about a historical event on the road between Bethany and Jerusalem? I believe it does. So, we have to ask ourselves what God’s intention with the sharing of this story is. What important message or messages do this story convey? What does God want us to take seriously? In the Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Gospels, Barry Beitzel and his co-authors make a case that we can identify the message from the landscape (geography). I would agree with that but would like to add that context and chronology also help us to identify the message better. I want to use these three elements in conjunction with the metaphors used and the underlying doctrines implied by these metaphors. I want to show you that the geography, and chronology that Matthew and Mark share with us reveal so much more than we usually think. Friends, the first snippet of importance that we need to keep in mind is that chronologically the fig tree incident follows the temple cleansing. This is a perspective that we find in both accounts. In our Mark reading, it is mentioned in 11:15, and in Matthew’s Gospel, you’ll find it in 21:12-17, just preceding the fig tree story. Now, I’m sure you all remember the reason for the temple cleansing, but allow me to remind you again. 12 Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’” 14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. 16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise’?” 17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night. Matthew 21:12–17 (NIV84) Interpreted against the historical background of the temple cleansing, the fig tree incident grippingly testifies about God’s judgment of unfruitful Israel. I’ll get back to this a bit later. Mark’s version of the cursing of the fig tree is a stumbling block to many. He is the one who mentions the fact that it was not yet the time for figs. But what does this mean? I want to highlight for you that with this chronology, both Mark and Matthew explain that this happened on the day after Jesus’ triumphal entry and just a few days before Jesus was crucified. This information enables us to pinpoint the time of the year, and at what time during in the fruiting season this incident happened. Let’s focus on chronology for a moment, because it helps us to get our seasons right. We know that Jesus was crucified on the day the Passover lambs were killed, and that is always the 14th day of the first month in the Biblical calendar. The first month of the Jewish calendar has to start after but within 30 days of the Spring equinox (20-21 March). The comment: “because it was not the season for figs,” is Mark’s way of saying that the fig tree incident happened in early Spring – a time of the year that fig trees should’ve been filled with immature fruit, but not yet the season for ripe fruit. This information would enable us to assess whether Jesus was mistaken in seeking fruit on a tree that had none (as some people would like to argue)? More specifically, was He wrong because the season of fruit had, apparently, not yet arrived? My answer to you is that this information reveals to us that Jesus wasn’t wrong at all! Why am I saying this? Friends, sometimes we miss what is plainly in sight. They feel that it is so unlike Jesus to curse the tree for something it doesn’t deserve. But friends, to argue this way shows that we have misunderstood what happened. It shows that we don’t understand a thing about fig trees. If we know how fig trees produce fruit, we can prevent misunderstanding. And once we know what time of the year it was, we also understand that a productive fig tree of fruit-bearing age will always have both leaves and fruit at this time of the year. Why was Jesus so upset with an innocent tree? Friends, to understand this, we need to know a bit more about fig trees, primarily how they produce fruit. I, for one, don’t know fig trees that well. What I’m sharing with you is what I found in my research on the topic. I’ve learned that fig trees naturally grow fruit before the leaves open. The implication of this is that a fig tree in full leaf gave promise of well-developed fruit within it. Taking this into account, Jesus was correct in walking over to the tree, expecting to find fruit. Sure, the fruit would not be ripe, but the first fruit should be there if there are leaves. The immature fruit is "dry" but certainly tastes like figs. So, ‘The time of the fig is not yet,’ as Mark says in the Greek text, doesn’t imply that Jesus was unfair or unreasonable. To the contrary, the fact that Mark added these words shows that he knew what he was talking about. He knew more about figs and fig trees than us. He knew that when the fig leaves appear about the end of March, they are accompanied by a crop of small figs because he knew that figs came before the leaves. The first crop of figs, called taqsh by Palestinian Arabs (we all it first figs or early figs), is a sort of precursor to the main fig crops. Poor people often ate these early figs when hungry. Sometimes they could drop off before the real crop is formed. But here is the kicker: if the leaves appear unaccompanied by early figs, there will be fig crop that year. So, it was clear to Jesus, when He turned aside to see if there were any of these early figs on the fig-tree to ease His hunger for the time being, that the absence of the early figs meant that there would be no figs when the time of figs came. Jesus knowing this, and seeing leaves on the tree, naturally expected to find some of last year's fruit, and when He found none, He cursed the tree because of its deceptive character. For all its good foliage, it was a fruitless and a hopeless tree. We must be careful not to misinterpret the comment about it not being the season for figs. It doesn’t mean that Jesus expected figs out of season. It correctly shows that there should’ve been figs (first-fruit), but not yet ripe ones. So, the better translation would be one that indicates that it was not late enough in the season to find "ripe" figs on a tree. The critical fact is that the fig tree was in leaf gave promise of fruit, but it produced none. This was what caused Jesus’ resentment. Jesus’ actions should not be seen as a mere anger outburst or a mean-spirited tantrum. In Scripture “fruit” has been a prominent symbol for the sort of behaviour God requires of his people. Friends, I said at the start that we always find metaphors in parables. In this incident, the barren fig tree is a metaphor for Jewish leadership. In Scripture, we often find the fig tree is symbolic of Israel as a nation. Israel is frequently compared to a fruitless fig tree in Old Testament prophetic literature (Jeremiah 8:13 and Micah 7:1). The application of this incident to Israel is simple. Naturally, from their "leafy profession" Jesus would expect to find fruit on the tree of their National life. When He found none, He cursed them for their hypocrisy. Read Matthew 23:1-33. In the broader context of Jesus’ ministry, this fruitless tree with its deceptive appearance was a perfect example of the deceptiveness of the Jewish leadership. Upon searching their “branches”, Jesus also found "nothing but leaves." This is displayed in their response to Jesus’ accusation that they have turned the temple into a robber’s den. “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.” Israel’s leaders pretended to honour God, but their nominal religion, based on religious ceremony, lacked spiritual fruit and proved that their faith was only self-serving pretence. They were a mass of pretentious foliage and nothing more. This caused Jesus brother, Jude, to say the following about them: “These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.” (Jude 12 NIV84) The prophetic symbolism of the withered barren fig tree as a metaphor for Israel is intended to reinforce the impending judgment of God upon unfruitful Israel. A lack of fruit = barrenness. And barrenness leads to eternal damnation. Just in case you wonder why the barren tree, Israel, was not destroyed immediately, like the one in our Scripture readings. I think the parable of the barren fig tree in Luke 13:6-9 answers this. The tree in this parable got one-year grace because the caretaker interceded on its behalf. Is it possible that someone intervened for Israel’s leadership? I think that is the case. And their day of grace was lengthened out for forty years, and then the "axe-man" Titus, at the head of the Roman Army besieged Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and Israel, the fig tree, was cut down and cast out of the Vineyard into the field of the world. So, I’m repeating, friends, in this action parable the barren fig tree represents Israel’s leadership, and lack of figs are their lack of acts of faith. The cursed tree symbolises judgment on Jerusalem and the leaders of Israel, particularly the temple leaders. The tree “stood out because it was in leaf. Its leaves advertised that it was fruit-bearing, but the advertisement was false.” What should we ask ourselves? What does my life advertise? What kind of fruit am I bearing? Maybe these questions cause you to feel uncomfortable. I’m sure Jesus’ disciples felt discomfort. However, I believe that the next portion of this account would’ve caused them to have hope again. In response to Peter’s comment that the tree has indeed withered, Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” It seems to me that Jesus made the fact that His curse became true a lesson on prayer. But for us to properly understand His message, we need to consider what the geography of the text reveals. For three geographical elements played a role in Jesus’ response: (1) the route they travelled; (2) the mountain that the disciples could move; and (3) the sea they could move it to. So, let’s focus on geography for a moment. Both Matthew and Mark make it clear that Jesus and His disciples were coming from Bethany and was journeying towards Jerusalem. The distance between Bethany and Jerusalem was 3.2 km [the same distance from here to Hills Nursery at 21 Don Hills Road – 5 minutes’ drive with a car and 41 minutes walking.] Friends, if you know your geography, you’d know that there are three mountains in sight while travelling between Bethany and Jerusalem. Mount Zion, the Olive Mountain and the mountain on which Herod the Great built his desert fortress. So, the Herodium was south of them, or behind them as they travelled towards Jerusalem, on the way to the Dead Sea, about 9km from Bethany. Various scholars argue the case for each of these three options. Those who interpret the withering of the fig tree as a foreshadowing of the destruction of the temple identify “this mountain” with mount Zion. Those who understand the withering to be an end-time prophecy, linked to Zechariah 14:4, identify “this mountain” as the mount of Olives. The third option is that it referred to the mountain that the Herodium was built on. Herod the Great, the Roman-backed king who ruled over Israel when Jesus was born, built the Herodium to show off his wealth and to entertain his proclivities. Which one would be the most likely? I believe that the third option is the most likely one. Why? Because the Herodium was the most notorious landmark of Jesus’ day. Remember the massacre of the innocents – the incident where the king ordered all male children two years and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem to be killed? It was this Herod who built the Herodium. He died when Jesus was still a baby. But more importantly, Herod’s mausoleum was part of the Herodium. According to most scholars, contemporary as well as ancient, Herod the Great was perhaps the most hated figure in ancient Jewish history. Getting rid of the Herodium was something that all red-blooded Israelites dreamed about. For most Jews, the disciples included, the Herodium presented very negative emotions. During the reign of the Herods, they, along with other working-class people of the land, paid ridiculous taxes that were used to create large building projects like the Herodium. They could only watch as the privileged few leisurely swam in its large swimming pool, strolled through its lower palace gardens, and climbed the 200 marble stairs to the upper palace complex. Politically the Herodium represented the Roman occupation of the promised land. And religiously it was an advertisement for pagan corruption. Maybe this is not enough proof for you that “this mountain” referred to the mountain that the Herodium was built on. Here’s another snippet of information that causes me to pick this option: The Herodium is the only mountain in view during their journey that had a history in Jesus’ day of being moved. I’m arguing that this is the very reason why Jesus talked about moving the mountain. Herod directed his builders to remove earth from next to the mountain to the area where the Herodium was built. He did this to provide material to create an artificial slope, which ran from the circular hall down to the base of the Herodium. Pitched at 32 degrees, this slope gave the Herodium an evenness not found in the natural world and created a structure unique to the Hellenistic-Roman world visible for all to see. From the Jewish perspective, the Herodium represented everything wrong in their society. It was not only something that they despised. As I’ve said earlier, they would’ve loved to obliterate it – to remove it from the face of the earth. But what could they do? They were little more than peasants caught up in the vast and menacing machinery of the Roman world. So, Jesus said to them: 22 “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Geography teaches us that the one inland lake that was in view from Jesus’ location was the Dead Sea. It was located just a few kilometres east of the Herodium. Because of the Dead Sea’s high chemical content, aquatic life we typically associate with an inland lake is non-existent. This lifeless characteristic of the Dead Sea played a role in a recommendation offered in traditional rabbinic writings (the Mishnah) for Jews who were confronted with an unholy object: The rabbis instructed that tools or appliances with pagan figures on them or any wood associated with pagan worship should be cast into the Dead Sea. This is what Jesus said to His disciples. They thought that there was nothing they could do to get rid of the Herodium and everything it represented. The Dead Sea was the designated Jewish dump for pagan idols and icons. Not so, Jesus said. You can get rid of this monstrosity as quickly I gotten rid of this barren tree. “Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Jesus is teaching his disciples about the importance of trust. “if you have faith,” and “do not doubt” Have you ever been in an unpleasant situation where you thought: “If only I could…” Faith can move a mountain. Or to put it differently: faith is needed to do something that seems impossible. Jesus is not suggesting that faith guarantees that we will receive anything we desire. The wonderful promise of Matthew 21:21–22 points to the miraculous power available to the disciples to fulfil their calling in living the Christian life in fruitful discipleship. There is no record of any disciple ever moving a literal, physical mountain. But throughout the history of the Christian church, mountainous difficulties have often been removed when people have prayed in faith. There can be no doubt that it is this to which Jesus is referring. Friends, we worship a God who moves mountains. Through this incident, Matthew and Mark provide as dramatic an illustration as one could conceive of God, enabling us to do that which seems humanly impossible. • Luke 18:27 (NIV84) 27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” • Mark 10:27 (NIV84) 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” • Matthew 19:26 (NIV84) 26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” • Mark 14:36 (NIV84) 36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” So, what did God do that was humanly impossible? He came to earth in the flesh to move the mountain of our sin that blocked humankind’s path to reconciliation with God. We need to know that Jesus affirmed to His disciples that they too could upend and set right all that was wrong in their world, not by cursing, but through prayer. Those who persevere in their faith know that all things work to the good for those who trust in Him.