THE ACCURSED FIG-TREE

THE ACCURSED FIG-TREE

 

 

Another parable expressed in the form of a miracle is that of the withered fig-tree. One morning towards Easter, re­turning from Bethany to Jerusalem, Jesus was hungry. He came up to a fig-tree and found only leaves. It was too early to expect fruit, even from the earliest species. Yet Jesus, according to Matthew and Mark, was angry at the poor tree and cursed it.

According to Matthew, "Let no fruit grow on thee hence­forward forever." (Matt. 21:19) And at once the fig-tree withered away.

According to Mark, "No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for­ever. . . . And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig-tree dried up from the roots." (Mark 11:13-14, 20)

In the Evangelists the account of the curse is followed by a return to the thought many times expressed by Jesus that anything can be obtained if asked for with powerful faith.

Others instead see here a metaphorical lament which many times returned to Jesus' lips. The fig-tree is Israel, the old Judaic religion, which from now on will bear only unnourishing leaves of rites and ceremonies, leaves fated to shrivel without nourishing men. Jesus, hungry for justice, hungry for love, sought among the leaves for sustaining fruits of mercy and holiness. He did not find them. Israel did not feed His hunger nor fulfill His hope. From now on nothing can be expected from the old trunk, leafy but sterile. May it be dead to all eternity! Other races will henceforth be fruitful.

The Palestinian fig tree normally produces both leaves and small figs in early March, so that this tree should have borne figs along with its leaves. The heavy foliage of fig leaves, covering the nakedness of a barren fig tree, as it were, perhaps reminded the Lord of the “aprons” of fig leaves used by Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:7) in that far off day when He came to walk with them in the Garden of Eden. More immediately, of course, He would think of Judah and Jerusalem, outwardly prosperous and religious, but inwardly spiritually barren. Israel had often been symbolized in Scripture as a fig tree (Isaiah 34:4; Jeremiah 24:1-8; Hosea 9:10; Luke 13:6-9), and its religious leaders had rejected Him and were now intent on getting rid of Him. Accordingly He “cursed” the fig tree (Mark 11:21), just as He had cursed Adam and Eve and their whole dominion (Genesis 3:16-19), thus symbolizing the terrible fate awaiting the Jews because of their spiritual unfruitfulness.

The miracle of the cursed fig-tree is at bottom nothing more than a very apparent gloss of the parable of the sterile fig-tree in Luke. "A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vine yard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?" (Luke 13:6-7)

And he answering said unto him, "Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it and dung it: and if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down." (Luke 13:8-9)

The tree was not condemned at first, but after three years of sterility, and even then by the intercession of the workman, was given a year's respite, and in that year the plant was handled and treated with loving care. That was to be the final test: only if all care was unavailing was it to be hewn down and burned.

Jesus’ listeners should have recognized (from Isaiah 5:1-7) that “the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant.” In Isaiah’s parable, the vineyard produced only wild grapes and, in Jesus’ parable, the fig tree was barren. Later He cursed a barren fig tree on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 21:18-20) when it should have been bearing early figs, just as the tree in the parable. It should have been obvious that this was both an oral and a visual parable directed against the spiritually barren religious leaders of Israel. Symbols of truth used to gain their repentance.

For three years Jesus had preached to the Jews, and He was thinking of giving them up, and announcing the Kingdom to others. But one of His workers, a disciple still attached to his people, asked for mercy; one respite more. We shall see whether even great love could convert this adulterous and illegitimate generation. But when they were on the road from Beth­any, Judaism had been put to the test, Christ had only His Cross to expect. The evil fig-tree of Judaism deserved to be burned and from that time on no one will eat its tardy, with­ered fruit until its Husbandman and Dresser acts.