Results 1 - 8 of 8
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? | Matt 21:19 | Makarios | 101311 | ||
Greetings Colin, Excellent question! Shelly gave a good answer that I will expound upon: "And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered at once." Matthew 21:19 [ESV] Normally, the fruit and the leaves on a fig tree appear at the same time. Jesus cursed the fig tree because it had the "appearance" of being fruitful, but it did not bear fruit. If Christians do not bear fruit, even though we may have the "appearance" of Godliness, then we are 'cursed' as well, and He will say that He never knew us. "21:19 ... Jesus' cursing of the tree was a purposeful divine object lesson, not an impetuous act of frustration. The fig tree is often employed in Scripture as a symbol of Israel (Hos. 9:10; Joel 1:7)- and the barren fig tree often symbolizes divine judgment on Israel because of her spiritual fruitlessness .. despite an abundance of spiritual advantages (Jer. 8:13; Joel 1:12). Jesus' act therefore illustrates God's judgment against earthly Israel for shameful fruitlessness, exemplified in the rejection of their Messiah. One of Christ's parables taught a similar lesson (Luke 13:6-9)." (1) Blessings to you, Makarios (1) The MacArthur Study Bible, 1997, Word Publishing, John MacArthur, pg. 1432 |
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2 | Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? | Matt 21:19 | flinkywood | 101665 | ||
Nolan, I hadn't thought of that, approximately, and it sounds like a solid answer. Yet isn't it jarring how Jesus follows this act with... "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (Mat 21:21-22)? The Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge ties many fig/fruit references to this event, but could Jesus' follow-up preaching on faith and prayer, His stressing of their combined power, be about the disciples' future power rather than Israel's future condemnation? Could the fig tree be less a symbolic death of the faithless letter than the ultimate defeat of death itself? The tree has aparrent life but its fruit is seasonal: you cannot always feed on it when you are hungry, neither literally nor spiritually. The tree, therefore, represents the death that abides in us until we are reborn in Christ, the true vine from whom we are to bear much fruit, both in and out of season (2 Tim 4.2). For the disciples, who can't possibly foresee their own future power in Christ to give life (literally and spritually), this event is a foretelling of what power they will possess to wither the power of death. Can this interpretation hold in context? Colin |
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3 | Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? | Matt 21:19 | Makarios | 101773 | ||
Greetings Colin, Mark 11:12-14 and 11:20-24 parallel the passage of the barren fig tree spoken of in Matthew 21:18-22. Both accounts place the event after the Triumphal Entry, and around the 2nd time that Jesus cleanses a temple, but before Jesus's authority is questioned by the chief priests and elders of the law.. As you have noted, in both passages, Christ gives a following explanation of this 'fig tree' event by saying that whatever we ask for in faith, that we will receive (Mark 11:23-24; Matt. 21:21-22). So, with this application given to us by Christ, which follows two events that are seemingly of judgment (withering of the fig tree [Mark 11:12-14] and the cleansing of the temple [Mark 11:15-19]), how are we to interpret the 'barren fig tree' event with the explanation that Jesus gives, which is an illustration of faith or believing prayer? Excellent in-depth and confounding question! If we look at what is said in Mark 11:21, the fig tree is both cursed and withered away. (In Matthew, both the cursing and the withering happen almost simultaneously.) Jesus goes on to emphasize the power of true faith. Therefore, here is how I interpret these passages: 1) Mark 11:12-14 - Jesus curses the fig tree because its appearance was "misleading": suggesting great productivity with its leaves, but without providing any fruit. (Matthew 21:18) 2) Mark 11:20-24 - Jesus says, "Have faith in God", which could be taken as a gentle rebuke for the disciples' lack of faith in the power of His word. Therefore, when the disciples say "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You have cursed has withered away", that statement may not be seen as an "accusatory" statement, meaning "why did you curse the fig tree?", but rather a statement of wonder saying "Wow! The healthy, vibrant (or so it seemed) fig tree has now withered away"... So, in that sense, Jesus could reply to that with, "With faith you can move mountains.." :-) I do appreciate you sharing your interpretation of the whole fig tree event, even though I'm not quite in agreement with you that this passage is a 'foreshadowing' of the "future power" of the disciples. And the reason that I say that is is that the disciples were not "empowered" by anything but the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). The disciples were not to receive the Holy Spirit and power, but power THROUGH the Holy Spirit. The "power" and the Spirit are the same. Our Lord before His ascension said to His disciples, "..stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). That word "until" is a 'time-word'; it indicates a point in relation to which everything is either before or after. So the experience of the disciples could be stated like this: Up to that point they 'had not' received the power; at that point they 'did' receive the power; after that point they 'had' received the power.. That same power, still active in the Church, has enabled her to exist for twenty centuries. That power, which is nothing less than the power of God Himself, is the Holy Spirit. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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4 | Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? | Matt 21:19 | flinkywood | 101787 | ||
Nolan, Good stuff, and thanks for refining "power THROUGH the Holy Spirit." I was relating Jesus' frequent hints to the disciples about their future in the HS to this particular episode, perhaps awkwardly, but I'm stuck on "...you will not only DO what was done to this fig tree..." (v.21). More on why in a second. Good observation of how the disciples were mystified ("How did the fig tree wither all at once?"), rather than reminded of Jesus' power through this dramatic action, which indicates that Jesus is indeed referring to their weakness of faith with "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt..." But notice that He follows with, "...you will not only DO...", thus accenting the theme of action rather than the theme of doubt. In Mark 11:21-24, the link to active faith and answered prayer is magnified: "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you." And so it appears that Jesus intends this Agent Holy Orange event to demonstrate the power of faith over matter rather than to serve as a parable on false piety. This combined with Jesus' deliberate verbal killing of a thing must have seemed almost magical to the disciples. What must they have thought to hear their Lord say that simply by asking in resolute faith will their requests be granted? And what fuel for quarrels: "I got more faith than you do; I flamed a sycamore tree"; so the lesson can't be along these lines, because it leads either to boasting or frustration. It seems, therefore, that for prayers to be answered they must be grounded in faith, not material, in God's will, not ours. Move a mountain for sure, but only according to God's will, not ours; seek His will first and the action will follow. To quote Chambers: "You labor at prayer and results happen all the time from His standpoint." (MUHH, Oct 17) So if the lesson isn't on seeming in faith but on doing in faith, why death for a tree caught out of season? What is the lesson? Colin |
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5 | Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? | Matt 21:19 | Makarios | 101793 | ||
Greetings Colin, I believe that the curse and withering of the fig tree is not a lesson on 'doing in faith' at all. I do not believe that Jesus first intended to teach the disciples a lesson on faith when He first cursed and withered the fig tree, but caught Himself doing so when they 'marveled' at it. Please read my past two posts on why I believe that Jesus cursed and withered the fig tree. Blessings to you my friend, Makarios |
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6 | Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? | Matt 21:19 | flinkywood | 101828 | ||
Makarios, I read your posts several times, yet this event is so jarringly odd that I can't settle completely upon your interpretation; as fitting as it is it just does not fit completely (which is too much to ask of interpretation, actually); however, it is so true to say that Jesus "...first intended to teach the disciples a lesson on faith when He first cursed and withered the fig tree, but caught Himself doing so when they 'marveled' at it." This is nicely said, amigo. I forget sometimes that Jesus did operate in real time. The trouble with scripture, especially the life of Jesus, is how to put myself in the scene, to imagine it as though I had been present. This particular event is so strange that I really come up short. In my mind I'm standing with the others basically scratching my head. I tell you, If I'd been a disciple, I'd have had callouses on my fingers from scratching my head over Jesus. Colin |
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7 | Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? | Matt 21:19 | Makarios | 101928 | ||
Greetings my friend! I completely understand! I'm right there with you, scratching my head sometimes over what Jesus has shown us! :-) Perhaps I am not right, perhaps I am wrong, and you are more correct in your interpretation of what that passage meant.. I simply explained that passage on how it makes sense to me. :-) But I really had to study the whole fig tree event to come to the understanding that I came to, pouring many hours into it.. But the conclusion that I came to does make sense to me, since it does paint the picture of a "real time event", rather than think "two dimensionally" on a black and white (sometimes red) piece of paper and ink.. Blessings to you my friend, Makarios |
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8 | Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? | Matt 21:19 | flinkywood | 101945 | ||
Makarios, Good onya mate, you helped me a pile. I'm really respecting the NASB Psalms, by the way, so nitty-gritty. What is it about the NASB, man? Colin |
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