Results 1 - 5 of 5
|
|
|||||
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 | 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 |
||||||
2 | 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 |
||||||
3 | 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 |
||||||
4 | 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 |
||||||
5 | 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 |
||||||