Matthew 21:18-27
This passage becomes controversial, not because of any major issue really but because of this fig tree. The Pharisees were all bent out of shape because of the previous day's events, and they were chomping at the bit to get Jesus.
So Jesus approaches Jerusalem and was hungry and begins looking for fruit amongst the leaves and He finds none. There are a few issues here. 1. This wasn't the time of year that figs were fruiting on the trees. So some try to say that Jesus should have known there were no figs on this tree and should not have cursed it, because there was never supposed to be figs ready.
And this is true, but there are young fig growths that develop into figs later in the season, and there were none of these little nibs either so that's why Jesus cursed the tree.
2. The parallel account in Mark 11. In the parallel account, Jesus goes to the tree, finds no fruit and curses it, the disciples and Jesus enter Jerusalem and only notice the withered tree as they are leaving the city later that day. So why is one instantaneous reaction and the other isn't? We need to stop imposing 21st century rules of Grammar on ancient texts.
Mark wasn't obligated to present events in the same manner as Matthew. The emphasis should be on the lesson, not the timing. Mark wanted to emphasize the trip to Jerusalem before the lesson of the fig tree. Others say that here Jesus is performing a live action parable.
Israel is often seen in prophecy and Old Testament scripture as a fig tree. Sometimes it is a healthy fruiting tree, signifying a faithful Israel. At other times it is a dead tree signifying an Israel straying from God. So this trip to Jerusalem is seen as this parable where Jesus approached the tree only to find no fruit.
Whether the withering happened immediately or later is not the point. It's entirely possible that the immediate withering was not noticed by some of them until later, or that the entirety of the whole live parable took place for the purpose of teaching this one lesson and the timing is irrelevant. It doesn't change the words of scripture, doesn't alter any teachings in any way. So we need to stop forcing our need for grammatically pat answers on scripture.
It is here Jesus says that a prayer offered in faith can have miraculous results. And Jesus uses the example of asking for a mountain to move. Again, the emphasis is on the lesson not the seeming impossibility of the requested event occurring. And sadly, we do not have a biblical example of a physical mountain moving as a result of prayer.
This is the same Jesus who raised the dead and cast out demons so moving millions of tons of metric earth is in His wheelhouse. But the lesson is twofold. First, whatever we ask is doable because He is Almighty God. Second, Jesus is approaching Jerusalem toward the end of His earthly ministry expecting a response in the affirmative not because he believed they'd respond but because God promised the nation of Israel that they would have the opportunity to accept the gospel first but would ultimately reject Him.
So what is the point behind this lesson? Jesus comes to Jerusalem in His final week, cleanses the temple again, and is literally demonstrating that the fruit (faithfulness and fruit of righteousness) he is wanting to see (nibs) is nowhere to be found on the tree (Israel/Jerusalem). Jesus wasn't surprised that no nibs were available to eat, He wasn't shocked the tree had no fruit, He just made perfect use of an obvious fact to teach a somewhat unobvious truth.
[18] Now in the early morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. [19] And seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves alone; and He *said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered. [20] Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?” [21] And Jesus answered and said to them, “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. [22] And whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive it all.”
This passage becomes controversial, not because of any major issue really but because of this fig tree. The Pharisees were all bent out of shape because of the previous day's events, and they were chomping at the bit to get Jesus.
So Jesus approaches Jerusalem and was hungry and begins looking for fruit amongst the leaves and He finds none. There are a few issues here. 1. This wasn't the time of year that figs were fruiting on the trees. So some try to say that Jesus should have known there were no figs on this tree and should not have cursed it, because there was never supposed to be figs ready.
And this is true, but there are young fig growths that develop into figs later in the season, and there were none of these little nibs either so that's why Jesus cursed the tree.
2. The parallel account in Mark 11. In the parallel account, Jesus goes to the tree, finds no fruit and curses it, the disciples and Jesus enter Jerusalem and only notice the withered tree as they are leaving the city later that day. So why is one instantaneous reaction and the other isn't? We need to stop imposing 21st century rules of Grammar on ancient texts.
Mark wasn't obligated to present events in the same manner as Matthew. The emphasis should be on the lesson, not the timing. Mark wanted to emphasize the trip to Jerusalem before the lesson of the fig tree. Others say that here Jesus is performing a live action parable.
Israel is often seen in prophecy and Old Testament scripture as a fig tree. Sometimes it is a healthy fruiting tree, signifying a faithful Israel. At other times it is a dead tree signifying an Israel straying from God. So this trip to Jerusalem is seen as this parable where Jesus approached the tree only to find no fruit.
Whether the withering happened immediately or later is not the point. It's entirely possible that the immediate withering was not noticed by some of them until later, or that the entirety of the whole live parable took place for the purpose of teaching this one lesson and the timing is irrelevant. It doesn't change the words of scripture, doesn't alter any teachings in any way. So we need to stop forcing our need for grammatically pat answers on scripture.
It is here Jesus says that a prayer offered in faith can have miraculous results. And Jesus uses the example of asking for a mountain to move. Again, the emphasis is on the lesson not the seeming impossibility of the requested event occurring. And sadly, we do not have a biblical example of a physical mountain moving as a result of prayer.
This is the same Jesus who raised the dead and cast out demons so moving millions of tons of metric earth is in His wheelhouse. But the lesson is twofold. First, whatever we ask is doable because He is Almighty God. Second, Jesus is approaching Jerusalem toward the end of His earthly ministry expecting a response in the affirmative not because he believed they'd respond but because God promised the nation of Israel that they would have the opportunity to accept the gospel first but would ultimately reject Him.
So what is the point behind this lesson? Jesus comes to Jerusalem in His final week, cleanses the temple again, and is literally demonstrating that the fruit (faithfulness and fruit of righteousness) he is wanting to see (nibs) is nowhere to be found on the tree (Israel/Jerusalem). Jesus wasn't surprised that no nibs were available to eat, He wasn't shocked the tree had no fruit, He just made perfect use of an obvious fact to teach a somewhat unobvious truth.
[18] Now in the early morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. [19] And seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves alone; and He *said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered. [20] Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?” [21] And Jesus answered and said to them, “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. [22] And whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive it all.”
Matthew 21:18-27
This passage becomes controversial, not because of any major issue really but because of this fig tree. The Pharisees were all bent out of shape because of the previous day's events, and they were chomping at the bit to get Jesus.
So Jesus approaches Jerusalem and was hungry and begins looking for fruit amongst the leaves and He finds none. There are a few issues here. 1. This wasn't the time of year that figs were fruiting on the trees. So some try to say that Jesus should have known there were no figs on this tree and should not have cursed it, because there was never supposed to be figs ready.
And this is true, but there are young fig growths that develop into figs later in the season, and there were none of these little nibs either so that's why Jesus cursed the tree.
2. The parallel account in Mark 11. In the parallel account, Jesus goes to the tree, finds no fruit and curses it, the disciples and Jesus enter Jerusalem and only notice the withered tree as they are leaving the city later that day. So why is one instantaneous reaction and the other isn't? We need to stop imposing 21st century rules of Grammar on ancient texts.
Mark wasn't obligated to present events in the same manner as Matthew. The emphasis should be on the lesson, not the timing. Mark wanted to emphasize the trip to Jerusalem before the lesson of the fig tree. Others say that here Jesus is performing a live action parable.
Israel is often seen in prophecy and Old Testament scripture as a fig tree. Sometimes it is a healthy fruiting tree, signifying a faithful Israel. At other times it is a dead tree signifying an Israel straying from God. So this trip to Jerusalem is seen as this parable where Jesus approached the tree only to find no fruit.
Whether the withering happened immediately or later is not the point. It's entirely possible that the immediate withering was not noticed by some of them until later, or that the entirety of the whole live parable took place for the purpose of teaching this one lesson and the timing is irrelevant. It doesn't change the words of scripture, doesn't alter any teachings in any way. So we need to stop forcing our need for grammatically pat answers on scripture.
It is here Jesus says that a prayer offered in faith can have miraculous results. And Jesus uses the example of asking for a mountain to move. Again, the emphasis is on the lesson not the seeming impossibility of the requested event occurring. And sadly, we do not have a biblical example of a physical mountain moving as a result of prayer.
This is the same Jesus who raised the dead and cast out demons so moving millions of tons of metric earth is in His wheelhouse. But the lesson is twofold. First, whatever we ask is doable because He is Almighty God. Second, Jesus is approaching Jerusalem toward the end of His earthly ministry expecting a response in the affirmative not because he believed they'd respond but because God promised the nation of Israel that they would have the opportunity to accept the gospel first but would ultimately reject Him.
So what is the point behind this lesson? Jesus comes to Jerusalem in His final week, cleanses the temple again, and is literally demonstrating that the fruit (faithfulness and fruit of righteousness) he is wanting to see (nibs) is nowhere to be found on the tree (Israel/Jerusalem). Jesus wasn't surprised that no nibs were available to eat, He wasn't shocked the tree had no fruit, He just made perfect use of an obvious fact to teach a somewhat unobvious truth.
[18] Now in the early morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. [19] And seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves alone; and He *said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered. [20] Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?” [21] And Jesus answered and said to them, “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. [22] And whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive it all.”
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