Why did Jesus curse the tree which would not be expected to bear fruit at this time anyway?3/6/2012 “And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard it.” (Mark 11:13-14). As the Lord of creation, Jesus would have known when the season for figs was, yet the tree is cursed for not producing fruit out of season. Taken by itself this story almost sounds like it came from one of the apocryphal gospels, which show a sideshow Jesus using His miracle powers for personal entertainment (or just because He can). Yet, its placement in Matthew and Mark and the historic use of a fig tree as symbolic of Israel's spiritual condition shed light on the meaning of Jesus action. The context thus reveals it to be “bookending” Christ's second cleansing of the temple.
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Felix Louis Leullier, 1811 All four gospel accounts record Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem during the Passover on the first Sunday of Passion week, where the crowds readily welcomed Him spreading their cloaks and palm branches on the road before Him. All four accounts also show the crowd quoting Psalm 118:26, which was unarguably a Messianic Psalm, but whose meaning had been confused as a ritualistic welcome for all pilgrims. Thus, the Truth of Christ was hidden in plain sight, as the crowds saw what they wanted to see in Jesus – a fact attested to the wide range of acclamations recorded from the crowd. Up a Tree “And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.' And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham” (Luke 19:8-9). Jesus insists on giving sinners a chance to repent. Jesus showed that “anyone” can be restored to the Father through the story of Zacchaeus when He worked the “saving transformation on a man who's situation seemed to be one of double jeopardy: he is both a chief tax collector and a man of wealth” (Nolland, 904).1 "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first. For the kingdom of heaven is like...” (Matthew 19:29-20:1a) It has become common knowledge that God will bless people 100 times over (or with “100% interest”) for what they sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom. However, because this parable has been lifted from the context of Jesus' larger teaching (since Jesus is the most misquoted person in history), people have used it to support their worldly inspired visions of a material heaven. “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:14). As in Luke 14:11, Jesus illustrates again illustrates the concept of the “upside-down Kingdom.” For justification cannot come by works, by religion, or any other man made attempt to reach God. Christ is clear that it is only through recognizing our helplessness and repenting of our failure that we shall be found, just as He explained repeatedly that “whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39, Matthew 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24, Luke 17:33). Even in the Old Testament, again and again, disaster is promised to be averted if only God's people will humble themselves and repent of their ways (2 Chronicles 7:14, 33:23, 36:12, Ezra 8:21)! It's a paradoxical principle of humiliation before exaltation, which is seen best in Christ's ministry on earth. And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:6-8) Jesus told two parables to his disciples regarding the nature of how they should pray: One of the blessings, or curses, of being human is the ability to question our very existence and then the nature of that existence. Whether humans choose to believe we are simply the most highly evolved life-form or the crown of God's creation, both materialists and theists have to agree that there is something unique about the creature known as Man1. Codex Aureus of Echternach “The poor man [Lazerus] died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.” (Luke 16:22-23) While the story of Lazerus and the rich man is a parable, that doesn't negate the Truth elements depicted in it. Jesus is never known to fabricate or repeat myths even in his parabolic storytelling. Thus, even if the events described didn't happen historically (though Lazerus is the only named character in a parable), the "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." (Luke 16:10-13). Trust with riches & relationships are earned. It's amazing how many people misinterpret this passage for Jesus' teaching here isn't rocket science. “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1Corinthians 6:19-20) Paul outlined that God not only created us, but bought us back from the life of sin we chose over Him. While Paul is explicitly speaking of our physical bodies, it would seem natural to extend such a philosophy of indebtedness to every aspect of our lives, for if our own bodies are not our own, how much more so the skills and knowledge He gave us? The families and friends that bless us? The jobs and wealth that He has granted us? Should we not see ourselves as nothing more than stewards when it comes to every aspect of our lives? In this regard, we need to act more like the shrewd manager, that is thinking of my future, my eternal future. Each day we should be waking up and asking, how can we use these possessions and qualities that we've been granted authority over to impact my true home, the eternal Kingdom. Whether it be money, time, or talents, investing them back into the Kingdom from which they came, and to which we will live in for eternity, is the most logical approach. In the parable of the prodigal son whom does the father, the lost son, and the eldest son represent?2/22/2012 Rembrandt, The Lost Son “It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'" (Luke 15:32) The key to understanding the story of the prodigal sons is the context in which Jesus told the parable, which was a crowd of tax-collectors & sinners who “were gathering to hear him” and Pharisees & teachers of the Law who were muttering about why he'd hang around such shameful people. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27) If anyone does not prioritize their calendar around loving Christ, they are not worthy to call themselves His disciple. Whoever is unwilling to be buried in unmarked grave as a traitor to their country for the name of Christ, is not worthy to be called Christ's disciple. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11) At a dinner where Pharisees were scrambling for the “places of honor at the table” Jesus told a parable instructing them to take humble seats, for if the host asks them to move to a higher seat they will be exalted and if the host asks them to move to a lower seat they will be shamed before everyone. While this may come across as a sly way to get ahead by practicing a false humility in order for the host to publicly “indicate your intrinsic superiority” (Elwell, 825), v11 shows that Jesus was clearly illustrating the Kingdom law of “humility before honor,” which demands “self-humbling” and the elevation of others (Howell, 237). “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'" (Luke 13:34-35). As Jesus marched to Jerusalem to face the cross, He lamented over the spiritual hardness of Jerusalem despite His mission to reach them and draw them into His arms like a mother hen cares for her chicks, summarizing His reaction to their track record of killing God's prophets. Then Jesus speaks a harsh word “Your house is left to you desolate,” which rings of judgment. Several interpretations have been offered for the meaning of 'house,' such as Bultmannn's interpretation as 'the world,' but “a better possibility is that the word refers to the temple” (Marshall, 576), which happened literally with the destruction of the temple in 70AD. Hindsight raises the question as to whether Jesus' words were prophetic in this regard. When Jesus was confronted with the evil and suffering of this world He took a radically different approach than other religions of the world. The prevailing notion since the time of Job (Job 22:5) was that “calamity visited upon people for their personal wickedness” (Howell, 231), in a system that for all intensive purposes probably inspired the Hindu notion of karma. Even Jesus' disciples and the Jewish Pharisees believed the blind man Jesus healed was born blind because either his parents sinned or “he was steeped in sin from birth” (John 9:1-2, 34). Jesus' forcefully dispelled this notion by claiming that the tragic events of the Galileans slaughtered by Pilate and those crushed by the fallen tower of Siloam were no guiltier than anyone else! Jesus paints a picture of His second coming in terms of servants awaiting their master, not knowing when he will return from a wedding party. Faithful stewards who are prepared at all times, being wise and fair with the master's assets and other servants, are to be rewarded. This reward is lavish, which “envisions a reversal of roles that was unheard of in Palestine” (Elwell, 823) where the master served the servants. Furthermore, those who have proven themselves faithful with what they've been given, will be entrusted with more. On the contrary, unfaithful stewards, squandering their master's assets and abusing other servants will be punished. This punishment is severe, for they are even to be assigned with unbelievers! In fact, their punishment will be worse than unbelievers, for punishment will be according to the degree of one's knowledge. Whatever they have will be taken from them. The rewards and punishments will be intensified for those who have been given great gifts, since expectations of productivity are high because of those gifts. For those of us who know God's word, and know it to the extent that a seminary education has to offer, the stakes are high, which is why James warns against becoming teachers (James 3:1). And [Jesus] he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15). How Jesus might have told a modern crowd this parable: “The company of certain rich businessman produced large profits. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I've made it to the top.' Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will sell my firm and retire, and there I will build a house 'spare-no-expense' and join a country club. And I'll say to myself, 'You have plenty of money invested for many years. Take life easy; eat at 5-star restaurants, drink imported wine and enjoy all that life has to offer.' Bud God said to Him, 'You fool! This very night you will have a stroke and die. Then who will inherit your stocks, annuities, and properties?'” Jan Vermeer van Delft, 1654 “But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42) While caricatures of Martha and Mary are not provided in scripture, they seem to fit personality types of people in our own lives. In this, drawing conclusions is merely speculation, but the implications of the parallels these sisters have on our own lives, we might just gain a glimpse as to what Jesus' might say to us. Good Samaritan, Rembrandt 1630 How does Jesus reframe the original question of the lawyer? Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" (Luke 10:36) The parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the most highly quoted sections of the bible, since even secular thinkers can appreciate Jesus answer to the lawyer's question, “and who is my neighbor?” However, what seems to be unfortunately left out is the purpose and thus main thrust of the parable itself. For the the original question had nothing to do with being a good neighbor, the question that prompted the entire conversation was “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). Jesus probed the man's understanding, to which Christ affirmed his answer: אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה During the feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, Jesus continued alluding to the fact that He and the God of the Jews, were one and the same, a fact that the religious leaders of the day didn't take too kindly too. John describes a scene in the temple court of women where the Pharisee's are denouncing Christ's testimony that “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). Jesus had already been recorded typologically inserting Himself into God's role during the foundational historical story of the Israelites' exodus through the desert. Jesus had already claimed: “I am” the bread of life (John 6:32), which was previewed by the desert manna, that He offered living water (John 7:37), which was previewed by water from the rock, and now “I am” the light “...who illumines the walk of the believer through a dark world...,” which was previewed by the “pillar of fire illumining Israel's path at night” (Howell, 211).
John 6:35 I am the bread of life John 8:12 I am the light of the world. John 10:7, 9 I am the door of the sheep John 10:11, 14 I am the good shepherd John 11:25: I am the resurrection and the life. John 14:6: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. John 15:1, 5 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1481 Christ's words to His disciples as He appointed them for their Galilean ministry clearly contain temporal elements that only applied at that time in a Kingdom “sneak preview.” For Christ's Great Commission to the same disciples 18 chapters later in Matthew (minus Judas Iscariot) expands the scope from “the lost sheep of Israel” to “the ends of the earth.” Even Paul said the gospel was “to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16). Other elements of haste in Christ's words clearly indicate their mission is to now remain in the narrow Jewish “stream of salvation history...before eventually overflow[ing] its banks” to water the Gentile world (Howell, 161). However, there are principles in which these temporal commands were based which still apply to us today including, but not limited to: The miraculous healing of the Gerasenes demoniac is an amazing encounter when the Kingdom of God triumphantly conquers a legion of demons from the Dominion of the Devil to liberate a tortured image-bearer of God with a single word, “Go!” Yet, the primary thing that captures the minds of commentators is the pigs. Plummer alone counts nine different interpretations to the question why Jesus would allow for the malicious destruction of innocent creatures and/or personal belongings, ranging from questioning the existence of demons, to questioning Christ's morality, to allegorical representations of Rome occupying Israel (Plummer, 228). |
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