Jesus curses a fig tree (Mk 11:14) because it had no figs-- even though, as Mark is careful to point out, "it was not the season for figs." Certainly Jesus who used gardening events to teach knew it was not the season for fruit. The curse seems severe, "No one shall eat figs from you again!" and unwarranted. Our exegete, Dr. Sabin, tries to soften the severity by telling us "some scholars have suggested that the phrasing is more accurately rendered, "May no one ever eat fruit from you to the end of the age." "If one has been following Mark's view of Jesus," she goes on, "one sees that he always shows Jesus' power directed toward healing. So here it seems right to understand Jesus' reply (to Peter) as encouragement to have faith in the fig tree's restoration." If this were true, then why would Jesus have cursed the fig tree at all, since he could have used his power to have the fig tree bear fruit out of season-- rather than denying himself and everyone else the fruit of the tree for the foreseeable future. Creating fruit out of season would have demonstrated the power of prayer just as well and maintained Dr. Sabin's preferred image of him only using his power for healing. Then there is the matter that His Father could have responded to Jesus' curse by simply declaring this tree to be a non-fruit bearing variety of fig tree, like the non-fruit bearing cherry trees we have by the grace of God. There does not seem to be any intrinsic need to cause the tree to wither just because it bears no fruit.
But then the revelation of God that this story and the surrounding stories were meant to convey would have been lost. It is an important revelation into the very nature of God and man that proves unwelcome even today --even among church going people.
Coty Pinckney is more respectful of the sacred text than our exegete, Dr. Sabin. He notes that the text says that Jesus approached the tree to see if he could find any fruit on it (presumably knowing full well that it was out of season) but when he came up to it he found nothing but leaves. "Many trees produce leaves and flowers simultaneously, and the fruit follows later. Figs appear to be an exception, but in reality they are not. Fig trees produce flowers simultaneous with their leaves, but the flowers are encased in a fleshy, protective covering that has the same shape as ripe figs, giving the false appearance of fruit. The fruit doesn't develop until after pollination occurs inside these coverings which requires the assistance of a special type if wasp. Then the fruit develops inside these flower coverings. The skin of the ripe fig is actually this exterior protective covering of the flower." When Jesus approached the tree, he found that the tree had neither ripe figs nor the flower modules-- the text says "he found only leaves." The tree seemed from afar to be flourishing, but in reality it was producing nothing of value. It was a non-fruit bearing fig tree. Jesus curses the appearance of fruitfulness without the reality. God reveals this reality, which had been hidden, by causing the fig tree wither.
Rabbi Naftali Silverberg asks, What is the significance of the name "Jew" Where does the word come from and what does it mean ?
The word Jew (Yehudi in Hebrew) is a derivative of the name Judah (Yehudah). Jacob's fourth son; hence calling someone by this name would seemingly imply that the person is a descendant of that particular tribe. However, as is well known, Jacob had twelve sons, progenitors of the twelve Tribes of Isreal, all of whom comprise our great nation. Why, then, is the entire Isrealite nation known as "Jews"?
( The conventional answer to this question is that the majority of Jews today are descendants from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin-- the two tribes which comprised the "Kingdom of Judea." The other ten tribes, the members of the "Northern Kingdom," were exiled to unknown lands. There must, however, be a deeper reason for the fact that the Chosen Nation has been called this name for close to 2500 years!)
Perhaps this question can be cleared up by analyzing the very first individual to be dubbed "Jew." The first instance of this word appears in the biblical Book of Esther, which chronicles the story of Purim: "There was a Jewish man in Shushan the capital, whose name was Mordechai the son of Yair... a Benjaminite" (Esther 2:5).
That's right: the first "Jew" was actually from the tribe of Benjamin! An objective study of the Purim story reveals that the whole frightening episode was plainly avoidable. The entire incident was a result of Mordechai's obstinate adherence to a code of behavior which was clearly outdated and inappropriate for the times. Mordechai was an elderly rabbi who yet recalled days-- more than half a century beforehand -- when the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem and Torah Law was supreme. His snubbing of Haman might have been condign during that generation. But things had changed dramatically. The people of Isreal were in exile. How did Mordechai dare put his entire nation in danger of extinction by slighting the king's favorite minister? Apparently someone neglected to inform this sage that the ability to conform is the key to survival...
