The Fig Tree
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The story of the Fig Tree appears in the Synoptic Gospels, though in the Gospel of Matthew and that of Mark, it appears as a narrative about Jesus, and though a similar tale appears in the Gospel of Luke (13:6–9) it is instead framed as a parable told by Jesus. In the tale in Matthew (21:18–22) and Mark (11:12–14, 20-24), while Jesus and some associates are leaving Bethany, they approach a fig tree in order to collect figs from it, but since it is the wrong season there are none. Upon finding this out, Jesus is described as cursing the fig tree to never bear fruit again, and the next day Simon Peter notices that the fig tree has become withered. In the Gospel of Luke it is a mere gardener who visits the fig tree, and upon discovering it barren asks a husbandman to cut it down, but is told to wait another year and see if it bears fruit then.
A number of philosophers have argued that cursing the fig tree seems illogical under most Christologies, since one would assume that a divine figure would either know that the tree would not have figs or could have simply produced the figs by a miracle. Rather than a demonstration of divine power in withering a tree, the logical conclusion would be that the story demonstrates limitations on divine power and wisdom - using supernatural power to bring figs into existence would be far wiser than using it to kill the tree. Bertrand Russell listed this story as a defect in Christ's character, albeit a minor one, in his essay Why I Am Not A Christian.
Simon Peter's observation, that the tree appeared to obey the command to wither, is followed up, in a literal reading of the narrative, by Jesus responding that anyone who does not doubt can make a mountain throw itself in the sea, if they truly believe that their command will be obeyed. A similar statement is also mentioned in the much earlier Pauline Epistles, where the First Epistle to the Corinthians argues that faith can move mountains. A subtly different spin on this statement is found in the early Gospel of Thomas, which, instead of referring to a lack of doubt, advises that mountains can be moved if two people make peace with each other in a single house (Thomas 48). While modern Christians consider the statement to refer to trust in God, and the power of prayer, the early Gnostics interpreted the Biblical statement as referring to the paths that lead to gnosis [1]. The Gnostic interpretation of the statement is one of the main gnostic themes in The Matrix, a significant film in the early 21st century, where awareness (c.f. gnosis) about the nature of what is assumed to be reality grants great power over it (e.g. making a mountain throw itself in the sea, or stopping bullets from moving)[2].
In the Synoptic Gospels, the fig tree is revisited as a parable within the Olivet discourse, where it is stated that when the fig tree puts forth leaves one can tell that summer has arrived. The parable within the Olivet discourse goes on to state that when this has come to pass the kingdom of God would be at hand. This is almost always interpreted metaphorically, rather than as referring to a particular fig tree actually bursting into fruit, and is usually considered in reference to the earlier tree withering, although an oblique reference occurs in the film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings where the White Tree of Gondor withers for centuries but quite literally bursts into blossom when the king returns. Most modern Christians interpret the parable to suggest that the tree's withering was symbolic of the teachings of the Sadducees and Pharisees being far from the truth, and that this poverty of teaching was the source of Jesus' anger at the lack of fruit, but that at some point the metaphorical fruits of Christianity will come forth and then an eschatological kingdom of God will occur. However, the ancient Gnostics interpreted the two references to the fig tree as being completely allegorical, and referring instead to how without gnosis one is spiritually withered up, but as an individual takes a path to gnosis it bears forth fruit, eventually bringing them to the kingdom of God, which Gnostics viewed as a spiritual state that was always available not something confined to end times. [citation needed]
The Jewish Encyclopedia article on New Testament: The Sayings: Parables states:
- "The simple meaning of these parables, however, was lost later on, and they were taken to be allegories and mysteries, especially when they alluded to the Messianic expectations, about which it was not safe to speak in public, as they assumed the end of the kingdom of Satan (Rome; comp. Mark 4:11, 4:34; Matt 13:1-52, especially 13:35 and 13:39). Thus "the parable of the fig-tree" (Mark 13:28; see Wellhausen, who is at a loss to explain it) is actually a "symbol" of the Messianic advent, according to the Midrash (Cant. R. ii. 13), but was no longer understood by the evangelists, either as an allegory or as a sign of Messianic success or failure, in the story of the blasted fig-tree (Mark 11:13-14, 11:20-23)."
[edit] Notes
- ^ Irenaeus On the detection and overthrow of the so-called Gnosis (also known as Adversus Haereses)
- ^ Discussion of Gnostic themes in the Matrix, on the official Matrix website
[edit] References
- Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament Doubleday 1997 ISBN 0-385-24767-2
- Brown, Raymond E. et al The New Jerome Biblical Commentary Prentice Hall 1990 ISBN 0-13-614934-0
- Kilgallen, John J. A Brief Commentary on the Gospel of Mark Paulist Press 1989 ISBN 0-8091-3059-9
- Miller, Robert J. Editor The Complete Gospels Polebridge Press 1994 ISBN 0-06-065587-9
