Spring came to Texas a little late this year, or so it seemed to me. I spent most of March lamenting the lack of color in our field. Our mountain laurel did not bloom until the first week of April. And the dewberries are just now flowering. In previous years, I have harvested ripe berries the last week of April.
The one exception to the season’s delay was my fig tree. The last week of March I noticed that it was putting out fruit before it had leafed our completely. That was folly, of course, on the part of the tree. The fruit fell before it ripened. But I did admire the tree’s enthusiasm.
My eager fig tree reminded me one of the stranger stories in the gospels. The event took place the day after Palm Sunday, which happens to be today on our western calendar. Here is what the gospel of Mark says.
Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He (Jesus) was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it….
Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”
I am sure most people would agree that is seems uncharacteristically harsh of Jesus to curse a poor fig tree for doing only what was expected. Passover week was too early for figs. Figs normally do not ripen until Pentecost. But none of Jesus’ actions were pointless. He was not in a bad mood because of his hunger. He was not flaunting His power or lashing out in frustration. We know that Jesus did only what He saw His Father doing. So what was the Father doing that day?
I confess I had no clue how to interpret that story until three weeks ago, sitting in Mass at McAllen, the connection between Jesus’ actions and His parable of the gardener suddenly clicked in my head. Here is the parable Jesus tells in Luke.
“A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ ”
Because parables are, by nature , short - told to convey one central message - any details offered in their telling may be significant. Two specificities in this story make me think of the odd incident on Holy Week.
The first detail is the naming of the fig. It is not a generic fruit tree Jesus speaks about, but a fig tree. Then there is a time frame. The tree is given three years but does not produce fruit in the that time. The owner of the land is ready to cut it down, but the vinedresser begs for one more year and then agrees to cut it down if it does not produce.
These details are important for two reasons.
1) The fig tree is often used by the prophets as a symbol for the blessing and prosperity God desires to give Israel, especially Jerusalem.
2) Three is the number of years most scholars believe Jesus visited Jerusalem during the time of His public ministry.
Given these facts, it seems to me that Jesus is performing a prophetic act, offering a terrible sign of the destruction that will come upon the city which refused to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” Jesus, the vinedresser, pleads with God for one more year, offering His own life for the city, weeping over her, longing to “gather her as a mother hen gathers chicks under her wings.” But Jerusalem is unwilling.
Therefore, Jerusalem falls. Her Temple is destroyed. The city is left desolate, like the withered fig tree. Neither the city nor the fig tree recognized the time of their visitation, and the result was devastating.
But Holy Week is good news for all that has died. Christ has risen, holding the keys of death and Hades. Withered fig trees can live again! And Jerusalem will be restored! The King will come again, hungering for His people. The people will shout Hosanna and the fig trees in the city will offer their fruit, no matter the season of His return.
Of course, nothing takes our Father by surprise. He holds our times in His hand. He is always working for the good of those who love Him. There were many true believers in Jerusalem on the day of its fall and their exodus turned into a blessing for the nations of the earth. His faithful ones brought their testimony of the Messiah to others, and we are blessed as a result. But there is a greater blessing yet to come. In the words of Paul, “For if their (the Jews) casting Yeshua aside means reconciliation for the world, what will their accepting him mean? It will be life from the dead!”
I am longing to see this great resurrection! Not just the hope of heaven, but the real bodily resurrection of all the saints- a resurrection which will mark a new season for creation. A resurrection which will bring judgment and justice to earth. A resurrection in which every knee in heaven and on earth will bow to Jesus as King!
The flowers in my field are finally in full bloom – brighter and fuller than I have ever seen them before. They are, to me, both a sign of the coming resurrection and a picture of the glory with which will adorn Christ’s Bride. My fig tree continues to leaf out. Its early fruit draws me to pray for my Jewish brothers and sisters, hoping that they will receive another visitation from their Messiah soon. I know the next time He comes, Jerusalem will recognize her Messiah. On that day, graves will burst forth with life (as a few did on the day of Christ’s death) and a new era will begin.
Even so, Lord, come quickly!