Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. --John 18:2
There are seven basic elements to a good story. The first is character. For the reader to stay in the story, the characters must be memorable, credible, realistic, and interesting. The second is plot, or what actually happens. The third is setting, or where and when the events take place. The fourth is point of view. Whose story is being told? The fifth element to a good story is style, or manner of expression. The sixth is theme--what is the story about? The seventh and final element is literary devices, such as irony or personification. It can also include figures of speech, such as metaphor, hyperbole, and simile. Another literary device is tone, or how the reader should feel about the story.
In our Bible passage today, a story is being told. The characters involved are Jesus and His disciples, who most people equate with "going about doing good." The plot of our little story involves Jesus seemingly going out of character, cursing a fig tree and disrupting activity at the Temple, which is our setting. The point of view is that of the Gospel writer Mark, who was not a disciple but probably got much of his information from Peter. It is told in narrative style, and the theme is biographical with hints of a morality play. Literary devices used are metaphor and hyperbole, to name a few.
Perhaps when you read the passage with these things in mind, the words may come alive for you. Let's get started.
Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He 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.
So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a den of thieves." And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching. When evening had come, He went out of the city.
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." So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
And whenever you stand praying, if you h ave anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." --Mark 11:12-26
Okay, a lot is going on in this passage, but let's look at what it all means. Obviously there is quite a bit of backstory missing, but if you have followed this blog for any time at all you know that we started an expository study of the gospel of Mark many months ago, so we have some idea of who Jesus is and what He is doing. He has made His way to Bethphage and Bethany, two villages outside of Jerusalem situated on the Mount of Olives. "Bethphage" means House of Green (Unripe) Figs, and we saw last week, "Bethany" means House of Misery (Depression).
Just as there are seven elements to a good story, there are at least seven things I want to pull out of this narrative for us to think about. What does it all mean?
It's about time
In the Greek language of the New Testament, there are two different words for "time". There is chronos, or chronological time, sequenced by minutes, hours, days and years. In this passage, however, it speaks of kairos, or the opportune time or season. Often the Bible speaks about "when the time was right." At this particular moment, Jesus knew that it was time for something big to happen, the culmination of His ministry.
Earlier, Jesus had told this parable found in Luke 13:6-9. "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 the 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 than you can cut it down'."
For three years Jesus had preached the gospel message of repentance and faith. Some had believed, and had chosen to follow Him. Others, however, were still not bearing fruit indicative of repentance. It was time for them to go.
It's about fruit
I'm not a botanist, but I am told that if a fig tree is showing leaves, it will also start growing buds of green, unripe figs. These buds could be picked and eaten, so when Jesus saw a leafy fig tree in the distance, He had a reasonable expectation that there would be fruit there, no matter how immature. Seeing none was a huge disappointment, because the leaves were supposed to indicate the presence of some young fruit. Although fig season was not yet in full bloom (so to speak), the presence of leaves showed that this tree was in the early stages of fruit bearing.
Many people have the appearance of being fruitful, but upon further inspection they are not. The fig leaves only serve to cover their barrenness, much like the fig leaves used by Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness. At the time of judgement, these people will be cut down and cast into the fire. "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." (Matthew 3:10)
It's about judgement
When the disciples followed Jesus back out of the city, they came upon the fig tree that He had cursed the day before. The tree stood withered, unable to produce even the leaves that had covered it before. This was symbolic of the judgement that the entire nation of Israel had come under. No longer could they profess their faith without evidence. No longer could they remain fruitless.
"Beware of false prophets," Jesus said in Matthew 7, "who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them." (Matthew 7:15-20)
It's about action
Jesus went into the temple and saw more concern about profit than prayer. He saw more commerce than confession. He was still recognized by the people as a Rabbi, a teacher who had performed miracles. In fact, many who were there bore witness that He had raised Lazarus from the dead. So when He drove out the merchants and overthrew the tables of the money changers, it was as if the wrath of God had been met full force. The chief priests and scribes were under indictment for turning God's house of prayer into a den of thieves.
James 1:22-25 says, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does."
It's about prayer
Jesus stood on the Temple Mount and proclaimed Isaiah 56:7, "Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." The Hebrew word for prayer used here is tefillah, meaning "to think, entreat, judge and intercede." The reflexive form of the verb means "to judge oneself and to pray."
Thoughtful, meaningful, purposeful prayer will bring about real change in a person's heart, and in their actions. Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." When the Word of God becomes our words, when we pray His will in His name, we are better for it.
It's about faith
When the disciples saw Jesus exercise authority over the merchants and money changers in the temple, they were encouraged. They, too, could stand against evil men and stand up for what was right and good. But when they went back and saw that Jesus had exercised authority over nature, they asked Him about it. Sure, they had already seen Him calm the storm on the Sea of Galilee. They had seen Him heal the sick and raise the dead. They had even seen him multiply a little fish and a few loaves into a feast for thousands. But to see him exercise authority over a tree, a symbol of strength and vitality (if not fruitfulness) was amazing to them.
Jesus told them that by faith they could exercise authority over more than just a single tree. They could, in fact, move mountains. We think of that as hyperbole, as a metaphor for the greatest obstacles we face in our lives. Nevertheless, by faith we can see the power of God over all things big or small.
It's about forgiveness
Lest the disciples be tempted to use this newly discovered power of prayer and faith for evil, Jesus reminds them to forgive. We are not to ask God to zap our enemies, to pronounce a plague of locusts on their crops or a pox on their houses. Instead, we are to forgive those who have wronged us so that we may also be forgiven. Remember the Lord's Prayer, that part where Jesus taught us to pray, "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." Matthew 6:14 says, "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."
In this world, all judgment is restorative. Jesus drove out the temple merchants to restore the temple to its rightful purpose, as a house of prayer for all people. He did not do it to judge or condemn the merchants, but the word He used for prayer implied that they should judge themselves and repent. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (John 3:17-19)
Bertrand Russell, the philosopher who wrote an essay called, "Why I Am Not A Christian," used the scripture about the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple as one reason he did not believe. He said it shows Jesus as a furious man unable to control his anger, not worthy of the supposed "Son of God." I think this shows more about Russell than it does about Jesus. When we try to put God in a box or consider Him to be made in our image instead of the other way around, we would distort His character, His motive, His point of view and His theme; therefore we would miss the point of His story.
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