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for it was not the season for figs – 2
… and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.

In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.” – Zechariah 3:9b-10 [circa 519 B.C.]

Looking Back to the Prophets

From Moses to the late Prophets at the time of Zechariah and Haggai, the LORD spoke to the faithful of Jacob. (Call them: Israel, Judah, Judea, Galilee, even Samaria at the time of Jesus.)

They were divided after David, captured after Solomon, conquered by foreign lands and driven into distant empires. Even after rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple, Israel would never be the same.

Prophets spoke judgment of evil nations, cities and leaders.

Prophesy during the times of the first dispersion accomplished the Lord’s purpose. Jerusalem and the Temple were rebuilt, then rebuilt again by Herod and Rome. Between the time of these two Temples, no word from above – generations of silence.

Surely those hearing of the miracles of the great Prophet approaching Jerusalem for the Passover festival had high expectations of this greatest Prophet, Jesus.

He is the Messiah of God!

The crowds cover the road with palms and shout:

“Son of David,”

as the King of the Jews (Jesus) rode victoriously up to the gates of Jerusalem.

‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed be the Lord.’ ‘Savior!’

And what had the prophet Zechariah written?

“and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day..

.. In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.”

The Sacrifice of the Lamb of God accomplished the removal of sin; yes, in a single day: Good Friday.

What did Jerusalem expect?

The Judeans, Galileans, Samaritans, even Jews on faithful pilgrimage to the Passover festival from other lands followed Jesus with different high expectations from nearly forgotten writings of Zechariah and others.

Zechariah 9:

The oracle of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach (Syria) and Damascus is its resting place.
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[Of course, Rome would control all of these Mediterranean lands 500 years later, not just Judah, Galilee and Samaria.]
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The Coming King of Zion

⁹Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
    Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
    righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
¹⁰I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
    and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
    and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
    and from the River ^{A Powerful Professed King}

The crowds, some who had followed Jesus for three years, knew the Son of Man riding victoriously into Jerusalem on a donkey had all power to defeat Rome in a day!

But it was not the Lord’s will to save Jerusalem in a day, but sinners.

“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Luke 5:32

For it was not the season for figs and those who will not repent remain cursed and will wither to be burned.

To be continued…

June 24, 2017
for it was not the season for figs – 1
Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and he who guards his master will be honored.

– Proverbs 27:18

Consider the Creator of the garden approaching a fig tree before its season. Who will guard the Son of Man as He enters the Temple and fast-approaches the reproach of the Cross?
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Prologue to this series (in case you missed it)
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Mark 11: [ESV]

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

¹²On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry.¹³And 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. ¹⁴And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

¹⁵And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons…

A triumphal entry into Jerusalem, as an anointed King of Israel. Jesus stays in a nearby town (Bethany) for the night, then returns to Jerusalem. A fig tree is not an uncommon sight along the rural roads leading to the gates of Jerusalem. He curses the tree with no fruit, then enters the Holy City, clearing the Holy Temple of unrighteousness.

The authorities will have to plot against this powerful and righteous Son of Man, lest their comfortable authority would be overthrown.

19 And when evening came they went out of the city.

Jesus leaves town.

Another night away from Jerusalem (probably once again with disciples in Bethany).

The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree

²⁰As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.

²¹And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”

²²And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. ²³Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.

Another miracle (kind of a scary one, though). Jesus had cursed a tree and it withered and died in a day.

(Have you ever thought that your life could pass just as quickly?)

Now, in typical rabbi fashion Jesus makes a teaching moment from fulfillment of His curse.

²⁴Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Mark 11:25

“Even a holy week spent in prayer is of no value to the unforgiving worshiper. You with ears to hear, forgive ,” learn the lesson of the fig tree.

Forgive, “… so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
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Tend the tree of life and forgiveness. 
Bear the fruit of love. 
Guard the Lord, our Master and Savior.
He will curse the tree without fruit at the Judgment.
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Roger@talkofJesus.com
Scripture has much more to say about the fig tree. Jesus does not choose such an important symbol of Israel to curse without cause.

To be continued
June 21, 2017
for it was not the season for figs – prologue

Lost in the glory of the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday we find a brief story much overlooked. The story of Jesus cursing a fig tree not only seems much out of character for the Lord, but relatively insignificant. I cannot recall ever hearing it preached simply on its own merits.

In a brief series (for a single post does not give this story its due) we will examine in more depth the significance of the fig tree. As an introduction let’s begin with one telling of the story by the Gospel writer, John Mark, a disciple introduced in Acts.

Mark 11: [ESV]

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

¹²On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry.¹³And 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. ¹⁴And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
Gospel of Mark 11:12-14 ESV

That’s it.

Prior to this Mark records:

⁸And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.⁹And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

¹¹And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

The story of Palm Sunday, as we have become so familiar, nearly too familiar.

Jesus comes riding up the road to Jerusalem, received like a King and Messiah, followed and worshiped by hundreds. He takes a look at the Temple, it’s late, they head to a local town to stay the night.

The fig tree encounter takes place the next day. Yet like the Apostles and hundreds of followers who would fall away before the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, we miss the point of the fig tree.

Mark continues the commentary of the next day with actions of Jesus from another, most-familiar story:

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

¹⁵And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. ¹⁶And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. ¹⁷And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” ¹⁸And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.
Gospel of Mark 11:15-18 ESV

But what of the fig tree?

To be continued…

June 19, 2017