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for it was not the season for figs – 3
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
Isaiah 9:4b NLT

the Oppressor’s Rod

We expect a powerful King to save us, not a loving, all-powerful King.

“..and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isaiah 53:3
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We will return to the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree. If you have missed Mark's telling, just go back to our prologue. But first let's look back to the time of the Judges of Israel just after Moses.
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God Commissions Joshua

Mt. Gerizim [Israel, Samaria]

[circa 13th. c. Before Christ]:

Joshua 1 (ESV)

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.

2:7 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.

Joshua 24:

Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel.

Shechem – near Mt. Gerizim

And they presented themselves before God.

²And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel,

‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods.

³Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many.

The LORD Leads. He Empowers Judges.

Conquest of Canaan

Judges 1

After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the Lord, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” 2 The Lord said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.”

Judges 2:11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger.

16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them.

17 They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so.”

– Do the people not remain rebellious against God?

The Rod of Midian

Is it not the Lord who does punish? Will the suppression of Jacob by Rome centuries after Gideon not accomplish the Lord’s purpose?

Though we have forgotten the former days, Israel had hoped for a messiah to remove the rod of Rome. Those who followed Jesus wanted a King, not a Judge. Israel sought Gideon’s redemption, not a Savior of souls.

We remember and laud our heroes, while forgetting the causes of God’s punishment.

“How suddenly in success do we forget the Lord.”

Judges 6:

The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds.

Judges 7:

2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’

… 9 That same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand…

And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” ²¹Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled.

To be continued…
June 28, 2017
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