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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
Balaam – Inauguration of a Politician’s Prophet – 3

Journey to an Inauguration Interrupted

[In case you missed Part 1 or Part 2 of our long journey] We heard Balaam’s inaugural address in part in Numbers 24:3-9, first introduced in Part 1. Now we return to his journey toward the ceremonies of that momentous occasion.

[ctt title=”Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face.” tweet=”Numbers 22:31 after an ass had to tell a prophet to see the angel of the Lord.” coverup=”8dHCr”]

Numbers 22:

32 And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times.

How about this: your way is ‘perverse’ יָרַט [yarat] before the Lord! Your self-driven actions precipitate, push headlong and drive recklessly. You oppose the LORD! In fact, even your ass [אָתוֹן] saw the Angel of the Lord, but you did not.

Can you imagine the reaction of the prophet Balaam? First, his ass rebukes him, and now he finally sees the Angel of the Lord with a drawn sword asking why he struck his faithful donkey.

“… If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.”

³⁴Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.”

Awoken from Sin

35 And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.

[At the end of their long 400 mile journey a King prepares for the Inauguration of a new era with the great prophet of God on his side, so he thinks.]

³⁸Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak.”

[Indeed, what can a man or woman belonging to the Lord say, except the word of the Lord?]

41 And in the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal, and from there he saw a fraction of the people.

Numbers 23:

Next, we see ceremonies of the high event planned by Balaak. Seven altars become the focus of Inauguration events. But Balaam does the unexpected and blesses Israel.

“From Aram Balak has brought me,
the king of Moab from the eastern mountains:
‘Come, curse Jacob for me,
and come, denounce Israel!’
8 How can I curse whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?

… 11 And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.” …

18 And Balaam took up his discourse and said,

“Rise, Balak, and hear;
give ear to me, O son of Zippor:

19 [ctt title=”God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. ” tweet=”Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? – Numbers 23:19″ coverup=”97P9C”]

Balak objects once more and desperately takes Balaam to a third place to worship and proclaim the ‘good omen’ of inauguration of a new era where Israel will not prevail. If you recall Balaam’s inaugural address from the beginning of our story, the speech follows from the third mountain ahead.

Numbers 24:

When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. 2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him, 3 and he took up his discourse and said,

“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened…

… 14 And now, behold, I am going to my people. Come, I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days.”

Prophesy of the latter days

15 And he took up his discourse and said,

“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
16 the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
and knows the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
falling down with his eyes uncovered:

Balaam will now speak of things to come.

I would like to turn to the King James translation, revealing from the original Hebrew much more than a clashing of kings. My conclusion and image from the wilderness of this parable may challenge your perspective of this inauguration. Here I will share links to the scripture for your further Bible study.

and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab

I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star [ כּוֹכָב ] out of Jacob [יַעֲקֹב], and a Sceptre [שֵׁבֶט] shall rise [קוּם] out of Israel [יִשְׂרָאֵל], and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

An apocalypse spoken for the land of Moab and all the descendants of Sheth [שֵׁת ]. The land of Moab destroyed; but who are these ‘children of Sheth?’

Let those with ears to hear hear the parable of Balaam, a parable of veiled meaning. שֵׁת [pronounced, shāth] means, “compensation,” but you will recognize the proper Hebrew name for which שֵׁת is used, “Seth,” third son of Adam.

Consider the destruction of all the sons of Seth!

[ctt title=”Could another inauguration of evil in the high places bring about completion of these last days? For even brash sons of perdition and a prophet turned from God would not heed the warnings of an ass.” tweet=”Hear the parable of Balaam for another unexpected inauguration.” coverup=”Fos4Z”]

Let us pray that leaders of powerful countries heed the Word of the Lord.

“I am the Son of David, the Lion of Judah, Redeemer of Israel, Savior of the nations.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. Amen.

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January 20, 2017