Just before the Lord Jesus embraced His bitter Passion, He sat on the Mount of Olives with His disciples and outlined the signs of the end of the world. Almost everything He said was utterly terrifying.

From where the Lord and the disciples were sitting, they could see the enormous Temple built by King Herod the Great.

“There will not be left one stone upon another that will not be thrown down,” Christ said.

And it got worse:

“Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes, famines…” “You will be beaten in synagogues…” “Brother will hand over brother to death…” “There will be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.” “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” “Unless the Lord had shortened the days, no living creature could be saved.”

(see Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21)

It was a stunning, confusing discourse–more full of hellfire and brimstone than anything you have ever heard.

But then He concluded with a parable:

Consider the fig tree…When the buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near.

Consider the fig tree, budding. Consider the gentle warm air of the spring. Consider the prospect of a delicious fig, and of the shade under the tree.

So:

Fear the doom. Death and judgment are terrifying prospects. The Temple was in fact completely demolished. Strife and strain await.

But only fear so much as you can while you are meditating on the bud of a fig tree, and imagining the air of spring, and savoring the prospect of a juicy Fig Newton.

Destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by Nicholas Pouissin

P.S. Delpo rocked Federer again!

Este é o comercial que apresenta o novo posicionamento global da HTC – fabricante de celulares com presença internacional e que tem na Aktuell uma das suas agências para o mercado nacional. O novo discurso está sendo introduzido em 20 mercados-chave para a marca de Taiwan, incluindo o Brasil.

O interessante do planejamento é que dois grandes conceitos são trabalhados simultaneamente: o slogan “Quietly Brilliant”, voltado para o caráter da marca, e a campanha “You”, voltada para o relacionamento com os consumidores a partir do conceito de diversidade e respeito pelas pessoas. Confira outro comercial:

O novo posicionamento foi desenvolvido pela consultoria londrina FigTree. Já a campanha “You” ficou nas mãos de uma das agências de maior ascensão no mercado, integrante da rede Lowe: a Deutsch Los Angeles, que acaba de surpreender ao ganhar a conta da Volkswagen para os Estados Unidos.

Corporativamente, eis algumas das mensagens que estão sendo transmitidas aos colaboradores da rede a partir de um simpático caderno de notas:

A seguir, o comunicado internacional que oficializa o novo momento da marca:

HTC UNVEILS GLOBAL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN AND NEW ‘QUIETLY BRILLIANT’ BRAND POSITIONING

YOU campaign brings new approach to mobile industry; represents HTC’s focus on each customer

TAOYUAN, Taiwan – October 26, 2009 – HTC Corporation, a global smartphone designer, today unveiled a global advertising campaign that is based on HTC’s new Quietly Brilliant brand positioning. As HTC’s first global advertising campaign, the YOU campaign is being rolled out across 20 countries in the coming weeks and features the tagline, ‘You don’t need to get a phone. You need a phone that gets you.’ This represents HTC’s commitment to focus on people, their needs and how they work and live to ensure that HTC devices suit them.

HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative smartphones that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.

Alisson Avila

Fuyu Persimmons.

Pomegranates.

Figs.

The fig by the little brown hill

Was neither diseased nor ill.

The Lord looked for fruit,

Saw only a “green suit.”

Green suits do not stomach fill.

(Mat 21.19)

- eab, 3/3/05

Prepare for Mass

After the triumphal entry, Jesus went out to Bethany, and in the morning He returned to Jerusalem and He was hungry. We read in Matt 21:18-22 how “…seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive”.

The disciples marveled that the fig tree had withered so quickly. Jesus told them not to doubt, that if they prayerfully believed, they would do things greater than this. I think about this powerful short section of scripture and think equally that if Jesus made the fig tree wither quickly, He can also make it flourish and bring forth fruit in the same way.

This is true in our own lives. Sometimes we think that the world is closing in and things are getting dark around us. It is at these times when Christ quickly sheds light on our lives and we enter times of renewal, hope, and fulfilling joy. It is in the dark times that we must remember that God is still there. He has the power to cause us to enter into tribulation and trial, but He is always with us. He is always there to comfort us, and when the time is right, to bring about a miracle in our lives to affirm His love and care for us, if we refrain from doubting.

Doubt weakens and drowns out our faith. Just as the fig tree was made to wither at Christ’s command because it had stopped bearing fruit, we too will wither if we stop bearing the fruit of faithfulness. We are then good for nothing. If we will have hope. If we will trust in God, God will bring about a miraculous change and renewal in our lives that will enable us, through His spirit, to fulfill all His desires for our lives. We must not despair. We must look to God for guidance, direction, deliverance, and salvation from the One who is capable of performing mighty miracles in our lives.

If we look to Jesus, to what we know of Him through the four gospels — we should see, I think, a man who loves beyond measure, and who is overall not prone to judge. But we should also see a man who, when He does judge, has a swift and terrible judgment.

Three moments come to mind — the tomb of Lazarus, the parable of the Prodigal son and the withering of the fig tree.

Jesus weeps before He raises Lazarus from death.
Jesus completely forgives the son who disobeys his father and squanders life.
But, He completely withers a fig tree that does not produce fruit for Him in due season.

Jesus cries over the ultimate consequence of sin. He weeps that His friend, Lazarus must experience death. This sorrow despite the fact that Jesus knows He is capable of raising Lazarus from the dead.

Jesus understands human weaknesses. He knows people lose themselves. He rejoices when they find the way back to who He means them to be. His relishes finding the one; and He throws a great party.

Jesus expects results. He gives a gift. He demands that we use that gift to His glory. The consequences are hard to fathom — I don’t believe the consequence is a loss of Him, but a loss nevertheless. The fig tree still stands, but it is withered. This tree will never produce fruit — it is a fruit tree without fruit. Not much sadder than that.

Jesus says that He washes our feet. He has cleaned our whole; now He need only wash our feet. He calls on us to wash one another’s feet.

“Truly, truly; I say unto you, a servant is not greater than his master. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (John 13: 16, 17)

One of the possible ways of reading the numerous Old Testament prophecies about a Jewish return from exile is to see it all as having happened already in the return from exile in Babylon [see  the first post in this series].  Jesus arrived over five hundred years after that return, so His teaching and the teaching of His apostles, contained in the New Testament, should reveal to us whether or not they considered those prophecies of return to have already been fulfilled.  As will be clear below, they actually not only believed the nation of Israel to be still in a condition of spiritual ‘exile’ that denied them secure and permanent dwelling in the land, but they also knew that the Jewish people would again be cast into exile.  This exile to all nations (not just Assyria, or Babylon) would be a far greater exile than the first one, but even this one would eventually be finished.  To fulfil His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God would finally bring the Jewish people back to the land of promise very shortly before the return of Jesus.

1.  The conquest of the land under Joshua was not the ultimate fulfilment of the inheritance promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Paul clearly taught that the Law of Moses had actually made the Jewish people ‘slaves’ to sin, and as slaves rather than sons they were not permitted to inherit (Rom 7:1‑25; Gal 3:23–4:7; 4:21‑31).  Hebrews taught further that if Joshua had given the Israelites ‘rest’ in their land, David would hardly have written to a later generation warning them that rebellion would disqualify them from entering God’s ‘rest’ (Heb 4:1‑11).

2.  Even in Jesus’ generation the nation was considered to be in an ongoing condition of exile.

Jesus taught His people using parables in order to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah that the nation would “keep on hearing and will not understand… keep on seeing and will not perceive” (Mat 13:13‑15; cf. 11:5).  Isaiah was told that his prophetic task was to harden the eyes, ears and hearts of the Jewish nation until the fulfilment of the curse of exile (Isa 6:9‑13; cf. 32:1‑4; 34:16–35:6).

3.  Jesus decreed another greater exile on the Jewish nation, a final one that would complete God’s judgement against the sins of all previous generations of Israel.

In fulfilment of Malachi’s prophecy to the Levites of his generation after the Babylonian Exile (Mal 3:1‑6), Jesus arrived four hundred years later as the appointed judge of the nation.  In response to their sin and hard-heartedness He delivered the verdict that the nation was unforgivable (Mat 12:31‑45; 23:1‑28).  To prove that they were more wicked than any previous generation, He would send them further messengers whom they would persecute, and therefore God would be justified in bringing on that generation the complete punishment for the sins of both them and all their fathers (Mat 23:29‑36; Luke 11:49‑51; cf. Isa 65:1‑7; Jer 16:10‑18; Rom 10:20-21).  When there is a complete judgement visited on the nation for all the blood of the prophets shed from the foundation of the world, there can never be another such punishment meted out again (Isa 51:17‑22).

4.  Evangelism amongst Jewish communities will not be completed until Jesus’ return.

Although seventy disciples were sent out in pairs to prepare for Jesus’ arrival in a town during His ministry (Luke 10:1‑17), Jesus also sent out the Twelve with a specific commission to the Jews (Luke 9:1‑10; Mat 10:11‑42), because they will be given authority over the twelve tribes of Israel when Jesus returns (Luke 22:28‑30).  Their commission, therefore, while similar to that of the seventy, concerned specifically Jewish communities (Mat 10:5‑6, 23), within and presumably beyond the land of Israel also.  They were told that this specific focus for preaching the Gospel would not finish “until the Son of Man comes”, a phrase Matthew linked closely to the Second Coming (24:3, 27‑44; 25:31‑46).  This was also explained as being the result of Jewish hard-heartedness and persecution in city after city of Israel, and Jesus’ intention was to clarify to His followers that the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” in exile (cf. Eze 34:11‑16) would not all be ‘found’ until the time of His own return.

5.  Gentile control over Jerusalem will come to an end when the “times of the Gentiles” are fulfilled.

Whereas Matthew recorded Jesus’ teachings about the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70 and the Second Coming without differentiating them (Matthew 24:1–25:46; esp. 24:3), Luke recorded them separately, the Second Coming in 17:20‑37, and the imminent destruction of Jerusalem and exile in 21:5‑36.  Therefore Jesus’ prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem and captivity and exile of the Jewish people (Luke 21:20‑24) has already happened and evidently continued until modern times.  Despite the obvious severity of the judgement Jesus decreed, He did explicitly declare that at a certain point Gentiles would no longer ‘trample under foot’ the city of Jerusalem (21:24; cf. Isa 63:17‑19), which must indicate that Jews will eventually regain control over Jerusalem.  The “times of the Gentiles” may be a reference to that period during which Gentiles control Jerusalem, but it would be better to understand it as the times in which Gentiles are the focus of God’s commission to His Church, which is suggested by the word “fulfilled”.  In the latter case, Jesus would be teaching that Jewish repossession of Jerusalem will coincide with the culmination of mission to the Gentiles.

6.  Israel’s national repentance will be prompted specifically by the reception of the gospel by all other nations.

Jesus taught that “the end will come” at the point when His witnesses have brought “this gospel of the kingdom” throughout “the whole inhabited earth” and “to all the nations” (Mat 24:14), which could be said to be the ‘fulfilment’ of the “times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24).  He then instructed His witnesses to go from Jerusalem “even to the remotest part of the earth”, making “disciples of all the nations… even to the end of the age”, and in the context He was implying that only then would the kingdom be restored to Israel (Acts 1:6‑8; Mat 28:19‑20).  Paul explained this further, writing that Israel has been hardened temporarily “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in”; then because of jealousy at the mercy shown to all nations, Israel would soften and “thus all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:11‑15, 25‑27, 30‑31).  Jesus indicated that this would be brought about particularly through the ministry of another prophet like Elijah at whose word the nation would turn back to God, ‘restoring all things’ (Mat 17:10‑11; cf. Mal 4:5‑6).  It is unlikely that this prophet is described in Revelation 11, where the two witnesses prophesy judgement against the nations, not salvation to Israel.  Although imagery is used from the ministries of Elijah and Moses, both prophets of judgement against unbelieving Gentiles and Jews, it is more likely that these two prophetic ‘olive branches’ are the Jewish and Gentile portions of the Church who are then resurrected as Jesus returns (Rev 11:4, 11‑13; cf. 13:7; Rom 11:17; Zec 3:8–4:6).

7.  Israel will be living in Judaea and Jerusalem when as a nation they welcome Jesus’ return as their Messiah.

Jesus regularly used the ‘fig tree’ as an image of the nation of Israel (represented by its leadership), to describe its fruitlessness (Luke 13:6‑9), its withering (Mark 11:12‑27), its destruction when dry (Luke 23:27‑31), and finally its softening and fresh leaves indicating His imminent return (Mat 24:32‑33).  ‘Sitting under one’s own fig tree’ was a common metaphor for being permanently at ‘rest’ in the land, particularly after exile (Mic 4:1‑4; Zec 3:8‑10; John 1:47‑51), so the images of softening and leaves coming out imply the beginnings of repentance and dwelling in the land respectively.  However Jesus also prophesied this explicitly:  In the ‘great tribulation’ immediately before His return, Jesus said that the believers living in Judaea would find travel on the Sabbath particularly difficult (Mat 24:15‑20, 29‑30).  Not only that, but He prophesied to ‘Jerusalem’ (both the city and symbol for the nation) at the very end of His public ministry that “from now on you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Mat 23:39; cf. Luke 13:33-35).  Following the exile of the Jewish nation, the ‘desolation’ of Jerusalem’s ‘house’ (Mat 23:38; cf. Lev 26:31‑35; Isa 49:14‑21; 62:4), the nation would again see Jesus when as a nation they could welcome Him as their Messiah (cf. Mat 21:9).  In fact, for the sake of these ‘elect’, He will shorten the days of their ‘great tribulation’ (Mark 13:14‑20).  Peter also taught that national repentance was a condition for Jesus’ return (Acts 3:19‑21).

8.  Nevertheless, secure and permanent inheritance of the land for Israel will not be possible until Jesus returns, initiating the resurrection and restoration of all things.

Using a parable, Jesus taught His disciples that only on His return as King would He distribute territories within His kingdom to them in reward for faithful service (Luke 19:11‑28; cf. 22:28‑30).  When asked about the timing of the kingdom being restored to Israel, He acknowledged His Father’s plan to do this, but instructed His disciples to focus first on mission to all nations (Acts 1:6‑8).  Jews in the Early Church, including Barnabas, Stephen and the writer to the Hebrews, modelled and taught that in this age they must not expect to be able to hold on to their property within the land of Israel (Acts 4:32‑37; 7:4‑6; Heb 4:1‑11; 10:34).  Rather, they were to live by faith, whether they left their land to bring the good news of salvation inheritance to other nations also, or whether they chose to remain in their ‘promised land’ but live as if they were foreigners, ‘strangers and exiles’.  Choosing to return to other countries for the sake of security was not a valid option (Heb 11:15), but rather they needed to persevere by looking forward to their ‘better, permanent possession’ in that very land, in the form of a city and country being prepared by God and soon to be delivered from heaven (Heb 11:8‑16; Rev 21:10, 24‑27).  Paul associated the fulfilment of Israel’s promised gift of land with the salvation of all nations (Rom 9:4; 11:26‑29; cf. Zec 2:6-12).  He therefore recognised that Jewish and Gentile believers, as both natural and adopted ’sons of God’, would inherit their apportioned lands at the same time, freeing all of creation from its slavery to corruption (Gal 3:23–4:8; Rom 4:11‑17; 8:14‑22).  This inheritance by every nation of lands bestowed from heaven by God is a large-scale fulfilment of what will happen at the same time on a small scale with each of us inheriting ‘heavenly’ resurrection bodies (Acts 17:26 with Deut 32:8‑9; Rom 8:18‑25; 1 Cor 15:42‑49; 2 Cor 5:1‑5). Thus ‘all things’ will be restored (Acts 3:21; Mat 17:11).

In summary of New Testament teaching, the promise of land inheritance made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and spoken about by the prophets has not yet ever been properly fulfilled.  This was because God chose to use the Law of Moses to harden the Israelites in their sin, making them unable with uncircumcised hearts to inherit as ‘sons of Abraham’.  Moses taught that God would personally atone for Israel, and reconcile them to Himself by making them jealous of His favour on the nations.  Jesus then came as the ‘seed of Abraham’ bringing blessing: fulfilling the powerless Law by becoming a curse for Israel, and dying to atone for the sin of Jew and Gentile alike, reversing the disobedience and death of Adam.  His resurrection is both the object of faith, by which all can be declared righteous, and the content of our hope.  Jesus declared the Jewish nation of His own generation to be unforgivable, decreeing that within a generation they would enter into an exile that would complete God’s punishment for all previous rejection of His messengers.  Witness to scattered Jews must continue, but their full repentance and inheritance would not happen before every nation on earth had also received the good news of salvation (resurrection, deliverance and inheritance).  At the end of the age God will begin restoring Israel to her land and softening her heart towards Him, using a prophet like Elijah, and even more importantly the jealousy provoked by seeing all nations accept her Messiah.  In the midst of the ‘great tribulation’ that follows the fulfilment of the times of the Gentiles, Jewish believers in the land will undergo persecution, but will be delivered by their returning King whom they will welcome as a whole nation.  The faithful from previous generations will return with Jesus, met by surviving believers joining them from the earth in a visible imitation of Jesus’ own ascension, and all will receive their resurrection bodies with Jesus.  After destroying the enemies of His people, Jesus will establish His kingdom on earth from Jerusalem.  Within this worldwide kingdom, the Twelve disciples will rule over Israel in their land, and Gentile believers will rule over every nation across the earth, each in its own territory as apportioned by Jesus [the new 'Joshua'].  In this way all creation will be released into the glorious freedom of the ‘sons of God’.

The Withered Fig Tree

²⁰In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. ²¹Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”  ²²“Have^[f] faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³“I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. ²⁴Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

This passage illustrates what is, for me, one of the points of the Gospel of John. I’ve repeated it in my blog on Mark’s gospel as well, and this is another example of it. That is, Jesus peformed miracles primarily for two reasons; to glorify God, and to help people believe. Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? Partially for the reasons I talked about in my last blog entry, because it was an illustration of Israel’s lack of spiritual fruit. But he also did it to help the disciples believe. When Peter pointed out the withered tree, what was Jesus’ response? Have faith in God.

Verses 22-24 are some of the most misused and misunderstood verses in all the Bible. Many churches and famous preachers base their whole teaching on this passage, and they do it wrongly. Jesus was not saying here that if you pray hard enough, and really believe, that God is obligated to do whatever you ask. That kind of faith is not faith in God, it’s just “faith in faith”. The expression “moving mountains” was a common expression among Jews at that time, and its meaning was the same as it is today. It meant that if you have faith in God, you can overcome any obstacle. Jesus cursed the fig tree to show the disciples what can happen if they have faith in God, not just faith in their own prayers.

²⁵And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and ^[g]let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop.

^26[h]But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your failings and shortcomings. (Amplified)

So many times when passages of scripture are misused, those who do so don’t bother to use the whole passage in context, they just lift out a verse or two to make their point. These two verses are part of the same paragraph as the part about faith and moving mountains. It’s all the same thought, and we can’t separate them. Do those who preach “prosperity gospel” based on verses 22-24 also include 25-26 in their equation? Whenever the Bible makes a promise, there is always a requirement on our part to go with it.

The issue of forgiveness is a huge one that I feel is not stressed enough in the church. I believe there are many who believe they are saved who will miss Heaven over this issue. Take a poll of any church in America, and ask people to rank the following sins in order of severity; murder, adultery, and refusing to forgive others. I’d be willing to bet that most congregations would rank them in that order, murder being the worst, then adultery, then refusing to forgive. But Jesus never said that if we murdered someone, he would not forgive us. He never said if we commit adultery, he would not forgive us. But he did say here, and in Matthew 6:14-15, that if we don’t forgive others, he won’t forgive us. That’s very serious, folks. In the Lord’s Prayer, when Jesus said “Forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors”, he didn’t mean “forgive us first, then we’ll forgive others”. He was saying, “forgive us to the same degree that we forgive others”. I believe that, in fact, Jesus is laying out an unpardonable sin. Not the one he talks about in Matthew 3:28-29, (see my blog on that passage), but one just as dangerous, and unfortunately, just as common.

Is there someone who has wronged you, and you cannot bring yourself to forgive them? Until you do, the Bible teaches that God will not forgive your sins, either. It’s as simple as that. Any sin that Jesus himself says he will not forgive has to be considered an unpardonable sin. But like the more commonly known unpardonable sin, (continually rejecting the overtures of the Holy Spirit), this one is not irrevocable. All you have to do is forgive. If God can forgive us after all we’ve done, then we can forgive others for what they’ve done. Do we want to be Christlike? Then we must forgive as he forgives. I hear sermons preached on lots of things that are less vital than this. I’ve heard lots of sermons on verses 22-24, but few, if any, on verses 25-26. That’s just wrong, and I believe God will hold those in spiritual authority over us responsible for it. As Jesus makes clear in this passage, faith and forgiveness are tied together. You can’t have one without the other. But if we forgive others, and have faith in God, we can overcome any obstacle in our lives.

Luke 13:1-9

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them — do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”

And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree  but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’

He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’”

The Daily Path: Looking at my own life, there must have been a legion of gardeners pleading my case. “Please sir, don’t cut him down yet. Give him another season. We’ll provide even more fertilizer! There will be fruit in the future.”

A couple of figs have been harvested in recent seasons, but nothing like what this old tree should be producing. I know my gardener is in the midst of providing even more spiritual cultivation. Hopefully, He’ll see the harvest and expected return on investment.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

¹² The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. ¹³ He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. ¹⁴ Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it.

It’s easy to see this story as inconsequential. What could a fig tree have to do with us? It’s also easy to think that Jesus was being unfair, or that it was just an act of frustration because he was hungry. But Jesus was on his way to cleanse the temple, and this was an illustration of his judgment on Israel. Part of the confusion for me is the fact that Mark says the reason there were no figs is that it was too early in the season. That’s what makes the curse seem unfair. How could Jesus curse a tree for not having fruit if it wasn’t the season for fruit? Was he just disappointed because he was hungry, so he cursed the tree in a fit of pique? No, because normally, on fig trees, fruit appears at the same time leaves appear. If you see a fig tree with leaves, it means you should also find fruit. A fig tree with leaves but no fruit is like a case of false advertising. This made the fig tree an illustration of Israel at that time, having the appearance of righteousness, but not the fruit of righteousness. This is a lesson for us also. God does not approve of his children being all leaves and no fruit, all talk and no walk.

Jesus made sure his disciples heard him curse the fig tree. And Mark made sure this story was included in his gospel. He must have done so for a reason, and felt it was important. As John said in his gospel, if all the things Jesus did were recorded, the world could not hold all the books (John 21:25). So if we ever wonder what a passage in the gospels has to do with us, we should always remember that some parts of Jesus’ life and ministry are included in them, but many are not. Therefore, the ones that are included were put there on purpose.

Jesus Clears the Temple

¹⁵ When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace.^{[c] 17} He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”^[d]

What was actually going on here was that pilgrims would bring in animals for sacrifice, but the vendors in the temple courts were cheating them. They would tell the pilgrims that their animals weren’t flawless enough, and would offer to sell them “perfect” ones at exorbitant prices. Then they’d confiscate the animals the pilgrims brought, and turn around and sell them to other pilgrims. It was a huge money making racket. That’s what made Jesus so angry. Plus, every Jewish male had to pay a “Temple tax”, which they could only pay using the temple currency. So they would have to exchange their regular money for Temple money, and the exchange rates were outrageous. On top of all that, this was done in the outer courts of the temple, which was the only place Gentiles could come and pray. They really had made a house of prayer into a den of thieves.

Like the fig tree, we may think this story has nothing to do with us. But we all know of cases where people are cheated into giving large amounts of money to dishonest “ministries”. Be very careful of giving your money to a TV preacher or some other operation that claims to be using it for minstry, but is really lining their own pockets. Any church or organization that does not submit to genuine financial accountability may be turning a house of prayer into a den of thieves.

¹⁸ When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching.

¹⁹ That evening Jesus and the disciples left^[e] the city.

The religious leaders were already plotting to kill Jesus, and this just confirmed their plans. But they had to be careful about how they did it. They were afraid to arrest him in the open, because he was so popular with the people. It’s amazing that after this event, Jesus continued to teach in the temple courts for the rest of the week, and they never laid a hand on him until late Thursday night, away from the crowds.

It is always a humbling experience taking a trek in one of Australia’s rainforests knowing that the beauty surrounding you is many many years old. I tend to find it hard to capture the beauty before me in just a collection of  photographs but still I try if only for a visual record for myself.

This shot was taken along the well worn track to Elabana Falls in the Lamington NP. I found the trees here amzingly beautiful, especially seeing as though I come from Canberra and these opportunties are few and far between. I am always amazed at the root systems that these things must have as a lot of them, like the one in the background, are leaning at some wicked angles.

I’m off to Sydney in a few hours so will hopefully have some photos to post next week sometime. I am interested to see what I come back with as there has been quite a few shots from there on other people’s blogs lately which I am sure will have influenced my ideas. Enjoy the weekend!

Here’s a Summary of the past month’s teaching which sprang from Luke 13:6f:

• God does not love us based on our performance. If He did, He would hate us all.
• God’s love is based on His choice. In spite of our depravity, God chooses to love us. Ez. 16, John 3:16
• God’s standard is perfection without compromise. Therefore, He never let’s sin slide. The wages of sin are always death.
• Salvation is therefore necessarily a gift of grace through the gift of faith (Eph 2:8f). Works could never accomplish being good enough because the definition of good enough to God = perfect.
• Jesus came to be good enough (perfect) to pay our wages. His death was an acceptable (perfect) sacrifice for our sin. romans 5
• Having done all of this God has EXPECTATIONS of us. This is the major message in Luke 13:6 with the fig tree. He Expects Fruit.
• The natural question to ask is “What fruit?” Since our destiny is Christlikeness (Rom. 8:28f; 1 Jn. 3:2), then we conclude that God expects the same fruit on your tree as He has on His tree. This feeds our practical understanding of the megathemes of “InChrist” and “Christ in Me”.
• So “What fruit”? After all is said and done; if you took the law to the kitchen and put it in a pot and boiled it down, what would be left as God’s great expectation of us?
• The answer dominates Scripture: Love. Thus Mt. 22:18f; 1Jn 3-4; 1 Cor 13 and on and on.
• But we must remember:

1. Nothing is more unnatural to the spirit than hate.
2. Nothing is more unnatural to the flesh than love.
3. Nothing is more natural to the spirit than love.
4. Nothing is more natural to the flesh than hate.

• Here’s One Big Problem: We make too too many decisions based on how we FEEL. This is what I was going to do with Genesis 4 and Cain but never got to. God didn’t accept his offering and Cain “became angry”. Now feeling anger, he acted, and the result was murder. While we may not actually kill, Jesus said that hate was the same thing. Its always been heart stuff to Him.
• My own personal experience tells me that too too often when I act on how I feel – I sin. I don’t love, I hate. Notice the talk 1 John gives from vs. 4-10. Its all about “sin” and “righteousness” to big general concepts. But when John gets more specific in vs 11 he reveals that sin and righteousness all have to do with “love”.
• Most of our decisions can be made by asking the question: What would love (as defined as God kind of love) do?
• This is why we have these large meetings of believers on Sunday: Hebrews 10:28f to “stimulate one another to love and good deeds”.
• Go do what love would do next, and next, and next, and next…

My mother called me a while ago and even tho I have spent the day thinking about what I wanted to write when I finally got the chance to sit here, she helped me change my mind without knowing it.

So when she called, she starts out with “I’m incensed!” …I’m thinking her house is smelling good and then she proceeds to tell me about an article she just read about fresh FIGS!

Before I tell you all about why she was incensed, you have to understand the importance of FIGS.

In my VERY Italian familia, FIGS are the fruit of the GODS.  We have all grown FIGS, eaten too many FIGS til we had a stomach ache, fought over the first FIG of the season and participated in many other FIG related memories.  Here in the USA my grandfather had many FIG trees, both green and black.  My mother had FIG trees also of both varieties and every other Italian we knew had a fig tree or two! …and I’m not even going to bring up the FIG trees in Italy that produce figs the size of apples!  Oh man…I’m drooling just thinking of them!   YUMMY!

Eleven years ago, as we were driving away after having put the contract on our new house here in New Jersey, I got all excited….I said “Look Pat, those people are Italian in the house behind us…and look!…they are too….”  Well our real estate agent who was a very Irish former NY cop turned and asked how I knew since no one was flying a flag and no people were even in sight.  And I answered…”see those wrapped up* trees in their back yard?  Those are FIG trees!…  which in my experience means only one thing… those people are Italian!”  (* since our climate is not quite as moderate as Italy…we have to find ways here on the east coast to keep the trees warm in the winter so they won’t die…some people pack them with leaves, wrap them with blankets, bury the tops of the tree underground, I have even heard of people using electric blankets!)

OK….so now  that you know the importance of the FIG in my life and that of my family, the rest of this will make sense!

So back to the phone call…Mom started telling me about this newspaper article she had just read all about fresh FIGS.  I was patiently listening as I was sure this writer found a way to annoy Mom.  Well, I was right!  The writer apparently has the “plant” we call a FIG TREE mistaken for a BUSH!  Mom said that all thru the article, the writer kept talking about the FIG BUSH , FIG BUSH, FIG BUSH!!!  Whoa Nellie!!!  Mom was going crazy!

So to make this story even better, Mom has written a letter to the author telling her that “in all her 64 years” she had NEVER EVER heard ANYONE refer to a FIG TREE as a FIG BUSH!

Boy my mother is so pushy!  …and she thinks she’s always right…  BUT Pat says I think I’m always right!  How can that be????????  I’m definitely NOT like my mother!!!  Impossible!!

Well I will tell you THIS….The Beautiful, wonderful fruit called a FIG….grows on a TREE.

Just ask my mother!

Sweet Figs

$10.00 fee includes 4 exclusive patterns.

Kits for these patterns will be available upon arrival of fabric corresponding with free pattern.

Cobble Stones…kit is now available for $75.00 including binding

Cobble Stones measures 53 x 61 inches.

Mom just started the sample; it should be done in the next week or so.

We will have our first meeting on

 Saturday, October 10th

From there we will decide as a group how we want the club to work.

We will be getting in several more bolts of Fig Tree.

A quick look at what we have right now…

if you have any questions or want to join let us know at sweetwatercottonshoppe@yahoo.com

happy quilting…april –sweetwater cotton shoppe

While reading the Bible, I often encounter parables that liken Christians to fruitful vines, wheat, and the harvest. The intention behind these parables is to convey that we, as Christians, are called to not only develop a relationship with God, and Jesus, but we are called to take what we believe, and sow the seeds of faith into the barren soil of those who have not yet come to Jesus, or who still do not understand. That does not mean that every Christian needs to go door to door, proclaiming the news that Jesus is the Son of God. Each person has talents. Different talents. Some are writers, some are speakers, some choose to be ordained and preach the Word, while there are those that hold talents in less conspicuous areas. The mechanic who kindly, and patiently shows the young man just hired last week how to work on a piece of equipment is sowing good seeds equal to the preacher standing in front of the congregation. The cashier who patiently waits while the elderly woman, with arthritic knarled fingers, tries to pull her money from her purse, and offers a smile, is sowing seeds as strongly as the Christian music artist who sings praises to the Lord. The woman who, while sitting with her girlfriends that are bad mouthing their mother-in-laws, comes to the plate and speaks out in praise of her mother-in-law, grateful that this woman gave her husband life is bearing fruit and sowing seeds as equally as the writer who challenges others to walk the journey in faith. The friend who offers a listening ear to a friend who has done wrong, without judgement, but instead shows forgiveness and love is bearing and scattering seeds of Jesus’ Words as equally as the owner of a company who donates great amounts of money to the Church. We all have many opportunities during each day to show the world who we are, and who we belong to. We may not be able to do any one great thing that shows the world we are from God, but we can all do many small things that effect the lives of many around us. When we act in such a positive way that it makes those around us want to mimick our ways, these people become fruitful vines themselves. The young man who was shown patience and kindness when he was learning a new trade will hopefully remember this when he is a fully capable mechanic, and will show the same tolerance and patience when it is his turn to become the teacher. The woman who was taken back by her friends refusal to bad mouth her mother-in-law might just go home and thank her own mother-in-law for giving her son life and an opportunity to share his life with her. The man standing in line behind the old woman who was taking so long to pay the cashier might reflect on this kindness shown, and then while walking out to his car might just offer this elderly woman help putting her packages in the car.

In reading Matthew 21:18 Jesus is returning to the city, He sees a fig tree in the distance. He is hungry and decides to go and eat from this tree. When He approaches the tree he sees that it bears no fruit and curses the tree, declaring ” May no fruit ever come from you again”. On the way back from the city the next day, the Apostles notice the fig tree has completely whithered. No matter how many times I read this I could not understand why Jesus, in His love for mankind and all that God has given, would kill a fig tree just because it had no fruit on it for Him to eat. This was not a parable, but something that actually happened. Did this show to me that Jesus had ‘human moments’, where He let His anger get ahead of Him? Why curse a tree to death simply because it wasn’t in season?

So I went to my books on understanding the Bible better, and found my answer. It not only answered my questions, but reinforced the specific timing and truthfulness of the actions that took place. I learned that a fig tree bears leaves with little knobs that are edible, during early springtime in the geographical region of Mount Olive. That first assures us that this timing was just prior to spring Passover. We know that Jesus died in early April. He was on His journey to His death, and it was coming very near. So at that time, in early spring, the leaves of the tree would have been full of these edible knobs, called taqsh. This taqsh ripens around June, if it does not fall from the tree prior. These taqsh knobs are then replaced by full figs, as we know them. When Jesus saw the tree in the distance He saw it full of leaves and approached it to feed his hunger. Seeing it had no taqsh, He knew this tree would not be fruitful come June, so He used it as a living parable to teach the Apostles a strong lesson. This tree was not fruitful and so it would whither away. Much like a fig tree, we are meant to be fruitful. We are to bear His fruit, feed others of our knowledge of His Word, and be an example to those around us. We are to feed others with the Word of God, by being an example to the world of the fruitfulness of a true Christian. If we bear leaves but are not fruitful nor give light to His Word, we are nothing but a fruitless vine and will also whither in our time.

Each one of us has the power to make a difference. We can spread the word of Jesus in our actions so that those around us come to know Jesus because they know us. Jesus did not use high priests and rulers to help him spread the Word. Instead he used everyday people. It was in seeing how Jesus acted, and the things He spoke about that turned the Apostle’s into Godly people. So for today, try to be a fruit bearing Christian. Spread your vines out to touch another human being with a smile, and understanding heart, a listening ear, or a forgiving heart. Make a difference by showing the world that Jesus lives in you, and through you. If but one persons life is touched by your vine, you will have lived a life worthy of coming to the Lord.

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

James 3

17But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

18And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

John 15

8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Matthew 13

22He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

23But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

{Cliquez sur le lien “Continuer à lire” pour tourner la page et découvrir le poème qui se tapit sous les pixels zélés}

Fig tree

Fier empereur
Couronné de frondaisons retorses
Où se love écorce sur écorce
Et chevelure de germes fibreux,
Peignée de mousses bleues et de lichens -
Fiers troncs noueux
Fier bois de chaînes
Tombant au sol pleureur

Et quand ces étranges malléoles
Sur vos chevilles sylves fleurissent,
Fier empereur,
Ne voyez qu’en cela la parole
D’élégants strass et de strates lisses
De perles d’or et de vert offertes
En serment de fidèle allégeance
Dont la nature vraie et l’engeance
Magnifieront à jamais vos faîtes

{Cliquez sur le lien “Continuer à lire” pour tourner la page et découvrir le poème qui se tapit sous les pixels zélés}

Fig tree

Fier empereur
Couronné de frondaisons retorses
Où se love écorce sur écorce
Et chevelure de germes fibreux,
Peignée de mousses bleues et de lichens -
Fiers troncs noueux
Fier bois de chaînes
Tombant au sol pleureur

Et quand ces étranges malléoles
Sur vos chevilles sylves fleurissent,
Fier empereur,
Ne voyez qu’en cela la parole
D’élégants strass et de strates lisses
De perles d’or et de vert offertes
En serment de fidèle allégeance
Dont la nature vraie et l’engeance
Magnifieront à jamais vos faîtes

Contrary to popular opinion, the New Testament frequently assumes that the land covenant is still in effect.  Here we start with the Gospels (in 3 posts), moving on after that to Acts (2 posts) and the epistles (3 posts).

To begin with, we would expect that a divine promise of territory given to the ethnic descendants of Israel be spoken of most often in passages addressed to the Jewish people.  The letters of Paul to the Gentile churches are therefore the least likely place to find mention of this land covenant, as are the writings of John who was based in Ephesus in modern-day Turkey.  Peter’s first letter was written to believers living in the northern parts of Turkey, though his second letter to unspecified recipients does refer to the “holy mountain” where Jesus was transfigured.

On the other hand, Jesus was teaching Jews within the land of Israel, much of Acts takes place in that land, and Hebrews is also written to Jewish believers there. It is not surprising, then, that the majority of passages referring to the land covenant are found in the Synoptic Gospels, Acts and Hebrews.  Paul’s letter to the Romans is highly unusual in that although it is written to Gentiles, Paul sees it necessary in his extended discussion of the gospel message to specifically address the problem of the unbelieving Jewish nation in Romans 9–11.  We therefore find clear references to the promised land in Romans also.

Even so, we would not expect to have many references to the promise of land for the Jewish nation in the New Testament, for the simple reason that Jesus had unmistakeably prophesied destruction and exile for the nation within a single generation [see below].  Even though most of the Old Testament prophets do mention future restoration in passing within long oracles of judgement, warnings of imminent destruction in Jesus’ day would be even less likely to convince a rebellious generation if they were qualified by frequent reaffirmation of the promise of eternal security in the land.

With that in mind, let us turn to the passages about the land covenant in the New Testament:

(A)  Promised Land in the Gospels

In the Gospels Jesus never explicitly reissues the covenant promise of land; He would not do so to His own rebellious generation, nor could He grant the land to His followers before the age of restoration of all things.  Yet He often assumes a Jewish presence in the land of Israel at the end of the present age just before His return, and then a secure Jewish authority over that land following His return.  Here we deal with the first two of six representative passages taken from the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.

Matthew 10:5-6, 23 – Jesus explicitly instructed His twelve disciples to identify themselves with His own mission to the Jewish nation specifically, which was in line with their calling to rule over their own nation in the age to come [see third Gospel post below on Mat 19].  Evidently they understood this mission to be a permanent one even after Jesus ascended, as implied by both Galatians 2:7‑9 and the role of both Peter and Paul in the establishment of church communities in Corinth and in Rome (1 Cor 1:12; Rom 15:20-22; 1 Pet 5:13).  The disciples were told, “Truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes”.  When seen in the context of 10:17-22 this prophecy cannot be understood to refer merely to making preparations in advance for Jesus’ earthly ministry in those cities, as was the task of the seventy sent out in Luke 10:1 (cf. Luke 9:1-6).  For Matthew, the ‘coming of the Son of Man’ was an unmistakeable reference to the second coming (cf. Mat 24:3, 23–25:46).

This indicates, therefore, that Jesus recognised the ongoing need for mission to Jewish cities and communities from the time of His own ministry right up until His final return, and one might even argue that the ‘cities of Israel’ refers to Jewish communities within the territorial land of Israel throughout that time (cf. Mat 10:5-6).  The case could be made that this passage influenced Paul’s own practice in his missionary journeys through Gentile lands of ‘going [first] to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’, ‘shaking off the dust’, and ‘fleeing to the next city’ (cf. Acts 13:42-51).  Even so, ‘cities of Israel’ when compared with ‘city of the Samaritans’ in 10:5 would suggest towns under Jewish authority, or at least Jewish-majority towns, and the prohibition against travelling into Gentile areas in 10:5 may indicate that the territory of Israel as defined in the first century is in view in 10:23.

Thus we have in Matthew 10 evidence of, at very least, an ongoing mission to the unbelieving nation of Israel that will not be concluded before Jesus Himself returns to the land.  It is possible that the ‘cities of Israel’ in which mission must be undertaken actually refers to Jewish communities remaining within the traditional territory of Israel throughout the time between Jesus’ ascension and His return, providing possible evidence of an unbroken land covenant underlying this preservation.

Matthew 24:32-35 – Luke 21:29-32 seems to be a generalisation of Matthew’s version of this teaching, by drawing the parable from all trees and not just the ‘fig tree’.  However I would argue Luke himself was aware that Jesus had not just chosen the fig tree at random for this illustration, because other sayings preserved only by Luke reinforce the significance of the fig tree.  In the Old Testament, the fig tree was used to represent the nation of Israel (Hos 9:10, 13, 16–10:2; Hab 3:16-18).  More importantly, though, the shelter it provided was a metaphor for the permanent and secure dwelling of the nation within its land, ultimately connected with return from exile (1 Kgs 4:25; Jer 8:8-15; Mic 4:4; Zec 3:8-10; cf. Song of Songs 2:10-13; John 1:47-51 with Gen 28:12-15).  Jesus made ample use of this metaphor in his teaching, for example in Luke 13:6-9, where He warned the nation that He had been looking for fruit on the ‘fig tree’ for three years, and it would be given only one more year before being ‘cut down’ (cf. Luke 3:7‑9).

In Mark 11:12-14, 20-23, Mark clarifies and adds detail to the conflated story in Matthew 21:18-22 where Jesus curses a fig tree overlooking Jerusalem for having no fruit on it.  The fact that it was not the season for figs made no difference to Jesus’ acted parable, and when the disciples commented on the immediate withering of the fig tree, Jesus turned the application over to His disciples – forty years later they would similarly command ‘this mountain’ (i.e. the Temple Mount they were walking towards) to be taken up and cast into the ‘sea’ (i.e. the nations – cf. Mat 13:47; Rev 17:15).  The withering of the fig tree symbolised the hardening and coming exile of the nation.  This makes best sense also of Jesus’ prophecy to the women weeping over Him as He approached Calvary (Luke 23:27-31), that presently the nation was still ‘green’ with leaves, but within a generation it would be ‘dry’ and experience judgement.

In the light of Jesus’ metaphor of Israel as a fruitless fig tree, withered at Jesus’ command, the ‘parable of the fig tree’ in Matthew 24:32-35 takes on a much greater significance.  When the dry fig tree becomes tender again and begins to put forth its leaves, that is, when the nation of Israel softens towards God and begins once more to show signs of secure dwelling within the land, believers will know that Jesus’ return is imminent.

[Matthew’s addition of Jesus’ saying about “this generation” that will not pass away before these things take place (24:34-35) appears to apply to the parable of the fig tree, but in fact Jesus spoke the saying to conclude his discourse to the four disciples specifically about the AD70 destruction of the Temple; the parable and the saying were juxtaposed because Matthew did not differentiate between prophecies about the two judgements.  Luke understood the saying (see next post), and because he also recognised that Matthew’s attached fig tree parable must point to the ‘end of the age’, he had to deliberately generalise the parable (“and all the trees”; “the kingdom of God is near”) in order to include the whole saying properly within that specific discourse about the sooner judgement (21:29-33) .  Similar adjustments are introduced by Mark 9:1 and Luke 9:27 to clarify a potentially confusing juxtaposition of sayings in Matthew 16:27‑28.]

Jesus therefore used the ‘fig tree’ as one of his favourite images of the nation of Israel (represented by its leadership), to describe its fruitlessness (Luke 13:6‑9), its withering (Mark 11:12‑27), its destruction when dry (Luke 23:27‑31), and finally its softening and fresh leaves indicating His imminent return (Mat 24:32‑33).  ‘Sitting under one’s own fig tree’ was a common metaphor for being permanently at ‘rest’ in the land, particularly after exile (Mic 4:1‑4; Zec 3:8‑10; John 1:47‑51), so the images of softening and leaves coming out imply the beginnings of repentance and dwelling in the land respectively.

Although some may argue that the parable of the fig tree is open to any interpretation simply because it is a parable, this interpretation corresponds precisely to the entirely literal prophecies Jesus gave about the Jewish nation at the end of this age [see next two posts].  Thus we may treat the parable of the fig tree as evidence of a promised reversal of the judgement of exile spoken by Jesus over the Jewish nation in His own generation; the only reasonable explanation for such a return from exile to the land of Israel is the fulfilment of God’s land covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.