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Dec. 21, 2010 Take a look at Matthew 21:19-21, which is the parable of the fig tree. About the only good thing you can say about the parable is, “Thank goodness this stupid nonsense could not possibly have taken place on this or any planet.” Matthew 21:19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. Matthew 21:20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! Matthew 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. There are 850 species of figs in the genus Ficus, and many do no bear edible fruit. Among notable figs are sycamores, banyans and bo trees. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Sycomoros_old.jpg I became acquainted with fig trees when I was working as a landscaper in Honolulu in 1986 and 1987. I used to clean up after these majestic trees and grew to love them. Banyans do have tiny figs, but the amount of pulp is negligible and not very tasty. I doubt that it would be considered edible. And I suppose that even though figs are tropical trees, there may be seasons when they bear little fruit. Did Jesus know these facts? According to the parable, he came up without determining whether this tree was a Ficus carica (Kadota fig) or whether it was the right time of year for figs, killing it for the mere fault of not having any figs at that particular moment. Couldn’t he have waited a while till he found other food? Or better yet, if he was such a gracious miracle-worker, couldn’t he have caused the tree to put forth fruit immediately. Let’s put Jesus in the modern world. He goes into a bakery and says, “Give me half a dozen bagels.” He hears, “We don’t carry bagels,” or, “We’re out of bagels.” Jesus replies, “You will never sell another bagel,” and destroys the store. Wonderful Messiah! Obviously, in my opinion, whoever wrote this little tall tale was so intent on dreaming up some impressive miracle, he forgot momentarily that Jesus was supposed to be a cornucopia of love and generosity. I once calculated that, using modern earthmoving equipment, it would cost around $4 trillion to remove Pike’s Peak and haul the rubble to the Pacific Ocean. I imagine that a team of tree cutters could dismantle a fig tree for about $2000. So it’s quite a leap, if Jesus really had taken down a fig tree, to tell his people it’s only a small step to telling an obedient mountain to go jump in the sea. Casting a mountain into the sea then is probably about 2,000,000,000 times as momentous a task as punishing a tree. Christians act as if this parable is just wonderful, It is not because they have really considered the folly and absurdity of it all, but they act reflexively, knowing that their peers expect them to ooh and aah every time they hear the name of Jesus. If you’re a Christian and cannot move a mountain, I don’t want to hear a word you have to say about it. ------------ About the author Thomas Keyes: I have written five books: ELEMENTS OF GRAMMAR and A SOJOURN IN ASIA (non-fiction); A TALE OF UNG, THE ENNUNMENT and GVAGMA (fiction). I have studied languages for years and traveled extensively on five continents. Visit my website here. Email: udikeyes@yahoo.com
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