™
Virtualtravels; Israel Diary; Archives
 Lifesongs ; Clay Corvin ; RememberME
Today's Good News ; MissionLab

Tom Brimmer's Israel Journal

The fruit of the Fig tree

Mark 11:12-14, 19-22
And on the next day, when they had departed from Bethany, He became hungry. And seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went {to see} if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And He answered and said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" And His disciples were listening. And whenever evening came, they would go out of the city. And as they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots {up.} And being reminded, Peter said to Him, "Rabbi, behold, the fig tree which You cursed has withered." And Jesus answered saying to them, "Have faith in God. (NAS)

If you look at a fig tree in the winter before the leaves cover the branches, you will see an amazing sight. It looks like fruit! You can eat them. They are called "Pagi" in Hebrew and they will later become the figs that you are more familiar with. Since Greek only has one word for the fruit of the Fig tree, you can’t see the difference in the English translation. Try it like this. Jesus looked at a fig tree thinking he might find something to eat. He was really hungry. The leaves had begun to grow so he knew that there should be Pagi hidden among the leaves. He also knew that a fig tree without Pagi would not produce fruit. When he found no Pagi, he cursed the rest of the tree because he already knew it would not bear fruit. It is simple to know the destiny of the tree if you know how that tree grows. The disciples understood the lesson. The master knows his orchard and he can tell if his cultivation will produce a return. He judges with wisdom that comes from a wealth of knowledge. He wants everything he touches to produce fruit. Then Jesus added the punch line, "Have faith in God." I have always wondered if he was comparing the act of living by faith with the Pagi that will later become fruit. "Without faith, it is impossible to please God." Hebrews 11:6

E-mail Tom Brimmer

return

©mikeclay.com, 1998