In Mathew 21:18-22 they are amazed with what he did and how he did it. But, the why is very mysterious. Jesus says, “if you have faith you will do what has been done to the fig Tree and even if you say to this Mountain be lifted up and thrown into the Sea…”
What ever you ask for, what ever you say, through Faith will be done.
Its clearly about prayer in this regard. Some say this is secondary and the main teaching is about rejecting and taking away from Isreal all that doesnt produce fruit. Correct? Jesus is hungry for the fruit of men. Jesus is not really hungry for figs. Jesus it rejecting Isreal not the tree! Jesus cannot make his enemy wither and die because he loves them. But it appears Jesus can kill the trees. This is what is most shocking. Why make it wither? It is not the tree that is being rejected, but Isreal.
Isn’t it also clear that Jesus cannot be considered as non violent?! That is one miricle he did not perform. Maybe the lesson is an example of what your harmful words can do.
Did he curse the Pharisees and Isreal through some ritual cursing of the Tree? This is simular to other rituals of symbolically acting out what you want done or want to happen. A form of prayer?
He must have been desperate. To sacrifice the life of the fig Tree in which the life of other creatures depend.
I can see cursing and rejecting the money changers, they are desacrating the temple but, a tree does not desacrate. On the contrary, trees are the most powerful and transformative tools and their planting and tending a fundamental act. To plant a tree is to restore an unfruitful and barren land into a heathy and fruitful one. Whether it is a fruit tree or not. Yes, Jesus did plant something that can be expressed as his love and forgiveness healing and a way to Heaven.
Whatever falls from a tree will sweeten the soil. We also have a connection to nature. Heathy conditions for a fruitful human life require heathy trees, air, water and soils. Did Jesus ever speak about the global environment?
The passage is not called a parable but there are intersting ones that follow that are all about doing the will and producing fruit.
Jesus rejects Isreal for not baring fruit and Isreal rejects Jesus. I get it. I just feel the tree is inocent.
Can I consider the whole incident to be not a litteral act of violence? Would that just be a failure of Mathew to not call it a parable?
I can overlook Jesus’s act of violence. Has anyone ever forgiven Jesus for this? I believe we must.
Any thoughts?