December 29, 2010 – Mark 11
Well, we have our sudden appearance in the Temple, but there was no one there, so He comes back the next day. If Christ entered the first time on the colt on Sunday, Palm Sunday, then He kicked the “thieves” out on Monday and was questioned by the Scribes about His authority on Tuesday. We are journeying through Holy Week the week after Christmas. I always find it amazing the change in the town from Christ entry to the way the crowds act on Good Friday. I found a great post talking about Jesus and this fig tree. Here is a link to it and some quotes to give you a sense of what it is about.

http://focusonjerusalem.com/israelandthefigtree.html


“Typically, the fig tree blooms before sprouting forth its leaves in the spring, and normally would produce, not one, but two crops of figs each year…. During the first dispersion of Israel, God sent a vision to the old prophet Jeremiah, of two baskets full of figs. One of the baskets had good figs while the other basket contained bad figs… Here, in these verses, God likens the captive exiles of Israel to the those good figs in the basket. The Jewish remnant which was still left in Jerusalem, God likens to the bad, or evil figs retained in the second basket.… So, when Jesus found no figs upon the fig tree, on that afternoon, and cursed the tree; He was displaying to the disciples in a figurative way, that nation of Israel still as yet had not bore any fruit from the branch; by the mere fact that their immediate generation still simply did not recognize the epic "time of visitation" by their Messiah. … The season for Israel's blossoming had arrived, and good figs were anticipated, but although the fig tree had blossomed forth, the time for figs was premature. …Jesus knew there were no figs on the tree even at a great distance away, and indeed everyone of the disciples knew that the season for figs was still early. So, in essence Jesus was exposing the disciples to the fact that their nation of Israel was not yet ready to produce fruit for the Lord either. But alas, remember, a fig tree produces not one harvest, but two harvests in a growing season…. Make no mistake about it though, Gods promises to the prophet Jeremiah concerning the good basket of figs still remains intact. God still intends to glean a second harvest from the fig tree of Israel, but only after that fig tree ( Israel ) has again put forth its leaves; and produces another budding of the fig tree later on in the growing season….The Church does not replace Israel, it was simply included into the productivity or fruitfulness of the tree. Romans 11:21: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.”

Some of it was not specifically about this story of the fig tree, but the relationship between Israel and the image of the fig tree, which was pointed out in the footnotes. What I took from the article is the sense that because Israel did not produce fruit by His appointed time, Israel would be destroyed, which came to pass 40 years after Christ. I don’t really know about the whole “second” crop idea. I would think that if the tree was killed down to its roots, it is done. But I have heard that there will be a mass conversion of Jews to Christianity before the end comes, although I have also read that this is a misinterpretation of the Scriptures. Personally I think a mass conversion is something God would want for His chosen people.