Passing the fig
tree the next day, the disciples notice that it has withered and, unsurprisingly,
this provokes some conversation. This supports the idea of the encounter with
the fig tree, if one can encounter a tree, as being a parable, as Jesus uses
what has happened to illustrate some big things about faith and prayer.
Peter, as so often,
is the spokesperson and comments on the fate of the tree. Jesus responds by
pointing out the large effect that faith can have. He talks about the potential
for faith to move a mountain into the sea. This is a strong statement of the power
of God, and what is therefore possible through faith in God. However, the
comment has added significance because Jesus does not just talk about this as a
principle with reference to any mountain. He talks about telling this mountain
to remove itself to the sea. Given where they were, the mountain to which
Jesus refers must be either the Mount of Olives or the mountain on which the Temple
is situated and, given what happened the previous day, we might assume that it
is the Temple Mount. Jesus is therefore saying that, if there is faith, the
Temple Mount can be thrown into the sea.
So, as Kim Huat
Tan (Mark) asks – “if the Temple becomes obsolete when there is
faith, how does one approach God to make requests and offer sacrifice for
atonement of sins?”
The answer to
that is also voiced by Tan – “In fact when prayers are made in faith, even
when that important national institution is removed, those prayers will still
be heard and answered.”
The value of the
fig tree thus shifts from the provision of figs to satisfy hunger to the huge
lessons it can teach about faith and prayer. Jesus reminds the disciples of the
abundance of God. God can provide anything they need – though that should not be
translated into a belief that God will provide everything we need. In the end,
the critical thing is the relationship that we can have with God, and that is
expressed through prayer. That operates as it should when our approach is right
and rooted in a spirit of forgiveness. There is an echo of the pattern prayer
with the comment that God will forgive us if we forgive others. I wonder how
forgiving we really are. I wonder if we have learned the lessons of faith and
prayer that this fig tree provides. Certainly, as Tan points out – “the
story of the fig tree is not about ethics but about theology.”
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