An interesting revelation
Aug. 20th, 2010 01:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
valarltdThe story of Jesus and the fig tree has been bugging me for a while since ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dv_girl posted on the subject. I always felt sorry for the tree. And I remember Bertrand Russell talking about the story in "Why I am not a Christian."
For those who don't remember, the Mark version of the story:
Mark 11:12-14
12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: 13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
I did a little research on standard interpretation.
Some say the fig tree is just a symbol for Judaism. The Jewish leaders are not beaqring fruit by welcoming the Messiah, and so the whole religion is accursed. Or that it was an illustration of how trees that did not bear good fruit would be cut down (a common metaphor) Or that it should be cross-referenced with Luke 13:6, which would make it a parable starring Jesus instead of one he told.
But today, I realized where else I had heard the story.
Erma Bombeck. Seriously.
She talks about a plant party in suburbia, where the women bring their ailing plants to be helped. One woman brings up this pot with some limp, pale leaves drooping out of it. The Plant Healer says "You need to encourage your plant, talk to it." The lady says "I did. I called it something not very nice." She whispers in the Plant Healer's ear. The Plant Healer droops to the stage, limp and pale.
Have the Angel Translation/Combination: (Imagine Jerry Clower or Bill Cosby telling this)
So we left Bethany and everyone was hungry. You know how it is. You're fine until someone says something, and then you're just starving. And James and John were bickering again and Judas was back there counting to see if we had enough for breakfast and going clank, clank, clank. When Peter piped up and said "Hey, check the fig tree up there," everyone got too excited. Wrong season, you know? Anyway we followed the Big Guy down to the tree, which didn't have any figs and that was when somebody whined.
The Boss blew it, man. Just totally lost his temper and cussed that tree up one side and down t'other. And that little ol' fig tree? Well, it just withered slap up and DIED, jack!
dv_girl posted on the subject. I always felt sorry for the tree. And I remember Bertrand Russell talking about the story in "Why I am not a Christian."For those who don't remember, the Mark version of the story:
Mark 11:12-14
12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: 13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
I did a little research on standard interpretation.
Some say the fig tree is just a symbol for Judaism. The Jewish leaders are not beaqring fruit by welcoming the Messiah, and so the whole religion is accursed. Or that it was an illustration of how trees that did not bear good fruit would be cut down (a common metaphor) Or that it should be cross-referenced with Luke 13:6, which would make it a parable starring Jesus instead of one he told.
But today, I realized where else I had heard the story.
Erma Bombeck. Seriously.
She talks about a plant party in suburbia, where the women bring their ailing plants to be helped. One woman brings up this pot with some limp, pale leaves drooping out of it. The Plant Healer says "You need to encourage your plant, talk to it." The lady says "I did. I called it something not very nice." She whispers in the Plant Healer's ear. The Plant Healer droops to the stage, limp and pale.
Have the Angel Translation/Combination: (Imagine Jerry Clower or Bill Cosby telling this)
So we left Bethany and everyone was hungry. You know how it is. You're fine until someone says something, and then you're just starving. And James and John were bickering again and Judas was back there counting to see if we had enough for breakfast and going clank, clank, clank. When Peter piped up and said "Hey, check the fig tree up there," everyone got too excited. Wrong season, you know? Anyway we followed the Big Guy down to the tree, which didn't have any figs and that was when somebody whined.
The Boss blew it, man. Just totally lost his temper and cussed that tree up one side and down t'other. And that little ol' fig tree? Well, it just withered slap up and DIED, jack!
