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From: craig@think.COM (Craig Stanfill)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc,net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: From Fig to finding a Candy Man
Message-ID: <6336@think.COM>
Date: Tue, 30-Sep-86 09:18:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: think.6336
Posted: Tue Sep 30 09:18:26 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 2-Oct-86 20:17:19 EDT
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Reply-To: craig@godot.think.com.UUCP (Craig Stanfill)
Organization: Thinking Machines, Cambridge, MA
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Xref: linus talk.religion.misc:326 net.religion.christian:4789

In article <3325@mit-eddie.MIT.EDU> barry@mit-eddie.UUCP (Mikki Barry) writes:
>The point is that your god incarnate, Jesus, was hungry.  Now in the
>past, when people were hungry, or thirsty, this Jesus was supposed to
>have created fish, bread, wine, etc.  But this time, instead of
>creating what he wished to have, he killed an innocent tree that
>HE made imperfect (i.e. not bearing figs).  Seems a bit strange that
>a god would rather kill something for being the way he made it, rather
>than simply create what he wanted in the first place.

Mikki completely misses several points.  First, the story of the fig tree
has given biblical scholars trouble for a long time.  It is strongly
suspected that the story is garbled in some fashion.  Part of it may be
missing, or two stories may have been run together.  There is plenty of
precedent for both in other parts of the scripture.  Interpreting this
story is difficult.

Second, Jesus spoke an parables and often acted in parables.  The
essence of a parable is that it MUST be interpreted on the symbolic
level.  Mikki ignores this.  As I interpret it, the fig tree that bears
no fruit is the disciple who does no good.  When Jesus gives the tree
more time to show fruit, he is showing mercy.  When Jesus chops down the
tree, the day of judgement has arrived and Jesus will disown the
fruitless disciple as a hypocrite.

Third, since Mikki misses the symbolism of the interpretation, his
criticism is way off the mark: God created the fig tree (disciple) with
free will, the choice of whether to bear fruit or not.

			-Craig