Dear Wisdom,
Please teach us about the apparent temper tantrum of Jesus when he cursed the fig tree and it died:
The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.
In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” Mark 11:12
Why did Jesus curse the tree? If Jesus was perfect, then what is our take-home lesson from this bizarre story about the man of perfect love? Thank You!
Care to comment, Wisdom?
Answer
No one said Jesus was perfect as a human.
He was to live as a human and experience emotions to be able to relate to a person. How much more intimate can a person become with God when they realize the Creator actually experienced emotions and deep feelings.
When in the desert for 40 days, he experienced hunger and temptation. Jesus, the human, was not supposed to be viewed as perfect but someone with real feelings. The stories of His life that were recorded had been chosen to make Jesus so holy as to not getting upset or angry. A few times negative emotions seeped into the story.
Anger was displayed at the people when they turned the house of worship into a carnival/market or when the disciples doubted. There are many stories in the Bible showing emotions felt by Jesus. The cursing of the fig tree showed a display of human emotion. There was also an underlying lesson for the soul. Every parable and story is not only teaching the humans but also the soul. Many people curse others in anger; not realizing how powerful the spoken word is in regard to the souls.
Yes, you hurt the other emotionally and sometimes physically; you also have cursed your soul.
Jesus created the tree to wither; but he also killed the ability to enjoy fresh figs whenever he passed by when the tree would have been heavy with harvest of fruit. There would be no fruit for any traveler passing by.
Jesus was teaching the responsibility of issuing a curse.
Some people curse often. They do not realize the burden that is being placed on their own soul.
Thank you so much, Wisdom, in gratitude.
You are welcome on our little faucet.
A faucet regulates the flow of water and the temperature. The mind also needs a faucet to control the flow of words and the emotional temperature. One has control over the faucet though some don’t stop the words coming out or care what effect they have on others. Be aware of the energy being created. Through the spoken word curses will keep boomeranging back to you. One can let the faucet of the mind flow with gratitude.
This creates currents of joy.
