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why does Christ curse the fig tree?

ForeverYoursForeverYours
edited December 1969 in Faith Issues
Hi all, i have 2 qs.

in the begining of Passion week, i think around Monday, we read the passage of how Christ cursed the fig tree. why did he do that?

and directly after that, he goes and cleanses the temple from the thieves. in the begining of the monday of passion week, we read from genesis: the story of the creation, but not the fall yet. then from the wisdom of solomon and how the fear of the Lord is the beginign of wisdom. then the homily of St. shenouti about sitting with yourself and seeing what you offered to your guardian angel to the Lord that day,


how are these passages all related?

Comments

  • colugicolugi
    oohhh hiii, me and my dad were discussing that on the way home during passion week. I THINK, just double check me on this, coz i kind of forgot it, but i think that fig trees, when they have leaves, the should be growing fruit, so when Jesus saw that the tree had leaves and then realised that it didn't have fruit, he cursed it. I think it has something to do with people being fruitless, and not having the fruits of the holy spirit. ok i think that story is missing a bit of info but thats all I remember, if its right. If its wrong please tell me. cya hope i helped.
  • HolmesHolmes
    + Irini nem ehmot,

    From St. Gregory the Great - Epistle XXXIX, to Eulogius, Patriarch in Alexandria
    'The figs which the Lord had sought were the fruit of the Synagogue, which had the leaves of the law, but not the fruit of works. For the Creator of all things could not be ignorant that the fig tree had no fruit. That was something anyone might know, since it was not the time of figs.'

    From St. Cyril of Jerusalem - Catechetical Lectures, Lecture 13
    'The first act after the fall was that of Adam and Eve clothing themselves with fig leaves (Gen. 3:7). So now Jesus is making the same figure of the fig tree the very last of His wondrous signs. Just as He was headed towards the Cross, he cursed the fig tree--not every fig tree, but that one alone for its symbolic significance--saying, 'May no one anymore eat fruit of thee forever.' In this way the curse laid upon Adam and Eve was being reversed.'
  • TITLTITL
    [quote author=Κηφᾶς link=topic=11643.msg139747#msg139747 date=1308297155]
    + Irini nem ehmot,
    From St. Cyril of Jerusalem - Catechetical Lectures, Lecture 13
    'The first act after the fall was that of Adam and Eve clothing themselves with fig leaves (Gen. 3:7). So now Jesus is making the same figure of the fig tree the very last of His wondrous signs. Just as He was headed towards the Cross, he cursed the fig tree--not every fig tree, but that one alone for its symbolic significance--saying, 'May no one anymore eat fruit of thee forever.' In this way the curse laid upon Adam and Eve was being reversed.'


    Wow. I've never heard of the Adam and Eve explanation before.

    That was deep, St. Cyril.
  • ForeverYoursForeverYours
    thank you all for such great answers, i've also never heard of the Adam & Eve explanation.

    i guess that's also the reason why Christ went and cleanseed the temple after, signifying that the Jews had no "fruit".

    but im also still wondering why the Old Testament passage in the begining only had the creation and not the fall (when Adam & eve covered themselves witht he fig leaves)
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