There are two occasions when fig trees figure in the Gospels. In the
second Mar_11:12-14 Jesus curses a tree that, out of season, failed to
provide him with fruit to eat. Jesus is rather hard on fig trees. In
fact in the second entry Jesus appears rather petulant and vindictive
raising, in my mind at least, the question as to whether God in the
person of Jesus can commit a sinful act.
There is an entire school of thought that holds that financial success
and good fortune are the fruits of right living as if such things can be
earned through faithfulness to God. The corollary is that bad fortune is
retribution for wrong doing. What did those who suffer bad fortune do
wrong to deserve such punishment.
Today's lessons, in part, confront the issue of bad things happening to
'good' people. The reward and punishment modality described above is
very good Old Testament Deuteronomic Theology. In the opening verses of
Luk_13:1-5 Jesus makes clear that the people who died in the situations
cited were no better or worse than those in the audience in front of him.
God's salvation as enbodied in Christ is freely given to all who
believe, it cannot be earned. On the other hand it is not a get out of
jail free card. Repentence means turning away. Confession and
forgiveness is not licence to go out and do it again.
We are also faced with the paradox that salvation is not a thing that
can be earned by good deeds BUT in response to God's gift of love Good
Deeds should follow or the reception of God's act of salvation is rather
hollow. Jas_2:14-18
To return to the question of bad things happening to good people it
seems clear that life in the Kingdom of God on this earth does not guard
one from the perils of this world nor does it protect or ward us from
the consequences of our decisions. What it will do is provide us with a
relationship that will comfort and sustain us no matter what may betide
and a community of support to come to our aid in need.
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