NOTES for Mar 11:11-23

When reading the Gospel story, many people ask: why did Jesus treat the poor tree so unfairly? After all, it was none other than God Himself who established the very laws of nature according to which every tree bears fruit in its proper season. That is how it was, is, and will be; that is how it ought to be. But there are, of course, exceptions to the existing order of things. In fact, such exceptions are what we call miracles. The Kingdom entering the world is a miracle by definition. That is why miracle accompanies the Savior everywhere: He is the One who brought the Kingdom into the world. But what if He is near and no miracle takes place? Is that possible? Of course it is; in fact, it happened often, because not everyone who met Jesus became a witness to or participant in miraculous events. One can pass by the Kingdom without noticing it, at least as long as it has not yet been revealed in all its fullness, transforming our world completely. But to pass by the Kingdom means to lose the fullness of life contained in it. That is why the fig tree dried up: it did not become part of the Kingdom, and now we can hardly answer the question of why that happened. But through the example of the fig tree we can understand what awaits us if, like it, we remain without any share in the life of the Kingdom. It is a stern example, but a spiritually useful one.