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Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
12 wOn the following day, when they came from Bethany, xhe was hungry. 13 yAnd seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for zit was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
12-21절 사이에 마가는 무화과 나무와 성전 청결, 무화과 나무의 이야기를 제시한다.
- The way in which Mark organizes his material in these verses (fig tree/cleansing of temple/fig tree) suggests a connection between the cleansing of the temple and the cursing of the fig tree.
본문의 무화과 나무 사건과 이후 성전에서 상인들을 쫓아내는 사건은 불신앙적인 이스라엘에 대한 임박한 심판을 상징하는 것으로 예루살렘과 성전의 파괴에 대한 예언적인 행동이다.
- The cursing of the fig tree and the expulsion of the merchants from the temple (11:15–19) are prophetic actions that symbolize the same thing, the coming judgment on unfaithful Israel by the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. Israel, like the fig tree, appeared to be thriving; but the appearances were deceiving because Israel and the fig tree were bearing no fruit. The magnificence of the temple masked the corruption and false security associated with it. Just as the fig tree was cursed and withered, so Israel was about to be condemned and decline in importance. Just as the merchants were expelled from the temple, so the religious establishment that authorized the merchants was about to be expelled from its favored place.
Both the cursing and the expulsion are acted or dramatized parables in the tradition of the Old Testament prophets. Compare Isaiah’s walking around naked and barefoot to symbolize the “stripping” of Egypt (20:1–6), Jeremiah’s retrieving a rotten waistband to symbolize the humiliation of Judah (13:1–11), Jeremiah’s breaking of an earthen jar to symbolize the “breaking” of Judah (19:1–3, 10–11), and Jeremiah’s wearing a yoke around his neck to symbolize enslavement to the king of Babylon (27:1–15; 28:10–17; see also 2 Chr 18:10 and Ezek 4–5).
The fig tree symbolizes faithless Israel. It is so used in the Old Testament: Jer 8:13; 29:17; Hos 9:10, 16–17; Joel 1:6–7; Mic 7:1. The fig tree is an object of judgment in Isa 34:4 and Hos 2:12.
12절) 앞서 군중들의 환호속에 예루살렘에 입성하신 주님은 전날 성전을 둘러보신 후에 이틑날 베다니에서 나와 성전을 향하고 계셨다. 이때에 주님께서 시장하셨다
13-14절) 이때 한 무화과 나무를 보시고 그것에서 먹을 것을 얻기 위하여 나가셨지만 잎사귀 외에는 아무것도 보지 못하셨는데 왜냐하면 무화과 철이 아니었기 때문이다. 이에 주님께서 그 무화과 나무에게 영원토록 열매가 나지 않을 것을 저주하셨다.
- Since the fruit of the fig tree begins to appear about the same time as the leaves (or a little after), the appearance of leaves in full bloom should have indicated that fruit (in the form of green figs) was already growing. Jesus’ actions here have symbolic importance, signifying the hypocrisy of all who have the appearance that they are bearing fruit but in fact are not. The specific reference, though, is to Israel, since in the OT the fig tree often serves as a metaphor for Israel and its standing before God (e.g., Jer. 8:13; Hos. 9:10, 16; Joel 1:7). Here the cursing of the fig tree signifies the judgment of God on the “fruitless” Jewish people (cf. Mark 7:6), who had turned away from God into empty ritual and legalism (cf. Hos. 9:10–17). It is a visual parable to signify Jesus’ unrequited search for the true fruit of worship, prayer, and righteousness in the Jewish nation and its religious practices.
당시 일반적으로 6-11월 정도에 무화과 열매를 얻을 수 있었다. 이사건은 유월절에 발생한 것으로 4월정도니까 2-3개월정도 이른 시점에 예수님께서 열매를 요청하신 것이다. 예외적으로 4월에도 덜 익은 무화과를 먹을수는 있지만 일반적으로는 제 철이 아니다.
- Leaves are found on Palestinian fig trees except for the three winter months, and ripe figs are present from June until November. Therefore the event must have taken place during March, April, or May. Of course the Passover usually came in April. According to some, small green figs, which in an emergency could be eaten but ordinarily were not, appear in March even before the leaves; but it is doubtful that anything should be made of this. Mark’s parenthetical statement “it was not the season for figs” alerts the reader/ hearer to look for symbolic meaning (such parenthetical statements are another element of Markan style; cf. 1:16; 5:42; 7:3–4; 13:14). The statement may be an allusion to Mic 7:1 and/or Jer 8:13. If so, it could mean that at the time Jesus spoke Israel was not producing the fruit God expected. Israel, like the fig tree, was barren when Jesus came to it. This understanding would ease some of the difficulty.
이 열매 없는 무화과를 향해 저주하시는 주님의 모습을 보면서 제자들은 이것이 이스라엘을 향한 하나님의 저주임을 알았을까? 하나님께서 인내하시면서 당신의 사람들에게 열매를 요구하시는데 정말 필요한 때에 열매를 맺지 못할때, 열매가 없을때 하나님께서는 이제 그 열매들을 저주하셔서 더이상 열매를 얻지 못하게 하신다는 것이다. 만 백성을 향한 구원의 방주의 역할을 요구하심에도 불구하고 하나님의 소망을 이해하지 못하고 이를 행하지 않는 당신의 백성들을 향해 심판을 향하신다는 것이다. 그럼에도 불구하고 22-25절을 통해서 기도할 것을 요청하신다.
- Jesus’ statement in the first part of the verse indicates that Israel would not again be the primary instrument of accomplishing God’s purpose. The statement that the disciples heard him means that they grasped the truth. Although Mark did not record it, they must have been horrified. Mark felt a need to present the encouraging statements of vv. 22–25 because later disciples were also perplexed about the fate of Israel.
성전 청결을 하시는 주님, 그 주님께서 이 사건을 설명하시면서 무화과 나무를 저주하고 계신 것이다. 어쩌면 무화과 나무로서는 너무 속상한 것이다. 아직 때가 아닌데 자신에게 열매를 요구하시고 열매를 맺지 못하신다고 나무를 말라죽게 하시니 말이다. 하지만 사건의 핵심은 바로 성전 청결에 있다. 당시 로마는 절대 강국으로 모든 도시에 신당을 세우고 그 신당에 우상을 섬기도록 했다. 메베소, 아테네, 고린도, 알렉산드리아에 가이사의 상이 서 있었고 사람들은 그 우상앞에 절하는 것이 너무나 일상적인 상황이었다. 그런데 예루살렘 성전만은 달랐다. 구약에 따라 하나님을 형상화하는 것을 극단적으로 혐오했고 우상을 섬기지 않으려는 시도를 유대인들은 했다. 이런 신앙적인 이유로 이방땅에 살고 있는 유대인들은 예루살렘 성전을 방문하여 예배드릴때 이런 편의를 돕기 위해서 성전에서는 희생 제물을 판매하고 동전을 바꿔준 것이다. 당시 각국에서 발행되는 화폐에는 황제의 상이 그려져 있어 이것이 우상으로 여겨져 성전에 직접 드려지는 것을 꺼려했기에 성전에서는 동전을 바꿔주는 일을 한 것이다. 처음 이런 서비스를 제공할때는 온전히 하나님을 더욱 잘 섬기기위한 의도였음에도 불구하고 시간이 지나면서 도리어 본래의 의도를 망각하고, 아니면 전혀 의식하지 못하면서 본질을 놓치게 된 것에 대해서 주님께서는 통렬하게 지적하고 계신 것이다.
The cursing of the fig tree is a disturbing event (Anderson 1976:265), especially so because Mark clearly states that figs were out of season. Some try to soften this story by claiming that Jesus expected to find first fruits on the tree, the few figs that would have appeared in advance of the full crop which would come later (Gundry 1993:636). While the story might be read in that way, the unqualified statement because it was not the season for figs cannot be reconciled with this line of interpretation. The plain implication of this simple statement is that there was nothing wrong with the fig tree. The fig tree, then, is a sign or symbol of something else, and Mark’s intercalation points to the temple.
The setting for what Jesus did in the temple is the days leading up to Passover, perhaps during the Festival of Sukkoth. Both Passover, which celebrates God’s deliverance of the Jewish people from Egypt, and Sukkoth, which commemorates God’s provision in the wilderness, were celebrations of national pride. In the first century when the Jewish people lived under the administration of Rome, these festivals were also a flash point for patriotic hopes. They brought out the deepest religious and patriotic feelings of the people, yet as Jews from around the world streamed into Jerusalem to celebrate their day of liberation, foreigners held the reigns of power in the Promised Land.
There was one place, however, where the Jewish people were still in control—the temple. Caesar permitted them to practice their religion unhindered by the politics of Rome. In Ephesus the temple of Artemis housed statues of the goddess Roma and Caesar Augustus. Temples in Athens, Corinth and Alexandria held similar statues. Throughout the Mediterranean world, houses of worship displayed tokens of their allegiance to Rome, but it was not so in Jerusalem. The temple in Jerusalem housed no statues of any kind. It was unpolluted by the trappings of foreign gods, and the keepers of the temple were committed to keeping it pure.
Rome’s tolerance and a Jewish commitment to keep the temple pure help to explain the presence of the moneychangers. Church governing boards and pastors often cite what Jesus did in the temple as a reason to prohibit the sale of anything on church patios on Sunday mornings. There is very little in this Gospel to support such a prohibition. Despite efforts to prove otherwise (Anderson 1976:266), Mark contains no hint that the animals offered for sacrifice were overpriced or that the rate of exchange was artificially inflated. In fact, an argument might be made that the sellers and moneychangers were providing an important service. The pilgrims who streamed in from all parts of the Roman Empire to celebrate Passover needed a ready supply of animals to sacrifice, and the money they brought with them was typically inscribed with the image of a god or goddess. It would not do to have pious Jews purchase sacrifices for the one true God with idolatrous currency, so the temple authorities authorized the striking of money that contained no offensive symbols. Those who came to Jerusalem to worship were required to use this currency to purchase their sacrifices.
The setting for what Jesus did in the temple is the days leading up to Passover, perhaps during the Festival of Sukkoth. Both Passover, which celebrates God’s deliverance of the Jewish people from Egypt, and Sukkoth, which commemorates God’s provision in the wilderness, were celebrations of national pride. In the first century when the Jewish people lived under the administration of Rome, these festivals were also a flash point for patriotic hopes. They brought out the deepest religious and patriotic feelings of the people, yet as Jews from around the world streamed into Jerusalem to celebrate their day of liberation, foreigners held the reigns of power in the Promised Land.
There was one place, however, where the Jewish people were still in control—the temple. Caesar permitted them to practice their religion unhindered by the politics of Rome. In Ephesus the temple of Artemis housed statues of the goddess Roma and Caesar Augustus. Temples in Athens, Corinth and Alexandria held similar statues. Throughout the Mediterranean world, houses of worship displayed tokens of their allegiance to Rome, but it was not so in Jerusalem. The temple in Jerusalem housed no statues of any kind. It was unpolluted by the trappings of foreign gods, and the keepers of the temple were committed to keeping it pure.
Rome’s tolerance and a Jewish commitment to keep the temple pure help to explain the presence of the moneychangers. Church governing boards and pastors often cite what Jesus did in the temple as a reason to prohibit the sale of anything on church patios on Sunday mornings. There is very little in this Gospel to support such a prohibition. Despite efforts to prove otherwise (Anderson 1976:266), Mark contains no hint that the animals offered for sacrifice were overpriced or that the rate of exchange was artificially inflated. In fact, an argument might be made that the sellers and moneychangers were providing an important service. The pilgrims who streamed in from all parts of the Roman Empire to celebrate Passover needed a ready supply of animals to sacrifice, and the money they brought with them was typically inscribed with the image of a god or goddess. It would not do to have pious Jews purchase sacrifices for the one true God with idolatrous currency, so the temple authorities authorized the striking of money that contained no offensive symbols. Those who came to Jerusalem to worship were required to use this currency to purchase their sacrifices.
본문의 무화과나무 사건은 다음에 등장하는 성전 청결과 반드시 연결해서 이해해야만 한다. 성전의 의미를 잃어버린 이들을 향한 통렬한 심판을 무화과 나무로 예표하고 있다.
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