The Sign Of The Fig Tree
Preaching
Preaching The Parables
Series III, Cycle C
1. Text
"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. [26] People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. [27] Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. [28] Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
[29] Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees; [30] as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. [31] So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. [32] Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. [33] Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
[34] "Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, [35] like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. [36] Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
2. What's Happening?
First Point Of Action
Jesus' preface to this parable appears at first to be disastrous news, then readers discover that the news is good. People will see signs in nature and in the way nations interact. People will react to these changes because of fear and foreboding of what is coming.
Second Point Of Action
Then they will see that what is coming with power and great glory is the Son of Man, coming in a cloud.
Third Point Of Action
Jesus tells them their response: Stand up and raise your heads. Your redemption draws near. This event is worthy of celebration.
Fourth Point Of Action
Jesus tells the parable. Look at what the fig tree and all trees tell you about summer's coming when they begin to sprout leaves.
Fifth Point Of Action
Similarly, observe the dependable signs in human nature that tell you to count on a change to happen.
Sixth Point Of Action
Jesus further reassures with the final aspects of certainty. Jesus' word can be trusted. The world will not change until everything is ready.
Seventh Point Of Action
Jesus defines the proper attitude of preparation. Avoid being caught unexpectedly because of faulty lifestyle and attitude. No one is exempt. Stay alert. A proper defense embraces God by preparing the heart first, that is, praying first for strength to escape all that will take place, and then to stand before "the Son of Man."
3. Spadework
As Soon As
This little phrase carries the weight of the parable. As soon as this happens, this will happen. Depend upon it. Trust it to happen. It is part of the design. As soon as you observe the leaves sprout on the fig tree, you can trust that summer is already near. The fig requires summer's warmth to return to full life. As clearly, as soon as other signs of change begin to show, trust that the realm of God is near. Pay attention and you need not be surprised, but ready.
Fig
As Americans may have named the elm earlier and now the oak or maple as a first thought of common tree, people in Jesus' locality may have thought first of the fig tree. The fig, the olive, and the grapevine, often referred to in scripture, were plentiful specimens for metaphor. Folk also coveted the fig tree for its shade. It signaled that its owner was wealthy. (See Cycle C, Parable 3, The Fruitless Fig Tree.)
Parable
Of the Gospels, Luke refers to "parable" most often with sixteen uses, but he makes no reference to "parables." "Parable(s)" occurs in Matthew fifteen times and a dozen times in Mark, but not at all in John.
Unlike the miracle stories where Jesus is the doer of the deeds, in the parables Jesus is the teller of stories. How the parable makes the meaning clear or obvious is a worthy query to bring to a parable. Also consider if the parable draws a hearer farther into the puzzle of understanding what Jesus has in mind by offering the parable.
While in Hebrew Scripture, one finds the words "parable" or "parables" only in Psalm 78:2-4, this Psalm provides a telling passage. Beginning, "I will open my mouth in a parable," "open" suggests both the action of speaking and the disclosure of revealing what once was hidden or mysterious.
The Psalmist suggests a radical change in that "dark sayings" (v. 2b), still a mystery to the reader if not to the Psalmist, will no longer be hidden from the next generation. The next generation will continue to pass them on.
The term "dark sayings" is as suggestive as the frightening predictions of what is to come in the present parable. However, the simultaneous telling of "the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done" (v. 4b) brings to mind the positive outcome foretold in the present parable.
Luke draws us farther into the puzzling and mysterious secrets of the meaning of a parable in Luke 8:9-10. When the disciples ask Jesus the meaning of the parable of the sower, he refers them to the prophecy of Isaiah that his words fulfill.
The disciples are "given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that 'looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not understand' " (Luke 8:10). (See Isaiah 6:8-12, the "Whom shall I send" and "Here am I; send me" passage.)
Continuing the story of our attempts to comprehend the ways and being of God, the season of Advent introduces a new perspective to the parable of The Sign Of The Fig Tree. Advent prepares us for the birth of a storyteller who conveys the truth in parables that speak with symbols meaningful at the level of the soul.
Signs
From this first Sunday of Advent, the signs of foreshadowing have begun. They are signs of dependability and stability, signs of what we can count on, signs of change, and signs to which we must become alert. Refer to other signs of foreboding in Isaiah 13:10, Joel 2:10, Zephaniah 1:15, and Revelation 6:13.
Son Of Man
Of the sixteen Lukan parables selected for this lectionary cycle, this phrase appears only in this story and in the parable found in the midsummer lection, the parable of The Watching Servants. (See Cycle C, Parable 9.) "Son of Man" appears twice in The Sign Of The Fig Tree. The first instance in Luke 21:27 is part of a phrase set in quotations, "the Son of Man coming in a cloud," referring to Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 16:27, 26:64; and Luke 9:27, 18:7-8. Luke 21:36 provides the second reference, "to stand before the Son of Man."
Of the 79 instances of the Son of Man in the New Testament, 65 uses occur in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew - 27 times, Mark - thirteen, Luke - 25) and in John, thirteen. By contrast, of the 34 New Testament references to "the Son of God," fourteen are found in the Synoptic Gospels -- six in Matthew, two in Mark, and six in Luke -- with eight in John.
When a phrase is used as often as the Son of Man, one begins to look more closely at its emphasis. Perhaps this was of Jesus' design. Jesus was a person, yet he was more than a person. Did he want to awaken this realization in others? Is he also reminding himself of who he is as well as Whose he is? The phrase designates a title. It suggests that Jesus has claimed his calling. Jesus will use this reference to himself until it arouses the curiosity and finally the faithfulness of others.
Jesus differentiates between the Son of Man and the Holy Spirit: "Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." (See Matthew 12:32.)
Luke grounds Jesus' beginnings in genealogy: "[Jesus] was the son (as was thought) of Joseph son of Heli, ... the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son [sic, lower case son] of God" (Luke 3:38). Here the Son of Man is introduced as we first meet Jesus, the vulnerable infant born of a man and a woman, the human connection, the God to the human family bond.
In Jesus' words, the adult Son of Man also is vulnerable. Jesus' references to himself as the Son of Man persist in reminding us of Jesus' human origin. (See especially Luke 9:44, " 'Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.' ")
However, the Son of Man is always in relationship to God the Parent. (See John 8:28, "So Jesus said, 'When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me.' ")
To contrast, in Luke from the tempting devil and the demons Jesus drew out of the ill to the assembly of elders who led him away to the high council, Jesus' adversaries referred to him as the Son of God. (See Luke 4:3, 9, 41; and 22:70.)
The timeless and universal human querying has begun. When the people refer to Jesus, they use the term "the Son of God." (See Luke 22:70, "All of them asked, 'Are you, then, the Son of God?' He said to them, 'You say that I am.' " At his death, the centurion said these words: "Truly this man was God's Son!" (Matthew 27:54b and Mark 15:39). However, in the Lukan telling, the centurion sidesteps, "Certainly this man was innocent!" (Luke 23:47b).
The people do not refer to Jesus as "the Son of Man" until in the Gospel ascribed to John. One from the crowds asks him outright, "Who is this Son of Man?" (John 12:34b). "Who is this Son of Man?" was their question. It is also ours.
4. Parallel Scripture
While this nature parable has no Gospel parallel, cross-references given below may offer further insight into its meaning.
The Signs
In the Lukan passage, Jesus speaks of the nature signs -- the sun, moon, and stars -- and the signs of human distress -- confusion, fear, and foreboding. (See Luke 21:25.) Mark's writer tells us what to look for in the nature signs: "[T]he sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven" (Mark 13:24-25a). Here Mark says, "and the powers in the heavens will be shaken" (Mark 13:24b); whereas, Luke prefaces the same words with these: "People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Luke 21:26).
The writer of Matthew warns that we "know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times" (Matthew 16:3). Matthew also speaks about signs in nature: "The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29).
The Son Of Man
Luke 21:27 reads, "Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory." Mark reads, "in clouds" and "great power and glory" (see Mark 13:26). Mark offers this additional action: "Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven" (Mark 13:27). Matthew reads, "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see 'the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30).
The Parable
Luke prefaces the parable with these words: "Then he told them a parable:" (see Luke 21:29a). Mark makes a direct presentation of the fig tree as a metaphor.
In Luke, Jesus instructs us to "look at the fig tree and all the trees" (Luke 21:29b). Mark and Matthew speak only of the fig, "From the fig tree learn its lesson:" (see Mark 13:28 and Matthew 24:32).
Luke says, "as soon as they sprout leaves" (Luke 21:30a), while Mark, for once less cryptic and more poetic, says, "as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves" (Mark 13:28b). The text from Matthew is identical here. (See Matthew 24:32.)
Luke then says, "[Y]ou can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near" (Luke 21:30), while Mark and Matthew say only, "[Y]ou know that summer is near" (Mark 13:29b and Matthew 24:32b).
Luke adds, "So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near" (Luke 21:31). Matthew says, "all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates" (Matthew 24:33). Mark says, "that he is near" then adds, "at the very gates" (Mark 13:29).
The next two lines: "Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (Luke 21:32-33), are identical except that Mark and Matthew say, "all these things" (Mark 13:30 and Matthew 24:34-35).
The Warning
The words of warning are quite different between Mark and Luke; however the message is the same. Both say to be on guard. Luke says, "Be on guard" (Luke 21:34) and "Be alert at all times" (Luke 21:36). Mark says, "Beware, keep alert" (Mark 13:33) and "Keep awake" (Mark 13:35). "Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming" (Matthew 24:42).
Mark emphasizes that no one, "neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (Mark 13:32) knows the day or hour of the coming. (See also Mark 13:33.) Luke expresses more concern for the person who is to be on guard, saying to be on guard "so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap" (Luke 21:34-35).
Luke says to "be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36). In Matthew, "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour" (Matthew 24:44).
The Habakkuk Parallel
Drawing attention to a world that seems in perennial turmoil, this Lukan passage bears a resemblance to the words of the Hebrew prophet Habakkuk (Habakkuk 3:16-19).
The first parallel is the cognizance of change: "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves" (Luke 21:25) and "Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls" (Habakkuk 3:17).
Second is the common, visceral response to fear: "People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Luke 21:27) and "I hear, and I tremble within; my lips quiver at the sound. Rottenness enters into my bones, and my steps tremble beneath me" (Habakkuk 3:16a).
Third is the suggested response to the uncertainty of the times coupled with the anticipation of change: "Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36) and "I wait quietly for the day of calamity to come upon the people who attack us" (Habakkuk 3:16b).
The reminder of God's presence of strength through the difficult times and God's redemptive salvation comprise the fourth parallel: Compare, "Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (Luke 21:27-28) with the affirmation of Habakkuk, "[Y]et I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength" (Habakkuk 3:18-19).
5. Chat Room
Person From Early Christian Era: I must admit to becoming uneasy yesterday when Jesus began talking to us. There is so much that we cannot control. From my perspective, the whole world is almost always in chaos. We barely get calmed down then something else erupts. I find this unsettling. Now Jesus tells us the things of nature are about to turn tumultuous. I never have been good at reading the signs unless I look back in time. I must tell you that I see little hope.
Person From 2003: This mess continues into our millennium as well, but I do have a different viewpoint. Whenever we are in a time of unrest, whether the commotion is personal or its scope is international or the result of natural disaster, that unease overrides everything we do.
We forget then about the times of relative stability. We seem the most fearful during such times. We forget that it is temporary. We are most vulnerable then to forgetting about the strength of hope.
Early CE: For me, such periods overshadow even the good times. Fear and foreboding are strong forces. I know where I personally have been lacking and wonder if my ways have contributed to the signs I see around me. Maybe such thinking gives me too much power. It could be that the world is out of control despite anything that I have done or that I could do. Maybe it is too late.
Person From Idaho: You overlook the power of the "then." Hello, I'm joining you from Idaho. What always surprises me is Christ's knack for inserting the one little word that changes everything. Here, first he scares us until we quake with apprehension. He gains our attention. We start looking at how we live. When he inserts the "then," it all settles into place. "Then," Christ tells us, "they will see that what is coming with power and great glory is the Son of Man coming in a cloud."
CE: Thanks for the reinforcement, Idaho. We do have reason to choose hope over fear. Jesus' preface to this parable appears at first to be disastrous news. Of course, terror is terror. We have seen plenty of that throughout the ages.
In my day, it also appears to squash the circle of calm. Nevertheless, I believe that God comes out on the side of hope despite the struggle. This is the season of Advent, the waiting season. Into the mess of your ancient world, God brought the hope of an infant named Emmanuel, God-with-us. Into our troubled midst today also, the spirit of God continues to re-emerge. We have to look for hope in the small, day-to-day signs of God's presence in the midst of uncertainty.
Idaho: Check out the whole passage. Christ does not stop with the parable. He offers another response to terror to calm the quaking within. We must meet the presence of our vulnerability and walk through it to get to the other side. Christ shows us the way through. He says, "Stand up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near." Hey, this is celebratory. Christ is talking about saving. Saving is about new beginnings. This is hope-talk, people.
CE: It seems to me that these parables Jesus tells us only add to the confusion. At least with the miracles, even if we must make a faith leap, we do witness a concrete change to a real problem. With the parable, I feel that I am the one left to make sense of it.
2003: Indeed, you and I bring to a parable our own situations and our own understanding at a given time. A parable is a story with an unexpected yet strangely predictable ending because its author is Christ. Let us give the parables a chance to surprise us. Let us give them a chance to change us. God continues to provide opportunity for the a-ha of understanding. In order to move us into hope, God sometimes sends a miracle. Sometimes, God responds with a parable. Always, God responds.
Fig Tree: Now, don't laugh. I am a fig tree, and I do have a talking precedent. Check out Judges 9:5-15, another albeit less familiar Hebrew story of sibling rivalry. When Jotham's brother Abimelech wanted to become king, he killed all of his siblings except Jotham.
In a metaphorical story, he sent a warning to the lords of Shechem after they made Abimelech king. Anyway, Jotham concealed the warning in a message spoken through an olive tree, a fig tree, and a grape vine.
CE: And what does that story have to do with this parable?
Fig: The other trees approached us, in turn, asking us to give up doing what we were designed by nature to do. In turn, we refused. So they went to the bramble, who represented Abimelech. You can read the outcome for yourself.
My point is, much as I would like to shine with specially coded messages, in the present parable the fig tree is a common tree, part of the dependable natural world. This is a cause and effect parable. We can trust natural law: lengthening days, warming, and rainfall to awaken the swelling of my buds and the sprouting of my leaves. Cause and effect, I say.
Signs of renewed life and signs of summer interplay as does how the human family treats the earth -- poisons, ill-use, waste and the resultant air pollution, resource exhaustion, and climatic changes that are more than cyclical do have an effect upon the natural world.
CE: Then you would counsel us to attend to subtle sky changes, the moisture of the air, the activity or hush of birds, our sudden grouchiness, or our sense of foreboding before the tumult begins to lash at us and we become trapped.
Fig: Both literally and by metaphor. What other truth does your Christ want the fig to convey to you? Ask, today, what signs in human nature you notice that tell you to count on something to happen. Your Christ knows that to ignore these signs will lead to trouble.
Heeding them while you still can leads to turning things around or at the least being able to withstand the calamity. Cause and effect, that is the process. Heeding these signs of inner and outer unrest also can bring an effect, that of remedy. Then your attitude toward changing signs will become that of watchful waiting. Advent still happens in Idaho, I say.
2003: Yet, even when there is destruction, the urge to survive and thrive again endures. That is the reconnecting with God story, the God with us and the God for us story.
Fig: Green is good. So now is the time to read the cause and effect signs of your life. Get ready now in the midwinter. Practice watchful waiting and persistent preparation for our springtime resurrection.
"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. [26] People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. [27] Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. [28] Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
[29] Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees; [30] as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. [31] So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. [32] Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. [33] Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
[34] "Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, [35] like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. [36] Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
2. What's Happening?
First Point Of Action
Jesus' preface to this parable appears at first to be disastrous news, then readers discover that the news is good. People will see signs in nature and in the way nations interact. People will react to these changes because of fear and foreboding of what is coming.
Second Point Of Action
Then they will see that what is coming with power and great glory is the Son of Man, coming in a cloud.
Third Point Of Action
Jesus tells them their response: Stand up and raise your heads. Your redemption draws near. This event is worthy of celebration.
Fourth Point Of Action
Jesus tells the parable. Look at what the fig tree and all trees tell you about summer's coming when they begin to sprout leaves.
Fifth Point Of Action
Similarly, observe the dependable signs in human nature that tell you to count on a change to happen.
Sixth Point Of Action
Jesus further reassures with the final aspects of certainty. Jesus' word can be trusted. The world will not change until everything is ready.
Seventh Point Of Action
Jesus defines the proper attitude of preparation. Avoid being caught unexpectedly because of faulty lifestyle and attitude. No one is exempt. Stay alert. A proper defense embraces God by preparing the heart first, that is, praying first for strength to escape all that will take place, and then to stand before "the Son of Man."
3. Spadework
As Soon As
This little phrase carries the weight of the parable. As soon as this happens, this will happen. Depend upon it. Trust it to happen. It is part of the design. As soon as you observe the leaves sprout on the fig tree, you can trust that summer is already near. The fig requires summer's warmth to return to full life. As clearly, as soon as other signs of change begin to show, trust that the realm of God is near. Pay attention and you need not be surprised, but ready.
Fig
As Americans may have named the elm earlier and now the oak or maple as a first thought of common tree, people in Jesus' locality may have thought first of the fig tree. The fig, the olive, and the grapevine, often referred to in scripture, were plentiful specimens for metaphor. Folk also coveted the fig tree for its shade. It signaled that its owner was wealthy. (See Cycle C, Parable 3, The Fruitless Fig Tree.)
Parable
Of the Gospels, Luke refers to "parable" most often with sixteen uses, but he makes no reference to "parables." "Parable(s)" occurs in Matthew fifteen times and a dozen times in Mark, but not at all in John.
Unlike the miracle stories where Jesus is the doer of the deeds, in the parables Jesus is the teller of stories. How the parable makes the meaning clear or obvious is a worthy query to bring to a parable. Also consider if the parable draws a hearer farther into the puzzle of understanding what Jesus has in mind by offering the parable.
While in Hebrew Scripture, one finds the words "parable" or "parables" only in Psalm 78:2-4, this Psalm provides a telling passage. Beginning, "I will open my mouth in a parable," "open" suggests both the action of speaking and the disclosure of revealing what once was hidden or mysterious.
The Psalmist suggests a radical change in that "dark sayings" (v. 2b), still a mystery to the reader if not to the Psalmist, will no longer be hidden from the next generation. The next generation will continue to pass them on.
The term "dark sayings" is as suggestive as the frightening predictions of what is to come in the present parable. However, the simultaneous telling of "the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done" (v. 4b) brings to mind the positive outcome foretold in the present parable.
Luke draws us farther into the puzzling and mysterious secrets of the meaning of a parable in Luke 8:9-10. When the disciples ask Jesus the meaning of the parable of the sower, he refers them to the prophecy of Isaiah that his words fulfill.
The disciples are "given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that 'looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not understand' " (Luke 8:10). (See Isaiah 6:8-12, the "Whom shall I send" and "Here am I; send me" passage.)
Continuing the story of our attempts to comprehend the ways and being of God, the season of Advent introduces a new perspective to the parable of The Sign Of The Fig Tree. Advent prepares us for the birth of a storyteller who conveys the truth in parables that speak with symbols meaningful at the level of the soul.
Signs
From this first Sunday of Advent, the signs of foreshadowing have begun. They are signs of dependability and stability, signs of what we can count on, signs of change, and signs to which we must become alert. Refer to other signs of foreboding in Isaiah 13:10, Joel 2:10, Zephaniah 1:15, and Revelation 6:13.
Son Of Man
Of the sixteen Lukan parables selected for this lectionary cycle, this phrase appears only in this story and in the parable found in the midsummer lection, the parable of The Watching Servants. (See Cycle C, Parable 9.) "Son of Man" appears twice in The Sign Of The Fig Tree. The first instance in Luke 21:27 is part of a phrase set in quotations, "the Son of Man coming in a cloud," referring to Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 16:27, 26:64; and Luke 9:27, 18:7-8. Luke 21:36 provides the second reference, "to stand before the Son of Man."
Of the 79 instances of the Son of Man in the New Testament, 65 uses occur in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew - 27 times, Mark - thirteen, Luke - 25) and in John, thirteen. By contrast, of the 34 New Testament references to "the Son of God," fourteen are found in the Synoptic Gospels -- six in Matthew, two in Mark, and six in Luke -- with eight in John.
When a phrase is used as often as the Son of Man, one begins to look more closely at its emphasis. Perhaps this was of Jesus' design. Jesus was a person, yet he was more than a person. Did he want to awaken this realization in others? Is he also reminding himself of who he is as well as Whose he is? The phrase designates a title. It suggests that Jesus has claimed his calling. Jesus will use this reference to himself until it arouses the curiosity and finally the faithfulness of others.
Jesus differentiates between the Son of Man and the Holy Spirit: "Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." (See Matthew 12:32.)
Luke grounds Jesus' beginnings in genealogy: "[Jesus] was the son (as was thought) of Joseph son of Heli, ... the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son [sic, lower case son] of God" (Luke 3:38). Here the Son of Man is introduced as we first meet Jesus, the vulnerable infant born of a man and a woman, the human connection, the God to the human family bond.
In Jesus' words, the adult Son of Man also is vulnerable. Jesus' references to himself as the Son of Man persist in reminding us of Jesus' human origin. (See especially Luke 9:44, " 'Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.' ")
However, the Son of Man is always in relationship to God the Parent. (See John 8:28, "So Jesus said, 'When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me.' ")
To contrast, in Luke from the tempting devil and the demons Jesus drew out of the ill to the assembly of elders who led him away to the high council, Jesus' adversaries referred to him as the Son of God. (See Luke 4:3, 9, 41; and 22:70.)
The timeless and universal human querying has begun. When the people refer to Jesus, they use the term "the Son of God." (See Luke 22:70, "All of them asked, 'Are you, then, the Son of God?' He said to them, 'You say that I am.' " At his death, the centurion said these words: "Truly this man was God's Son!" (Matthew 27:54b and Mark 15:39). However, in the Lukan telling, the centurion sidesteps, "Certainly this man was innocent!" (Luke 23:47b).
The people do not refer to Jesus as "the Son of Man" until in the Gospel ascribed to John. One from the crowds asks him outright, "Who is this Son of Man?" (John 12:34b). "Who is this Son of Man?" was their question. It is also ours.
4. Parallel Scripture
While this nature parable has no Gospel parallel, cross-references given below may offer further insight into its meaning.
The Signs
In the Lukan passage, Jesus speaks of the nature signs -- the sun, moon, and stars -- and the signs of human distress -- confusion, fear, and foreboding. (See Luke 21:25.) Mark's writer tells us what to look for in the nature signs: "[T]he sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven" (Mark 13:24-25a). Here Mark says, "and the powers in the heavens will be shaken" (Mark 13:24b); whereas, Luke prefaces the same words with these: "People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Luke 21:26).
The writer of Matthew warns that we "know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times" (Matthew 16:3). Matthew also speaks about signs in nature: "The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29).
The Son Of Man
Luke 21:27 reads, "Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory." Mark reads, "in clouds" and "great power and glory" (see Mark 13:26). Mark offers this additional action: "Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven" (Mark 13:27). Matthew reads, "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see 'the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30).
The Parable
Luke prefaces the parable with these words: "Then he told them a parable:" (see Luke 21:29a). Mark makes a direct presentation of the fig tree as a metaphor.
In Luke, Jesus instructs us to "look at the fig tree and all the trees" (Luke 21:29b). Mark and Matthew speak only of the fig, "From the fig tree learn its lesson:" (see Mark 13:28 and Matthew 24:32).
Luke says, "as soon as they sprout leaves" (Luke 21:30a), while Mark, for once less cryptic and more poetic, says, "as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves" (Mark 13:28b). The text from Matthew is identical here. (See Matthew 24:32.)
Luke then says, "[Y]ou can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near" (Luke 21:30), while Mark and Matthew say only, "[Y]ou know that summer is near" (Mark 13:29b and Matthew 24:32b).
Luke adds, "So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near" (Luke 21:31). Matthew says, "all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates" (Matthew 24:33). Mark says, "that he is near" then adds, "at the very gates" (Mark 13:29).
The next two lines: "Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (Luke 21:32-33), are identical except that Mark and Matthew say, "all these things" (Mark 13:30 and Matthew 24:34-35).
The Warning
The words of warning are quite different between Mark and Luke; however the message is the same. Both say to be on guard. Luke says, "Be on guard" (Luke 21:34) and "Be alert at all times" (Luke 21:36). Mark says, "Beware, keep alert" (Mark 13:33) and "Keep awake" (Mark 13:35). "Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming" (Matthew 24:42).
Mark emphasizes that no one, "neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (Mark 13:32) knows the day or hour of the coming. (See also Mark 13:33.) Luke expresses more concern for the person who is to be on guard, saying to be on guard "so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap" (Luke 21:34-35).
Luke says to "be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36). In Matthew, "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour" (Matthew 24:44).
The Habakkuk Parallel
Drawing attention to a world that seems in perennial turmoil, this Lukan passage bears a resemblance to the words of the Hebrew prophet Habakkuk (Habakkuk 3:16-19).
The first parallel is the cognizance of change: "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves" (Luke 21:25) and "Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls" (Habakkuk 3:17).
Second is the common, visceral response to fear: "People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Luke 21:27) and "I hear, and I tremble within; my lips quiver at the sound. Rottenness enters into my bones, and my steps tremble beneath me" (Habakkuk 3:16a).
Third is the suggested response to the uncertainty of the times coupled with the anticipation of change: "Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36) and "I wait quietly for the day of calamity to come upon the people who attack us" (Habakkuk 3:16b).
The reminder of God's presence of strength through the difficult times and God's redemptive salvation comprise the fourth parallel: Compare, "Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (Luke 21:27-28) with the affirmation of Habakkuk, "[Y]et I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength" (Habakkuk 3:18-19).
5. Chat Room
Person From Early Christian Era: I must admit to becoming uneasy yesterday when Jesus began talking to us. There is so much that we cannot control. From my perspective, the whole world is almost always in chaos. We barely get calmed down then something else erupts. I find this unsettling. Now Jesus tells us the things of nature are about to turn tumultuous. I never have been good at reading the signs unless I look back in time. I must tell you that I see little hope.
Person From 2003: This mess continues into our millennium as well, but I do have a different viewpoint. Whenever we are in a time of unrest, whether the commotion is personal or its scope is international or the result of natural disaster, that unease overrides everything we do.
We forget then about the times of relative stability. We seem the most fearful during such times. We forget that it is temporary. We are most vulnerable then to forgetting about the strength of hope.
Early CE: For me, such periods overshadow even the good times. Fear and foreboding are strong forces. I know where I personally have been lacking and wonder if my ways have contributed to the signs I see around me. Maybe such thinking gives me too much power. It could be that the world is out of control despite anything that I have done or that I could do. Maybe it is too late.
Person From Idaho: You overlook the power of the "then." Hello, I'm joining you from Idaho. What always surprises me is Christ's knack for inserting the one little word that changes everything. Here, first he scares us until we quake with apprehension. He gains our attention. We start looking at how we live. When he inserts the "then," it all settles into place. "Then," Christ tells us, "they will see that what is coming with power and great glory is the Son of Man coming in a cloud."
CE: Thanks for the reinforcement, Idaho. We do have reason to choose hope over fear. Jesus' preface to this parable appears at first to be disastrous news. Of course, terror is terror. We have seen plenty of that throughout the ages.
In my day, it also appears to squash the circle of calm. Nevertheless, I believe that God comes out on the side of hope despite the struggle. This is the season of Advent, the waiting season. Into the mess of your ancient world, God brought the hope of an infant named Emmanuel, God-with-us. Into our troubled midst today also, the spirit of God continues to re-emerge. We have to look for hope in the small, day-to-day signs of God's presence in the midst of uncertainty.
Idaho: Check out the whole passage. Christ does not stop with the parable. He offers another response to terror to calm the quaking within. We must meet the presence of our vulnerability and walk through it to get to the other side. Christ shows us the way through. He says, "Stand up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near." Hey, this is celebratory. Christ is talking about saving. Saving is about new beginnings. This is hope-talk, people.
CE: It seems to me that these parables Jesus tells us only add to the confusion. At least with the miracles, even if we must make a faith leap, we do witness a concrete change to a real problem. With the parable, I feel that I am the one left to make sense of it.
2003: Indeed, you and I bring to a parable our own situations and our own understanding at a given time. A parable is a story with an unexpected yet strangely predictable ending because its author is Christ. Let us give the parables a chance to surprise us. Let us give them a chance to change us. God continues to provide opportunity for the a-ha of understanding. In order to move us into hope, God sometimes sends a miracle. Sometimes, God responds with a parable. Always, God responds.
Fig Tree: Now, don't laugh. I am a fig tree, and I do have a talking precedent. Check out Judges 9:5-15, another albeit less familiar Hebrew story of sibling rivalry. When Jotham's brother Abimelech wanted to become king, he killed all of his siblings except Jotham.
In a metaphorical story, he sent a warning to the lords of Shechem after they made Abimelech king. Anyway, Jotham concealed the warning in a message spoken through an olive tree, a fig tree, and a grape vine.
CE: And what does that story have to do with this parable?
Fig: The other trees approached us, in turn, asking us to give up doing what we were designed by nature to do. In turn, we refused. So they went to the bramble, who represented Abimelech. You can read the outcome for yourself.
My point is, much as I would like to shine with specially coded messages, in the present parable the fig tree is a common tree, part of the dependable natural world. This is a cause and effect parable. We can trust natural law: lengthening days, warming, and rainfall to awaken the swelling of my buds and the sprouting of my leaves. Cause and effect, I say.
Signs of renewed life and signs of summer interplay as does how the human family treats the earth -- poisons, ill-use, waste and the resultant air pollution, resource exhaustion, and climatic changes that are more than cyclical do have an effect upon the natural world.
CE: Then you would counsel us to attend to subtle sky changes, the moisture of the air, the activity or hush of birds, our sudden grouchiness, or our sense of foreboding before the tumult begins to lash at us and we become trapped.
Fig: Both literally and by metaphor. What other truth does your Christ want the fig to convey to you? Ask, today, what signs in human nature you notice that tell you to count on something to happen. Your Christ knows that to ignore these signs will lead to trouble.
Heeding them while you still can leads to turning things around or at the least being able to withstand the calamity. Cause and effect, that is the process. Heeding these signs of inner and outer unrest also can bring an effect, that of remedy. Then your attitude toward changing signs will become that of watchful waiting. Advent still happens in Idaho, I say.
2003: Yet, even when there is destruction, the urge to survive and thrive again endures. That is the reconnecting with God story, the God with us and the God for us story.
Fig: Green is good. So now is the time to read the cause and effect signs of your life. Get ready now in the midwinter. Practice watchful waiting and persistent preparation for our springtime resurrection.
