Bible Contradition: Cursing the Fig Tree

by JosephAlward 14 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  JosephAlward

  The contradiction below is just one among a great many which show that the Bible cannot be trusted to give an accurate account of Jesus’ life.

  Mark believes that Jesus cursed the fig tree before he drove the merchants from the temple:

  The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus..said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." (Mark 11:12-14)

  On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. (Mark 11:15-19)

  Matthew, however, believes that Jesus cursed the fig tree after he had driven the merchants from the temple:

  Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there...And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night. (Matthew 21:12-17)

  Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he...said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" (Matthew 21:18-20)

  Both of these accounts cannot be true at the same time, so at least one of them is in error, or perhaps both of them are. In either case, the Bible is in error--again.

  Joseph F. Alward
  "Skeptical Views of Christianity and the Bible"

  * http://members.aol.com/jalw/joseph_alward.html
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  cellomould

  It's not so much the error that gets to me, Joseph...
  ...more incriminating is Jesus' attitude towards an inanimate object.

  This is just not something you can imagine the Son of God doing. It's childish.

  The same type of angry reaction he displays in the temple. Wouldn't he have thought about the problem of salesmen in the temple before God sent him down to earth?

  So if he really wanted to correct the problem, he would have had a proactive plan to do so. It was certainly within his power to change things.

  Instead, his solution released perhaps a few sacrificial animals and slowed sales for maybe a day. It was little more than a rebuke, so 'his father's house' no doubt continued to be shamed.

  cellomould

  

  "In other words, your God is the warden of a prison where the only prisoner is your God." Jose Saramago, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ
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  Mr Ben

  Joseph,

  It should be perfectly clear to all thinking people that when the bible is “wrong” it proof of God’s humility in allowing imperfect men to write down his thoughts for Him. That He does not constantly correct this is proof that we need to have faith! Yes, God is testing us with regard to faith! Only you can believe two apparently contradictory things simultaneously will have won the victory over yourself, and will love the Father.

  I will pray for you,

  Yo Yo Ben

  Religion n.
  An organisation designed to promote atheism.
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  Bang

  Mark believes that Jesus cursed the fig tree before he drove the merchants from the temple:

  Does he?
  Perhaps the next morning Jesus went back and started driving them out again. He went and began driving them out, again - could have been an ongoing chore.

  In either case, the Bible is in error--again.

  I've never examined this 'discrepancy', but your logic on this seems presumptuous.

  Bang
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  stocwach

  Edward,

  You conveniently left out Mark 11:ll, which says (NLT) "So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple..."

  So Jesus was in the temple both before and after the fig tree clearing merchants out. It's as simple as that. Mark gives his account detail in the 2nd Temple visit, Matthew gives his account detail in the 1st visit.

  Joseph Alward debunked once again!
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  JosephAlward

  It's not so much the error that gets to me, Joseph......more incriminating is Jesus' attitude towards an inanimate object. This is just not something you can imagine the Son of God doing. It's childish.

  I agree with you, Cellomould; it was a very childish, immature act. It was not only childish, but irrational as well. For these reasons, Christians should reject this story as false.

  Why should Jesus be angry at the tree for not bearing fruit, when it was not even the season for it to bear fruit? Did Jesus not know that the laws of nature established by his “father,” the Lord, dictated that there was a time for all things, and the time for to fig tree to bear fruit had not yet come? Did this “Jesus” expect the fig tree to perform a miracle for him? Thus, the “Jesus” Mark was describing could not have been the son of most powerful, all-knowing being in the universe, because even five-year-olds in that region knew that fig trees don’t bear their fruit in March.

  Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. (Mark 11:13-14)

  In addition, if Jesus, as the son of the all-knowing God, was omniscient--all knowing, then how come he had to walk over to the fig tree to see that it didn’t have figs on it? Wouldn’t an all-knowing being know where he stood that the tree was bare without having to walk over to look at it?

  There are so many ridiculous aspects of this story that only one with a child-like, all-accepting, all trusting mind would choose to believe this story.

  Joseph F. Alward
  "Skeptical Views of Christianity and the Bible"

  * http://members.aol.com/jalw/joseph_alward.html
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  RWC

  I will only address the thoughts on the motivation. Read the verses that follow where Jesus tells his disciples that they need to ask for things in prayer. The cursing of the fig tree was a teaching tool on prayer. It was not a childish act of an angry Jesus.

  Why did he walk to it? So the disciples could see it had no fruit.
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  stocwach

  It's a shame Joseph that you have no faith or hope in anything. All you seem to do is try to find fault with the Bible and expect that the Bible should simply be perfectly easy to interpret and understand.
  Don't you realize your persona was foretold in the Bible? And don't you also realize that the Bible you envision would require no faith whatsoever?
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  GWEEDO

  cellomould

  It's not so much the error that gets to me, Joseph...
  ...more incriminating is Jesus' attitude towards an inanimate object.
  This is just not something you can imagine the Son of God doing. It's childish.

  The same type of angry reaction he displays in the temple. Wouldn't he have thought about the problem of salesmen in the temple before God sent him down to earth?

  Actually, the worst bit of behaviour I think Jesus exhibited was when some guy came up to him and said that he would follow him, but first he has to go and bury his father. Jesus replies to this by saying: "let the dead bury the dead". I never really could get my head around this little incident. It's extremely cold. Heres a guy who's grieving for his father and all the prince of compassion (jesus) can say is: let the dead bury the dead. Just ooozzes love!
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  cellomould

  Good point Gweedo!

  And just how do the dead bury the dead?

  cellomould

  

  "In other words, your God is the warden of a prison where the only prisoner is your God." Jose Saramago, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ