Matthew 21:19 The Quarrel with the Fig Tree – a Living Poem by Jesus

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[SIZE=medium]Have you ever wondered why Jesus went to so much effort to find “grounds for quarrelling” with the fig tree in Matthew 21:19? It just so happens that the Hebrew word for fig tree is spelled the same as the Hebrew word used in Judges 14:4 for “occasion [ground of quarrel].” According to Mark 11:13, it wasn’t the season for figs - so the pretense by Jesus is obvious. Jesus uses the double entendre for “fig tree/occasion [ground of quarrel]” as the theme of a poem that includes rhymes for “found” and “come forth” and also “leaves” and “forever.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]“Fig Tree” [/SIZE]תאנה
[SIZE=medium]“Occasion [Ground of Quarrel]” [/SIZE]תאנה

[SIZE=medium]“Found” [/SIZE]מצא
[SIZE=medium]“Come Forth[/SIZE]” יצא

[SIZE=medium]“Leaves” [/SIZE]העלים
[SIZE=medium]“Forever” [/SIZE]לעולם

[SIZE=medium]“18 In the morning, returning to the city, he was hungry. [/SIZE][SIZE=medium]19[/SIZE][SIZE=medium] And seeing a fig tree by the road he went to it, and found {“Found” ([/SIZE][SIZE=medium]מצא)} [/SIZE]nothing on it but leaves {“Leaves” (העלים)} only. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come {“Come Forth” (יצא)} from you again {“Forever” (לעולם)}!” And immediately the fig tree withered.” [Matthew 21:18-19 The Passion: The Poetry of God]

[SIZE=medium]J. Clontz – Editor of the Comprehensive New Testament[/SIZE]