John Chrysostom, On the Parable of the Fig Tree

For what was the necessity for the fig tree to be withered by a word, and not to be made fruitful by a word? For he who withered it by a word was also able by a word to make it fruitful. And what sin did the fig tree commit, one might say, since it was not its season, as Mark the evangelist says it was winter at that time? And if there is not some mystery beyond human understanding being accomplished in it, the Lord will be found praiseworthy in one way, but blameworthy in another; praiseworthy, because he withered it with a word; but blameworthy, because he cursed it unjustly. But we must henceforth understand, beloved, what the fig tree was a symbol of; for there was no deed done by Christ that did not contain a mystery. In short, there was no work done by him that was not exceedingly profitable; none that did not proclaim the truth; none that did not move the mind toward the reception of heavenly things. Many of the interpreters have said that this fig tree was likened to the synagogue of the Jews, to which, it says, the Lord came, seeking in it the fruit of faith; and he did not find it, but only one flourishing with the words of the prophets and the law like leaves; therefore he also withered it, saying: Let no fruit ever come from you again.

But I attempt to contradict this interpretation, beloved; for the precise meaning is not so. For how would the Lord have cursed, who says, Bless, and do not curse? And how would he have cursed and withered the synagogue, who says, The Son of Man did not come to destroy, but to seek and to save that which was lost? But if anyone still contradicts and contends, saying that the fig tree was precisely likened to the synagogue of the Jews, let him say how the synagogue, withered from the roots, put forth such a fruitful branch, the most sweet Paul. And we know of many others who converted from the synagogue of the Jews; for indeed Stephen, who was stoned by the Jews, was from that synagogue, and Aquila and Priscilla and many others, whose list of names we now decline to give because of the length of words. But that God has not completely rejected the people of the Jews, let Paul bear witness to me, saying: I ask then, has the Lord completely rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. The Lord has not rejected his people. But he also promises salvation to that people in the last days in saying: And when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then all Israel will be saved. For even if the Jews have become enemies of God, they have become so for our sake, so that by their disobedience we might receive mercy, as 59.588 Paul bears witness to me, saying, As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake; but as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers; for the gifts and the holy calling are irrevocable. Therefore, beloved, the account of the fig tree must be investigated, what it was a symbol of. But if you, O Adam, remember, when you were naked in paradise, the leaves of what tree you took and, sewing them together, wove a covering for yourself, you will see how justly he withered it; for did you not take fig leaves and cover your own shame? Christ came, therefore, and with a word withered the fig tree still flourishing in you, the covering of shame; he took away your poverty, and has given you wealth; he took away your coverings of shame, and has given you a garment bright as snow, woven from water and Spirit; he withered the leaves of the fig tree, and restored to you the spoils of the soul. What spoils? Those which the serpent plundered from you in paradise: the life equal to angels, the delight of paradise, the robe of incorruptibility.

2. But let us return to the main point. For in the morning, it says, returning, the

Jesus to the city, was hungry. In the morning, after the night of error had passed by, and Christ the dawn had shone the light of the resurrection upon the world; for the dawn is the

Τί γὰρ τὸ ἀναγκαῖον ἦν τῷ λόγῳ ξηραίνεσθαι τὴν συκῆν, καὶ μὴ λόγῳ ταύτην καρποφορεῖν; Ὁ γὰρ ῥήματι ξηράνας αὐτὴν ἠδύνατο καὶ ῥήματι εὔκαρπον αὐτὴν ποιῆσαι. Τί δὲ καὶ ἥμαρτεν ἡ συκῆ, εἴποι τις ἂν, ὁπότε οὐκ ἦν αὐτῆς ὁ καιρὸς, Μάρκου τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ λέγοντος χειμῶνα εἶναι κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρόν; Καὶ εἰ μή τί ἐστι μυστήριον ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον ἐν αὐτῇ τελούμενον, εὑρεθήσεται ὁ Κύριος κατὰ μὲν ἕνα τρόπον ἐπαινετὸς, κατὰ δὲ ἕτερον μεμπτέος· ἐπαινετὸς μὲν γὰρ, ὅτι λόγῳ αὐτὴν ἐξήρανε· μεμπτέος δὲ, ὅτι ἀδίκως αὐτὴν κατηράσατο. Ἀλλὰ δεῖ νοεῖν τοῦ λοιποῦ, ἀγαπητοὶ, τίνος ἔφερεν εἰκόνα ἡ συκῆ· οὐ γὰρ ἦν τι ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ γενόμενον πρᾶγμα, ὃ οὐκ εἶχε μυστήριον. Ὅλως οὐδὲν ἦν παρ' αὐτοῦ γινόμενον ἔργον, ὃ μὴ σφόδρα ὠφέλιμον· οὐδὲν ὃ μὴ ἐβόα τὴν ἀλήθειαν· οὐδὲν ὃ μὴ πρὸς τὴν τῶν οὐρανίων παραδοχὴν ἐκίνει τὸν νοῦν. Ταύτην τὴν συκῆν οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἑρμηνέων εἰρήκασι τῇ τῶν Ἰουδαίων συναγωγῇ παρεικασμένην εἶναι, ἐφ' ἢν ἦλθε, φησὶν, ὁ Κύριος, ζητῶν ἐν αὐτῇ καρπὸν πίστεως· καὶ οὐχ εὗρεν, εἰ μὴ μόνον λόγοις προφητῶν καὶ νόμου καθάπερ φύλλοις κομῶσαν· διὸ καὶ ἐξήρανε, λέγων· Μηκέτι ἐκ σοῦ καρπὸς γένηται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

Ἐγὼ δὲ τῇ ἑρμηνείᾳ ταύτῃ πειρῶμαι ἀντιλέγειν, ἀγαπητοί· οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἔχει ἡ ἀκρίβεια τοῦ νοήματος. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν κατηράσατο ὁ Κύριος, λέγων, Εὐλογεῖτε, καὶ μὴ καταρᾶσθε; πῶς δὲ καὶ τὴν συναγωγὴν κατηράσατο ἂν καὶ ἐξήρανεν ὁ λέγων, Οὐκ ἦλθεν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀπολέσαι, ἀλλὰ ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός; Εἰ δέ τις ἔτι ἀντιλέγει καὶ φιλονεικεῖ, λέγων, τῇ τῶν Ἰουδαίων συναγωγῇ παρεικασμένην εἶναι τὴν συκῆν ἀκριβῶς, λεγέτω πῶς ἡ ἀπὸ ῥιζῶν ξηρανθεῖσα συναγωγὴ τοιοῦτον ἔγκαρπον κλάδον ἐβλάστησε, τὸν γλυκύτατον Παῦλον. Πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ ἄλλους ἐπιστρέψαντας ἔγνωμεν ἐκ τῆς τῶν Ἰουδαίων συναγωγῆς· καὶ γὰρ καὶ Στέφανος ὁ λιθασθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐξ ἐκείνης τῆς συναγωγῆς ἐτύγχανε, καὶ Ἀκύλας καὶ Πρίσκιλλα καὶ πολλοὶ ἄλλοι, ὧν τὸν κατάλογον νῦν τῶν ὀνομάτων διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν λέξεων παραιτούμεθα λέγειν. Ὅτι δὲ οὐ παντελῶς ἀπώσατο ὁ Θεὸς τὸν λαὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων, μαρτυρείτω μοι Παῦλος λέγων· Λέγω οὖν, Μὴ παντελῶς ἀπώσατο Κύριος τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ; Μὴ γένοιτο· καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ Ἰσραηλίτης εἰμὶ, ἐκ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ, φυλῆς Βενιαμίν. Οὐκ ἀπώσατο Κύριος τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ σωτηρίαν τῷ λαῷ ἐκείνῳ ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐπαγγέλλεται ἐν τῷ λέγειν· Ὅταν δὲ τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ, τότε πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐχθρὸν γεγόνασιν Ἰουδαῖοι τοῦ Θεοῦ, δι' ἡμᾶς γεγόνασιν, ἵνα τῇ ἐκείνων ἀπειθείᾳ ἡμεῖς ἐλεηθῶμεν, ὡς 59.588 μαρτυρεῖ μοι Παῦλος λέγων, Κατὰ μὲν τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἐχθροὶ δι' ἡμᾶς· κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐκλογὴν ἀγαπητοὶ, διὰ τοὺς πατέρας· ἀμεταμέλητα γὰρ τὰ χαρίσματα καὶ ἡ κλῆσις ἁγία. Ζητητέος τοίνυν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ὁ περὶ τῆς συκῆς λόγος, τίνος ἔφερεν εἰκόνα. Ἀλλ' ἐὰν σὺ, ὁ Ἀδὰμ, μνησθῇς, ὅτε ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἐγυμνώθης, ποίου δένδρου φύλλα λαβὼν καὶ συῤῥάψας ἑαυτῷ περιβόλαιον ὕφανας, ὄψει πῶς δικαίως ταύτην ἐξήρανεν· ἢ γὰρ οὐχὶ φύλλα συκῆς λαβὼν τὴν σεαυτοῦ αἰσχύνην ἐκάλυπτες; Ἦλθεν οὖν ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ τὴν ἔτι ἐν σοὶ ἀνθοῦσαν συκῆν τὸ τῆς αἰσχύνης κάλυμμα τῷ λόγῳ ἐξήρανεν· ἦρέ σου τὴν πενίαν, καὶ δέδωκέ σοι τὸν πλοῦτον· ἦρέ σου τὰ τῆς αἰσχύνης καλύμματα, καὶ δέδωκέ σοι χιονοφεγγῆ στολὴν, ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ Πνεύματος ὑφανθεῖσαν· ἐξήρανε τὰ φύλλα τῆς συκῆς, καὶ ἀπέδωκέ σοι τὰ σῦλα τῆς ψυχῆς. Ποῖα σῦλα; Ἃ ὄφις ἐσυλαγώγησεν ἐν σοὶ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, τὴν ἰσάγγελον ζωὴν, τὴν τοῦ παραδείσου τρυφὴν, τὴν τῆς ἀφθαρσίας στολήν.

βʹ. Ἀλλ' ἐπανέλθωμεν ἐπὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον. Πρωῒ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπανελθὼν ὁ

Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἐπείνασε. Πρωῒ, μετὰ τὸ τὴν νύκτα τῆς πλάνης παραδραμεῖν, καὶ τὸν ὄρθρον Χριστὸν τὸ τῆς ἀναστάσεως φέγγος αὐγάσαι τῷ κόσμῳ· ὄρθρος γὰρ ὁ