John Chrysostom, On the Parable of the Fig Tree

to be found. He found the broad and wide road of this life standing; he came upon it, and finds it luxuriant with leaves, that is, flourishing with doctrines of sin, but it no longer had the fruit of death. Why? Because it was not the season; for the evangelist added this: 'It had,' he says, 'no fruit, for it was not the season.' For how could it still bear the fruit of death, when Jesus had come, and was proclaiming resurrection to the world? It was no longer its season to bear the fruit of death. For 'death reigned from Adam until Moses,' that is, of the law. For Scripture, he says, knows to call the law Moses, as in the Gospel: 'They have Moses and the prophets.' The Lord said to it, 'No longer, and may no fruit ever come from you again;' that is, 'Before my coming you bore the fruit of death; behold I have come, this is the resurrection.' Since I have come, 'May no fruit ever come from you again.' And immediately the fig tree withered; and that which was written was fulfilled, 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' 'O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?' For when the evangelist said that it was winter at that time when the fig tree was luxuriant with leaves, he intimated that sin was luxuriant, because the devil was a winter pressing upon all humanity. For before the coming of the Prince of Peace, the human race was shaken by various spirits, being driven to idolatries and bloodshed and revelries and lewdness; but when our Lord Jesus 59.590 Christ, the peace of the world, came, he stilled the reefs of the opposing spirits that were troubling the salt-bearing sea of the passions of this life, and he quenched the foam-bearing waves of pleasures. And having withered the fig tree, he planted the faith of the cross, flourishing and flashing life to all; of which cross the roots were set in the earth, and the branches were stretched up to heaven; of which the leaves are ageless, and the flower unfading, and the fruit immortal; of which tree David also makes mention, saying: 'And he shall be like the tree planted by the streams of water, which will give its fruit in its season, and its leaf will not fall off.' Of this tree Wisdom also makes mention, saying: 'It is a tree of life to all who lay hold of it.' Jeremiah, having beheld this tree with a prophetic eye, about to be hewn down by the Jews against Christ, spoke out in the person of the Jews, saying to them: 'Come, and let us put wood into his bread, and let us wipe him out from the land of the living.' The wood is the cross, the bread is the body of Christ. For the Lord, taking bread, said: 'This is my body, which is broken for you for the forgiveness of sins.'

Having ascended this scaffold of the cross, our Lord Jesus Christ, and having stretched out his hands, and driven out the powers flying in the air, he prepared for us an unimpeded journey to heaven, and raised for us faith as a long ladder from earth to heaven; and the paradox, if you will hear it, beloved, is that the tree of the cross stood, and on it was spread the true vine, which says, 'I am the true vine;' and it became for the devil a death-bearing vine-trellis, but for us a life-bearing vine-trellis, holding back the heat of our sins, and bestowing on us a shadow of rest. He who sits under its shadow says what was spoken by Solomon: 'In his shadow I desired and I sat down, and his fruit was sweet in my throat.' In this shadow, the blessed David took courage and said: 'And in the shadow of your wings I will hope.' Until when? 'Until my iniquity passes away.' O wondrous deed and new mystery! The spring lay upon a tree, and the cross was watered by it; for being pierced in his side with a spear, he sent forth blood and water; with the blood making the cross purple, and with the water watering its roots, so that it might forever cause immortal fruits to spring forth for those who believe.

εὕρασθαι· εὗρε τὴν πλατεῖαν καὶ εὐρύχωρον ὁδὸν τοῦ βίου τούτου ἑστῶσαν· ἦλθεν ἐπ' αὐτὴν, καὶ εὑρίσκει αὐτὴν φύλλοις κομῶσαν, τουτέστι, δόγμασιν ἁμαρτίας ἀνθοῦσαν, μὴ ἔχουσαν δὲ αὐτὴν καρπὸν ἔτι θανάτου. ∆ιὰ τί; Ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἦν καιρός· τοῦτο γὰρ προσέθηκεν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής· Οὐκ εἶχε, φησὶ, καρπόν· οὐ γὰρ ἦν καιρός. Πῶς γὰρ ἠδύνατο ἔτι θάνατον καρποφορῆσαι. Ἰησοῦ παραγενομένου, καὶ ἀνάστασιν τῷ κόσμῳ κηρύττοντος; Οὐκ ἔτι ἦν αὐτῆς καιρὸς καρποφορεῖν θάνατον· Ἐβασίλευσε γὰρ ὁ θάνατος ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ μέχρι Μωϋσέως. τουτέστι, τοῦ νόμου. Οἶδε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ Γραφὴ τὸν νόμον λέγειν Μωϋσέα, ὡς ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ· Ἔχουσιν Μωϋσέα καὶ τοὺς προφήτας. Εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς αὐτὴν, Οὐ περαιτέρω καὶ Μηκέτι ἐκ σοῦ καρπὸς γένηται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· τουτέστι, Πρὸ τῆς ἐμῆς παρουσίας ἐκαρποφόρησας θάνατον· ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ παραγέγονα, αὕτη ἡ ἀνάστασις. Ἐμοῦ παραγενομένου Μηκέτι ἐκ σου καρπὸς γένηται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Καὶ εὐθέως ἐξηράνθη ἡ συκῆ· καὶ ἐπληρώθη τὸ γεγραμμένον, Κατεπόθη ὁ θάνατος εἰς νῖκος. Ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ κέντρον; ποῦ σου, ᾅδη, τὸ νῖκος; Εἰπὼν γὰρ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς χειμῶνα εἶναι κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ἐν ᾧ ἡ συκῆ τοῖς φύλλοις ἐκόμα, ᾐνίξατο ὅτι ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐκόμα, διὰ τὸ εἶναι τὸν διάβολον χειμῶνα ἐπικείμενον πάσῃ τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι. Πρὸ γὰρ τῆς τοῦ εἰρηνάρχου παρουσίας, ποικίλοις πνεύμασιν ἐκλονεῖτο τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος, πρὸς εἰδωλολατρείας καὶ αἱμοχυσίας καὶ κώμους καὶ λαγνείας ἐλαυνόμενον· ἐλθὼν δὲ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς 59.590 Χριστὸς, ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ κόσμου, κατέστειλε τὰς τῶν ἐναντίων πνευμάτων σπιλάδας ταραττούσας τὴν τοῦ βίου τούτου τῶν παθῶν ἁλμυροφόρον θάλασσαν, καὶ τὰ ἀφροφόρα τῶν ἡδονῶν κατέσβεσε κύματα. Καὶ ξηράνας τὴν συκῆν, ἐφύτευσε τὴν τοῦ σταυροῦ πίστιν ἀνθοῦσαν, καὶ ζωὴν πᾶσιν ἀστράπτουσαν· οὗ σταυροῦ αἱ μὲν ῥίζαι εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐτέθησαν, οἱ δὲ κλάδοι εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνετάθησαν· οὗ τὰ φύλλα ἀγήρατα, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἀμάραντον, καὶ ὁ καρπὸς ἀθάνατος· οὗ καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ μέμνηται ξύλου, λέγων· Καὶ ἔσται ὡς τὸ ξύλον τὸ πεφυτευμένον παρὰ τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὑδάτων, ὃ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ φύλλον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀποῤῥυήσεται. Τούτου τοῦ ξύλου μέμνηται καὶ ἡ Σοφία, λέγουσα· Ξύλον ζωῆς ἐστι πᾶσι τοῖς ἀντεχομένοις αὐτῆς. Τοῦτο τὸ ξύλον προφητικῷ ὀφθαλμῷ θεωρήσας Ἱερεμίας, ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων μέλλον κατὰ Χριστοῦ πελεκᾶσθαι, εἰς πρόσωπον τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀπεφθέγξατο, λέγων αὐτοῖς· ∆εῦτε, καὶ ἐμβάλωμεν ξύλον εἰς τὸν ἄρτον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκτρίψωμεν αὐτὸν ἐκ γῆς ζώντων. Ξύλον ὁ σταυρὸς, ἄρτος τὸ σῶμα Χριστοῦ. Λαβὼν γὰρ ὁ Κύριος ἄρτον, εἶπε· Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σῶμά μου, τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν κλώμενον εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν.

Ἐπὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἰκρίον τοῦ σταυροῦ ἀναβὰς ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ ἐκπετάσας, καὶ τὰς ἐν τῷ ἀέρι πετομένας δυνάμεις ἐξελάσας, ἀνεμπόδιστον ἡμῖν τὴν εἰς οὐρανὸν πορείαν ηὐτρέπιζε, καὶ κλίμακα μακρὰν ἡμῖν τὴν πίστιν ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀνατείνας· καὶ τὸ παράδοξον, ἐὰν ἀκούσητε, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἔστη τὸ δένδρον τοῦ σταυροῦ, ἐφηπλώθη ἐν αὐτῷ ἡ ἀληθινὴ ἄμπελος, ἡ λέγουσα, Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή· καὶ ἐγένετο τῷ μὲν διαβόλῳ ἀναδενδρὰς θανατηφόρος, ἡμῖν δὲ ἀναδενδρὰς ζωηφόρος, τὸν καύσωνα τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ἀναστέλλουσα, καὶ σκιὰν ἀναπαύσεως ἡμῖν δωρουμένη. Ὑπὸ τὴν σκιὰν αὐτοῦ ὁ καθήμενος λέγει τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σολομῶντος εἰρημένον· Ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ αὐτοῦ ἐπεθύμησα καὶ ἐκάθισα, καὶ γλυκὺς αὐτοῦ ὁ καρπὸς ἐν τῷ λάρυγγί μου. Ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ σκιᾷ θαῤῥήσας ὁ μακάριος ∆αυῒδ ἔλεγε· Καὶ ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ τῶν πτερύγων σου ἐλπιῶ. Ἕως πότε; Ἕως οὗ παρέλθῃ ἡ ἀνομία μου. Ὢ θαυμαστοῦ πράγματος καὶ μυστηρίου καινοῦ! Ἡ πηγὴ ἐπὶ δένδρον ἔκειτο, καὶ ὁ σταυρὸς ὑπ' αὐτῆς ἐποτίζετο· νυγεὶς γὰρ λόγχῃ τὴν πλευρὰν αὐτοῦ, αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ ἐξέπεμψε· τῷ μὲν αἵματι τὸν σταυρὸν πορφυρίζων, τῷ δὲ ὕδατι ἄρδων αὐτοῦ τὰς ῥίζας, ἵνα ἀθανάτους καρποὺς τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς ἀεὶ ἀναθάλλῃ.