If you don’t already know me, my name is Adam…and I am an atheist.
Here’s an interesting tale found in Matthew 21:19; Mark 11:13-14.
Jesus is walking from Bethany and he’s feeling a bit peckish. He encounters a fig tree, but unfortunately it is barren as it’s the off season for figs. Annoyed, Jesus demands the fig tree bear him fruit, however the fig tree doesn’t respond.
That’s right Jesus, however mighty you may think you are…trees do not talk. Didn’t your dad tell you this when he created the world and everything in it?
Anyway, so Jesus, in an act of uncharacteristic rashness, curses the fig tree to death…which I thought was very Christian-like. And if you think about it, there’s been a lot of wars over Christianity and religion in general…maybe this is where all the hate stemmed from. But regardless of what I think, it is an act coming from someone who sound just incredibly stroppy.
This story is bizarre for many reasons, but mainly for how little it means to the Jesus story and how Jesus seems to react so harshly. OK, so he’s hungry, and we all get a little bit tetchy when hungry, but this poor fig tree was quite innocent. This just seems like abuse of powers to me.
The moral of this story? Again, there isn’t one. This tale seems so unimportant and purposeless yet both Mark and Matthew mention it so it must have some importance.
The best I can think of is…don’t disobey Jesus, especially if you’re a tree…oh yeah, and don’t pay any attention to the Bible, because it is, as we can all see…a load of shit.
by Adam the Atheist
