The Lesson of the Fig Tree (MK 13:24-32)

In today’s gospel Jesus speaks of the end times and the signs which will become evident.  But he also states that “of that day and hour no one knows”.

In recent years Hollywood has seized upon the dramas of the end times to make lots of money based on our innate knowledge that indeed none of what we have here is permanent.   There are even claims that there are secular prophecies that 2012 will be the end conveniently spurring the production of multi million dollar blockbuster movies, and TV programs showing powerful visitors here to end all human life. 

This is nothing new. Even from the beginning of Christianity itself there was a belief that the end was near and that they should prepare.  They felt that Jesus return was imminent.

There are TV Evangelists listing all the horrors in the world as revelation that the end is near. This is also nothing new. The horrors of man’s inhumanity to man have haunted mankind throughout the millennia. But the messages they are preaching of are of fear of retribution from a vengeful God.  While we hear even Jesus Himself describing in frightening detail an image of end times to His disciples He did so for a very clear reason, to shake them up, to focus us them and us on the “right now” in our lives, to teach us all that time itself, and all we have is precious and frail and passing.

The key message in all this is not that we should all be afraid and live in fear. Jesus died for our sins and opened the gates of heaven for all of us to be with Him forever.  But He is saying clearly in this gospel that we all must acknowledge that indeed we are all only here for a short time and what we do with that time and with what we are given, matters... both here and now; and will eventually determine our eternal future with Him.   

God does not necessarily want all of us to walk around in fear of the end of times and of Armageddon and proclaiming:  “the end is near “, “the end is near”, “repent” although there is certainly a need for repentance. 

God didn’t create us to live in fear but to live in excited gratitude for His boundless love and anticipation of eternal life with Him.

We need to understand that everything in this material world was created and given to us to use well and for good, and that we are only here for a short while. The purpose for our creation is not for us to be fulfilled here on earth, but with Him in heaven. 

I especially like the analogy of the fig tree Jesus used in today’s gospel as it represents us in such a graphic way.  We are the fig trees and are called to bear fruit. As we grow we are called to unfold His love to others and by how we bear the fruit of His grace and bring it to others we are to be a sign to others of His love.

This gospel is a call to vigilance and self examination. It’s a call to assessment of how we are living our lives. It’s a call to ask ourselves the questions:  How am I living my life?  and How am I using all that I have been given? 

We do not know when the end of our lives will come and we need to be always vigilant, to notice the opportunities provided to us to share our gifts, and to share them unselfishly; to be vigilant at all times for opportunities to use our gifts of time, talent, and treasure. 

How we use the gifts we are given is how we will be judged as Christians. As the ultimate example of giving of ones self Jesus gave His human life completely for all of us. We are called to give much less than that.    

Answer Jesus call to be vigilant. There’s a line in a song written by  Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman which goes:  “live the next 5 minutes like they are your last 5 minutes”.  Life presents many opportunities for large acts of stewardship but don’t wait. Many opportunities present themselves to us during the day for little acts of kindness.  To paraphrase Mother Theresa, “we’re not called to do great things, only small things with great love.” Seize the small opportunities that present themselves, many times and maybe even in the next 5 minutes ... opportunities to give something of our gifts of time, talent or treasure to someone in need. 

And it’s not hard to do. Sharing of the gifts we have been given can be as simple as using the smile we have been given to lighten up the life of someone who needs it.  It can be offering our time to really listen to someone who needs to be heard and help with prayer or advice. It can be asking how someone is doing or feeling and stopping to listen. It can be to give a dollar or two to that homeless person at the train station. 

We are called to show our appreciation for the wonderful gifts given to us to be stewards of by not just using them for our own personal gain but by sharing generously what we have been given.  Keeping the gifts we have received to ourselves would be like that fig tree blossoming and growing strong but not bearing fruit; and in that way withholding the very reason it exists, to flower forth and grow and return to God what God has freely given to us.