Why does Jesus get angry when there is no fruit on the fig tree? The Song of Songs, along with Isaiah 5, is in the background. Israel is the vineyard-garden of Yahweh, which also means Israel is Yahweh’s bride. When He comes seeking fruit, it is not only “produce,” but the choice fruits of His beloved – he wants to eat and drink deep of love in the garden of his bride. This picture is in the background not only of Jesus-and-the-fig tree, but also of Jesus’ parable of the vineyard, transparently derived from Isaiah’s song, which, like Solomon’s, is a love song.
Jesus doesn’t just come looking for productivity. He comes for the fruits of love, and finds none. His anger is what Yahweh’s anger always is: The jealous anger of spurned love.
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