Thepfulhouvi Solo
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Gospel Writers recorded the brothers and sisters of Jesus did not at the beginning know their eldest brother as the Christ but took him for a budding leader of the People. They advised him to show himself to the public at National occasions like the eminent Feast at Jerusalem of Judea. “Leave here and go to Judea that your disciples may see the works you are doing. For no man work in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself. ‘For even his brothers did not believe in him’”, recorded Jesus’ closest Apostle his book John 7: 2-5.Jesus had no intention of becoming the Leader of the People and he told his brothers he is not going to Jerusalem ahead of the Feast.
Jesus had serious oppositions in Judea from the Religious Leaders, Scholars and the Authorities and has information they would seek to arrest him during the Feast they expected him to attend and do him to death.
Jesus delayed his departure for Jerusalem and people were searching for him at the Feast. It was only when the Feast was well in progress that he started for Jerusalem, probably, to cut short the Journey time. Jesus planned to go by the short-cut to Jerusalem through Samaria but the Samaritan Village came to know of his going to Jerusalem and they refused him passage through the Village.
His Apostles, Jacob (James) and John –sons of Zebedee- known as the Sons of Thunder suggested they “bid” Fire from heaven and burn the Samaritan Village! Jesus rebuked them.
Jesus followed the longer route along the River Jordan through the strategic City of Jericho -the oldest City in the world- to Judea. At the time of Jesus, the city of Jericho was already more that 5000 years old.
An old big and hollow Sycamore Tree in the city -probably an offshoot of the Original tree up which Zacchaeus must have climbed when Jesus spotted him- still stands protected by the Roadside. The Gospel Recorder indicate Jesus stayed at Zachaeus that night and today 2000 years latter, we still hear loud, clear and the immortal impressive talk that went between the unconventional Guest and the high Tax Official Host at dinner that night!
The Road from Jericho to Jerusalem, through tree less, river less bone dry ravines without a trace of Ants, Spiders, Termites, Fly and Insects; must be a good days’ foot journey, and even today, it is not the safest of the Roads in modern Israel. Jesus and his Disciples must have walked fast and they reached Jerusalem early Evening. Jesus went straight to the Temple and “when he had looked around at every thing; as it was already late he went out to Bethany with the twelve” -Mark 11: 11. He saw the things that were going on in the premises of the Temple; and as Night was approaching and he went back to Bethany and stayed with one Simon the Leper.
Very early the next morning, without food, Jesus and his disciples started for the Temple: “He was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again’”. The non-apostle Gospel Writer Mark recorded Jesus cursed the fig tree in the hearing of his Apostles Mark. 11: 12-14.
In great probability Mark also must have been with the Apostles for, no one not present at the place and at the time of the arrest of Jesus at the garden of Gethsemane could have described the scene in such intimate detail as Mark did. His Book is short but whatever he wrote about the Gospel, was done in great detail of a man who say and heard the details.
The most convincing clue in found in Mark 14: 50-52 and Mark wrote: “And they all forsook him and fled. And a young man followed him –Jesus- with nothing but a linen cloth about his body; and they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked”. When Mark Wrote this portion the first time from his memory, after the resurrection of Jesus, Mark must have laughed at himself at recollecting the way he ran away that night for his life!
The next day Peter observed to Jesus: “Master, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered” and Mark recorded it “withered to the roots”
Why Jesus cursed the fig tree when the tree was out of the season of bearing fruit? This is a puzzling question in the New Testament.
God cursed the Serpent for beguiling Eve to eat the fruit God forbade Adam and his wife from eating it. It is surprisingly interesting to note Jesus himself gave the answer: he did it for the Apostles “to have faith in God”. The son of God cares for the believer’s faith in God!
Faith is the greatest thing in Man’s relationship with God. God has given Man all Authority to choose Blessing or Curse. God is the Lord of even the Sabbath, he has the right to everything in Man even for allowing one go to Him without death and God has given Man every right to choose the Right or the Wrong. And faith in God enables man to choose what is Right from what is Wrong. Man has every Authority to choose and the United Nations recognize this as HUMAN RIGHT.
Christian Nagaland seems to have an unsure misconception of the Idea of Naga OATH and CURSE. The Scripture reminds the Believers to always stand for the Oath of Truth and never ever for LIE.
