Philochristus: Memoirs of a Disciple of the LordAbbott, Edwin Abbott
Religion
Philochristus: Memoirs of a Disciple of the Lord
Abbott, Edwin Abbott
Christian fiction; Jesus Christ -- Fiction
But as concerning the Pharisees, Jesus told us that the wrath of the Lord
must needs fall upon them. And he likened them unto a fig‐tree which
(after the manner of fig‐trees) should, by course of nature, put forth
fruit first and leaves afterwards; but this fig‐tree, he said, putteth
forth leaves but no fruits. Therefore the Lord, seeking fruit, goeth unto
the tree, rising up early in the morning; and he looketh on it, and behold
there are leaves, but no fruits. Then was the Lord wroth, and breathed
upon the tree, and said unto it, “No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for
ever:” and lo, when He returned and came by the same path again in the
evening, the tree had withered away. When we heard these things,
straightway there came into our minds another parable which our Master had
spoken in former times concerning a barren tree; how the owner thereof
cometh to the gardener and saith, “Lo, these two years I come seeking
fruit and find none. Cut it down.” But the gardener besought the Lord that
it might not be cut down till another year should pass, if perchance it
might in the meantime bear fruit. Thence we perceived, comparing the two
parables together, that Jesus discerned the wrath of God now nearer at
hand. For before, there was mention of hope and of a respite of two years;
but now there was to be no hope and no respite.
But most strange it was to us to note how the worship and splendour of the
temple, caused him no pleasure, but rather displeasure. Yet so it was. For
on the second day of the week, when he was going forth from the city in
the evening, a certain citizen of Jerusalem besought the disciples that
they would shew him the buildings of the temple; “For,” said he, “it were
a shame that Jesus of Nazareth should have been now two whole days in
Jerusalem and not to have seen these sights.” But when the disciples moved
him to see these things, he seemed like unto one constraining himself to
look upon them that he might do us a pleasure: and when he had looked
round upon them all, then he was silent for a while, and we perceived that
they pleased him not. At last he opened his mouth and said unto us, “See
ye not all these things? verily I say unto you there shall not be left
here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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