Consider the Plants, Week 4: Consider the Fig Tree

Post Author: Alison V. Philip

Prayer

Loving One,
Maker of Trees and Blossoms,
Song and Fragrance,
help us see in the natural world around us
signs of your presence and possibility. 

Give us courage to praise you
though the fruit we see now
may only be half-formed on the branch.

Guide us into deeper trust,
deeper patience,
and deeper hope
in the promise that your goodness follows us
all the days of our lives
and we dwell in your love forever. 

Amen.

Commentary

While visiting a 99-year-old woman who had been known for her beautiful soprano voice, I noticed a cross-stitch that hung on the wall of her assisted living apartment with the words, “Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come.” She told me it was a favorite verse, one that had been read at her wedding to her beloved. She had stitched the piece herself years ago and taken it with her when she moved from the house they had shared to an apartment, where she would live, for the first time in many years, alone. 

From our visits over the years, I sense what the verse means to her. The seasons of life are many, but when a time comes to sing, we sing. When the fig is ready, we savor its sweetness. And though she misses her husband dearly, she waits for the day when their season of singing and blossoming will come again. Resurrection hope sparkles through this verse and the passage that surrounds it.

That isn’t to set aside the fact that Song of Songs (also called Song of Solomon) is Hebrew love poetry, written well before the time of Jesus and with a context of its own. It is to say that, as a woman formed by Christian faith and song over the years, resurrection hope is layered into this passage for my friend. It has become a strand in her testimony of faith, woven into the fabric of her life and her love.

Song of Songs 2:10-13 is rich in sensory detail: the sound of doves cooing, the sights of flowers and fig trees, the scent of a blossoming vine, and the hint of the sweet taste of a fig. As the lens for this series of commentaries is “Consider the Plants,” the plant that shows up in this passage is the fig tree. The fig tree is one image for the resurrection hope that each of the other sensory details listed above also represents.

The fig tree shows up in Jesus’ ministry as well. The three synoptic Gospels include the lesson of the budding fig tree, which reveals that when a branch is tender and puts out leaves, it’s a sign that summer is coming (see Mark 13:28-31, Matthew 24:32-35, Luke 21:29-33). The bigger context in which Jesus shares this image is apocalyptic, ultimately about God’s reign being revealed. Therefore, this Gospel lesson about the budding fig tree parallels the sense of anticipation and hope that the fig tree represents in Song of Songs. The fig’s tender branches and leaves promise, “Summer is coming. Goodness is on the horizon. It might not be here yet. But notice the signs. Wait. Trust.” 

A fig tree with fruit.

This use of the budding fig tree image has a contrast in the three synoptic Gospels as well. In Mark 11:13-25 and Matthew 21:18-22, Jesus curses a fruitless fig tree on his way to Jerusalem, an act that signifies his cursing of a fruitless Israel. Luke shifts this story, placing it earlier in Jesus’ ministry; in Luke’s telling, the fig tree gets another chance to produce fruit (Luke 13:6-9). While the story of Jesus cursing a fig tree could seem jarring, it can serve as a reminder to let go of places in our lives where we see no growth or fruit and look for the places where we do see signs of life and sweetness, such as the Song of Songs 2:10-13 promises.

One more story of Jesus that involves a fig tree comes in the first chapter of John’s Gospel, when Jesus sees Nathaniel sitting under a fig tree and calls him to follow. Like Nathaniel, we are seen, known, and called from the locations where we are standing or reclined. We are seen, known, and called on a journey of following Jesus, and the fig tree’s presence indicates that the journey is marked by fruit. Song of Songs is an encouragement to look for the fruit, wait for it, and celebrate it. The fig tree forming fruit tells a story of resurrection hope and the promise that God’s goodness will prevail in our lives and our ministries. 

Hymn Suggestion:
Hymn of Promise
Text and Music: Natalie Sleeth