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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume 3
with loud and angry disation. There was a division of opinion among
the priesthood regarding Jesus. Annas vehemently accused him of
being an impostor. Caiaphas had publicly acknowledged him to be a
prophet, but considered that his death was necessary to the fulfillment
of prophecy. These two leaders gathered parties to their opinions. The
majority of the common people were in favor of Jesus, declaring that
no man could do the works which he had done.
[17]
While these angry contentions were going on, Jesus, the subject
of all this disation, passed unnoticed to the temple and looked about
it with sorrowful eyes. All was quiet there, for the scene that had
transpired upon Olivet had called all the people away from the temple.
After looking upon it for a short time with solemn countenance, Jesus
withdrew from the temple with his disciples, and passed on to Bethany.
And when the people would have placed him upon the throne as king
of Israel, he was nowhere to be found.
Jesus spent the entire night in prayer, and in the morning, while
returning again from Bethany, he passed a fig-orchard. He was hungry,
“And seeing a fig-tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might
find any thing thereon; and when he came to it, he found nothing but
leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said
unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. And his disciples
heard it.”
It was not the season for ripe figs, except in certain localities; and
on the elevated height of Olivet it might truly be said, “the time of figs
was not yet.” It is the nature of the fig-tree that before the leaves open
the growing fruit appears; so it would follow that upon a tree covered
with leaves one would expect to find well matured figs. The tree which
Jesus saw was beautiful to look upon, but upon a thorough searching
of its branches, he found that its appearance was deceitful, for it bore
“nothing but leaves.” In order to teach his disciples an impressive
lesson, he used the fig-tree as a symbol, and invested it with moral
qualities and made it the medium by which to teach a divine truth.
[18]
The Jews stood forth distinct from all other nations, professing
perfect allegiance to the God of Heaven. They had been specially
favored by him, and they claimed a greater piety than any other people,
while in reality they were sinful, corrupted by the love of the world
and the greed of gain. Boasting of their goodness and knowledge, yet
full of hypocrisy and cruelty, and ignorant of the requirements of God,