The Fig Tree

First Lesson: Isaiah 55: 1-9
Responsive Reading: Psalm 63: 1-8
Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 10: 1-13
​Gospel Lesson: Luke 13: 1-9

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Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
William Henry Harrison was elected President of the United States in 1840.  Harrison had a distinguished career to this point: Governor of Indiana, Army General, Congressmen from both the Northwest Territory and Ohio, and Diplomatic Envoy to the nation of Colombia[1].

Harrison was inaugurated President on March 4th, 1841.  It was a cold, wet day in Washington D.C.  Harrison’s inaugural address was 8500 words and lasted nearly two hours.  Three weeks after his inauguration, Harrison caught a cold.  Harrison tried bed rest, but this was difficult as the President of the United States. Harrison then brought in all sorts of potential medical remedies from leeches to opioids[2].
Recent medical analysis has theorized that Harrison probably died not from pneumonia, but rather typhoid fever due to a contamination of the White House water supply.[3]

William Henry Harrison is the shortest serving president in American history dying at 30 days, 12 hours.  Harrison’s only official act as President was to call Congress into a special session at the end of May to deal with a revenue crisis.  Harrison died eight weeks before he could achieve anything as President[4].   

I want to tell you something about William Henry Harrison though in spite of his short presidency; he is perhaps the rare President to have influenced the lives of every single American who has lived after him.

The year was 1809; the United States was rapidly expanding into Native American lands[5].  Harrison was tasked with negotiating a settlement with various Native tribes along the Wabash River in Indiana.

Harrison used questionable methods to get a settlement such as buying tribal lands from Native leaders who did not possess them on top of giving them special bribes[6].  Harrison also made sure those negotiating were always well stocked with whiskey.[7]

Word of Harrison’s questionable tactics used to negotiate the Treaty of Fort Wayne eventually reached the Shawnee leader Tecumseh.  Tecumseh’s soldiers show up at Harrison’s home demanding the treaty to be annulled. If it wasn’t for the meditation of another native chief, then William Henry Harrison probably meets his end before being elected President[8]. 

Harrison for payback attacked Tecumseh’s tribe one year later. This was known as the “Battle of Tippecanoe,” it would be Harrison’s claim to fame for the remainder of his career. Tecumseh survives vows to partner with the British, and during the upcoming War of 1812, Harrison’s forces kill Tecumseh[9].

As Harrison occupied the White House in 1840, a rumor started to spread that a curse had been placed on Harrison for his treatment of Tecumseh.

What was the nature of this curse: every president elected in a year like Harrison starting with “0” would die in office.  So what happened to Presidents elected every twenty years beginning in 1840[10].

1840-William Henry Harrison died in 30 days of Typhoid Fever.

1860- Abraham Lincoln- is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford Theater.

1880- James Garfield[11] is the second shortest serving President assassinated after six and half months in office by a disgruntled government appointment seeker[12].

1900- William McKinley assassinated early in his second term of office[13].

1920-Warren Harding- Died a little over two years into office to uncertain causes probably heart attack or stroke[14].

1940- Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a hemorrhage, shortly into his fourth term of office[15].

1960-John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas.

1980- Ronald Reagan becomes the first President to survive an assassination attempt at the hands of John Hinckley, Jr. after thirteen days in the hospital[16]. 

Medical technology managed to seemingly put an end to The Curse of Tippecanoe after “140 years” as Reagan’s wounds were more severe than those that took the lives of Presidents Garfield or McKinley[17].
Now as you ponder the potential curse brought about by William Henry Harrison, I want to tell you the story of another curse. 

But before this story, I want to ask everyone a seemingly unrelated question “What fruit did Adam and Eve eat in the Garden of Eden causing humanity to fall into sin?”

Now every one of our first inclinations is probably an apple.  I’m probably partly responsible for this as apples are easy sermon material being the most common fruit.

When the Bible was first translated to Latin the words for Apple “Malum” and evil “Malus” are very similar[18]. 

The most likely fruit that Adam and Eve probably ate was a “fig[19].” 

Genesis 3:5-7: “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”

Here’s something about Jesus’ ministry seemingly related to Adam, Eve, and the figs. Jesus seems to have a strong negative reaction whenever he comes across fig trees.

“and along the way, he saw a fig tree. But when he came to it, he found only leaves and no figs. So he told the tree, “You will never again grow any fruit!” Right then the fig tree dried up.” –Matthew 21:19

“From a distance, Jesus saw a fig tree covered with leaves, and he went to see if there were any figs on the tree. But there were not any, because it wasn’t the season for figs. So Jesus said to the tree, “Never again will anyone eat fruit from this tree!” The disciples heard him say this.”-Mark 11:13-14.  

The most well-known story of Jesus’ anger is turning the money-changers tables in the Temple, but we can also establish that Jesus doesn’t seem to like figs very much for some reason.

Now in Today’s Gospel, Jesus tells a parable where the target is once again, figs[20].  A man plants a fig tree in his vineyard.  The man kept looking for fruit on this tree and continually found none for three years.  The man instructs his gardener “cut it down.[21]” The gardener though wishes to do everything he can to save the fig tree including the extra special effort of putting manure around it.  If it doesn’t bear fruit, then the gardener will finally cut it down. 

So what’s going on within our parable[22]?  The owner issues a harsh judgment against the fig tree. Cut it down. Kill the fig tree! The fig tree has been nothing but troubled since it was planted.  Nothing good has come from the fig tree.  The gardener though suggests a different course.  Give it one more chance. I will do everything to save this tree that I can. 

The gardener is even willing to get down to the depths with manure[23]. 

So what’s going on in this story starts from the original fig tree. Sin from the time of Adam and Eve had brought nothing but pain and death to the world for generations.  There seemed to be no hope other than the fig tree to fall to its eventual death. 

As Jesus is telling this parable, he is reminding the Disciples of the nature of his ministry to reverse the curse given to every human being from the time of Adam and Eve. Jesus is here to get down to the manure in the depths of the Earth of the grave.  His death and resurrection shall soon bring forgiveness to all those who had experienced sin’s curses.  Jesus is putting to death sin (fig trees) to resurrect it to the fruits of life eternal.   

Here’s the thing about curses like the Curse of Tippicanoe no matter how ingrained they might appear to be at any given moment.  They shall not last forever! 

The year was 1920; the Boston Red Sox Baseball team was owned by a man named Harry  Frazee.  Frazee was in debt from his purchase of the team, the acquisition of Fenway Park, and a bad run of theater productions.  As a way to try to finance his way out of debt: he did the unthinkable he sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $100,000 and 300,000 dollar loan[24].

Over the next 84 years, the New York Yankees were the most successful franchise in Professional sports winning twenty-six world championships.  As for the Red Sox, their 84 years were filled with zero championships including losing the final game of the World Series on four separate occasions[25].

The year was 2004. The script was seemingly set in stone. The Yankees were playing the Red Sox.  The Yankees were up 3-0 in a best out of 7 series.  No Baseball team had ever advanced in the playoffs after having lost the first three games. 

The Red Sox were down in Game Four heading into the ninth inning 4-3 going up against a pitcher who would end up in Baseball’s Hall of Fame Mariano Rivera. No outcome seemed more certain, what was now known as the Curse of the Bambino for Babe Ruth would live for another year. 

What happened next is a reminder like in the case of Ronald Reagan surviving John Hinckley Jr’s bullet, or Jesus walking out of the grave reminds us that all curses will eventually be broken.  Red Sox get a walk, stolen base, RBI single, Home Run to win the game in the 12th Inning[26]. The Boston Red Sox starting on this day would win their last eight games of the 2004 season to win the World Series.

After 86 years, the Curse of the Bambino was over. The Red Sox have won three more World Series in the fifteen years since.

Jesus said to the fig tree: “You shall bear fruit no more.” Jesus said, “Sin’s power shall soon wither away.” Jesus says no matter how much sin, death, and the power of the devil have benefitted from this curse.” The Curse of the Fig Tree like the Curse of the Bambino shall come to an end.

 Jesus declares I will soon walk out of the grave.  All who have fallen victim to the Fig Tree’s curse shall be forgiven! 
Amen
 
[1] “William Henry Harrison.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 9.Mar.2019. Web. Mar.9.2019. 
[2] “William Henry Harrison.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[3] “William Henry Harrison.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[4] “William Henry Harrison.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[5] “Treaty of Fort Wayne.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 11.Dec.2018. Web. Mar.9.2019. 
[6] Bergen, Anthony. “ Tecumseh's 140-Year-Old Curse.” Dead Presidents Tumblr. 16.Jan.2010. Web. Mar.9.2019. Linked from Real Clear History  on April 3rd, 2017. 
[7] Bergen, Anthony. “ Tecumseh's 140-Year-Old Curse.” Dead Presidents Tumblr.
[8] Bergen, Anthony. “ Tecumseh's 140-Year-Old Curse.” Dead Presidents Tumblr.
[9] Bergen, Anthony. “ Tecumseh's 140-Year-Old Curse.” Dead Presidents Tumblr.
[10] Bergen, Anthony. “ Tecumseh's 140-Year-Old Curse.” Dead Presidents Tumblr.
[11] “Curse of Tippecanoe.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 21. Feb.2019. Web. Mar.9.2019.
[12] “James A. Garfield.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 10.Mar.2019. Web. Mar.10.2019.
[13] Curse of Tippecanoe.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation
[14] “Warren G.Harding.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 1.Mar.2019. Web. Mar.10.2019.
[15] “Franklin D. Roosevelt.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 9.Mar.2019. Web. Mar.9.2019.
[16] “Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 19.Feb.2019. Web. Mar.9.2019. 
[17] Bergen, Anthony. “ Tecumseh's 140-Year-Old Curse.” Dead Presidents Tumblr.
[18] Quora. “Why are the words “malum” (apple) and “malus” (evil) so close?”. 12.July.2017. Web. Mar.9.2019.
[19] Prisoner of Conscience. “What Did Adam and Eve Really Eat?” Prisoner of Conscience. 26.Apr.2011. Web. Mar.9.2019. 
[20] Luke 13:6-9. 
[21] Luke 13:7. 
[22] Capon, Robert Farrar Capon. “Kingdom, Grace, Judgement: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus.”. Erdmann’s Publishing. Grand Rapids, MI. 2002. Print.  Pages 248-250. 
[23] Capon, Robert Farrar Capon. “Kingdom, Grace, Judgement: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus.”. Erdmann’s Publishing. Pages 248-250. 
[24] “Curse of the Bambino.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 27.Feb.2019. Web. Mar.9.2019. 
[25] “Curse of the Bambino.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation
[26] “Curse of the Bambino.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation