Word of the Week

3rd Sunday of Lent

Fig Tree: Suke (Gk): meaning, “fig tree”

There is no mentioning of the fig tree in the CCC, but there is an important point regarding the importance of how God uses creation. The CCC states: “God speaks to man through visible creation. The material cosmos is so presented to man’s intelligence that he can read there traces of its Creator. Light and darkness, wind and fire, water and earth, the tree and its fruit speak of God and symbolize both his greatness and his nearness” (CCC, 1147).

The term suke can be found 16 times in the NT. With the backdrop of Old Testament prophecy stating that the fig tree is symbolic of Old Covenant Israel, and will be a sign pointing towards the gathering of the New Israel (Jer.8:13; Hos.9:10), Christ cues the image of the fig tree as a warning and exhortation to Israel to prayer, repentance, and the urgent call to watchfulness (cf. Mt. 24:32-44; Mk.13:28-37; Lk.13:1-9, 21:29-38). This exhortation fell on deaf ears, and because of Israel’s unacceptance to Christ’s three years of public ministry and the definitive fulfillment of their longings, Christ curses Israel (Lk.13:1-9; Mt.21:18-22; Mk.11:12-14).

In addition to the synoptic vision to the Fig Tree, the gospel of John speaks to another key piece to understanding the importance of the fig tree. In the opening chapter, we read of Nathaniel’s calling while “sitting under the fig tree” (Jn.1:48-50). This calling recalls how neighbors would “invite” one another in during the messianic age (Zech.3:10) (Hahn and Minch, 20). Again, the fig tree not only represented what was symbolic to Old Covenant Israel, but also signified the coming of the New Covenant Church.

The Readings for this Third Sunday of Lent draw our attention to not only the Fig Tree, but also the urgent call to repentance. As we draw closer to Holy Week and the Triduum, the Church places before us another opportunity to examine the lives we are living and the kind of fruit we are bearing. So let us not waste anymore time and be just as serious with our faith as we would be with any other aspect of our life that moves with urgency. Carpe Diem!

“In the Gospel just proclaimed we heard an important reference to the fig tree whose branches, when their new leaves sprout, announce that springtime is near. With these words, Jesus encourages the Apostles not to give up before the difficulties and uncertainties of the present.”

--Pope John Paul II

Primary Texts Consulted

•  Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
•  Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.
• Hahn, Scott and Minch , Curtis. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of John, RSV, 2nd ed. San Francisco : Ignatius Press, 2003.

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