Archive for June, 2011
4 items.
Jun27
It’s fig tree month here at We Like Sheep. I decided to keep the theme going. Here we have another parable delivered by the one and only Christ. This one’s kind of complex. Some people mention to Jesus that some Galileans had recently died; likely Pilate put them to death. Jesus was Galilean himself, so they may have been trying to incite him somehow. Perhaps bring out some Godly retribution on the Romans. Jesus rebukes them instead, saying they too will perish if they don’t repent. Then he offers up this parable.
So it’s a warning that eventually the fig tree will be cut down. But it’s also hope, because not only is there time to repent, but God himself is going to help you do it. I sort of add my own view in my comic. Producing fruit is hard work. But the payoff is worth it. Following Jesus should be a challenge, but Jesus often reassures us that it’s more than worth it.
This also hints at the Old Testament pattern. Jews turn from God, God throws them some trials and tribulation. They turn back to God. Repeat. You could also say the worker is Jesus, and only with his effort, the tree (us) produces fruit. Also, fig trees might all look like they are healthy and happy, but not all produce figs for us to eat. Basically, I can see why the fig tree is such a great metaphor. Jesus, what a smart guy.
I wonder if anyone has taken this three-year to one-year ration, and worked out the math to determine yet another date for Judgement Day. The three years representing all the years before Jesus, and one representing the years after until the end. It’s probably already happened. If not, get on that, Harold Camping.
Thanks for reading,
Jared
3 Comments
Jun20
This reminds me a lot of this passage. Jesus does not appreciate useless fruit trees. I think we can all agree the hardest lesson the Bible teaches is the idea that God will judge us. The idea of some higher power judging us is abhorrent. Of course any Christian worth his salt will be able to tell you God is Love, and so judges from Love, like a loving father judges his child. But then some other Christians might say you only get the child treatment if you say some words about Jesus being lord and you being born again. It’s all very wishy washy.
The only thing that seems definite is that there is a judgment, and useless things will be cast aside. Sounds harsh. We all have an innate moral sense that cries out for judgment, yet when the idea of it arises it sounds kinda terrible. I feel bad for this poor tree, don’t you? Mean old Jesus, it was a perfectly good tree. (Jesus was probably just in a bad mood cause he knows he has to die soon.)
All I can do is trust Jesus knows what he’s talking about. If you’re a fruit tree, you should have fruit. The funny thing is, he never really explains what that means in relation to humans. There’s no parable of the tree that didn’t give enough money to the church. I like to think that’s so we can’t get up on our podiums and proclaim who bears fruit and who doesn’t. Funny how people try and do that anyway.
I’m a bit behind on the youtube drawing videos, but I plan on having this one and last weeks up by tomorrow. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out the WeLikeSheepTV section of my site for further details.
Thanks for reading,
Jared
Jun13
The prince of Egypt was a great movie. Much better than The Ten Commandments. But I don’t recall this scene from either movie. I don’t even remember Moses’ wife and kids coming with him to Egypt. It’s funny how a lot of old testament stories omit things from the retelling. That’s because they sound crazy. If you don’t believe me go read this passage. It sounds crazy.
Now what seems to be going on is this. Moses failed to live up to the covenant God set up with Abraham, which includes circumcising your kids. So, he’s going to kill Moses as punishment. It will impede with God’s plans, and it seems harsh, but hey, it’s God, who are we to question. Moses’ wife does the circumcision right there, thus deflecting God’s wrath. (Or whatever.)
Maybe there are other ways to look at it. I’m not going to get too deep into it. I will say this. Some people claim they have great faith in God because of the Bible, I often seem to maintain faith despite the bible. When I say the Bible, I mean the whole thing. The New Testament mostly makes sense. This could be because I’m a relatively new christian struggling with answers. Or because the Old Testament is weird and no one admits it. I’m not saying throw it out mind, it is very interesting and reveals some of God’s character. It’s just the easiest thing in the whole world to take out of context or misunderstand. It requires a lot of thinking.
I took some creative liberties with how I drew God. God takes on different forms all throughout the Bible. So I figured it was ok to give him a deathy look, given the circumstances.
Thanks for reading.
Jared
Jun06
We see in the early parts of Acts that the Apostles are the church leaders, no surprise there. They had the ability to perform miracles like Jesus did, which certainly helped. I get the impression they didn’t do it often though. Especially from this chapter. People from the temple go nuts when they see this guy walking, this guy they carried to the temple every day.
I remember hearing how being disabled like this man was enough to prevent him to enter the temple. It is a very holy place, I guess you have to be perfect. So this wasn’t just about healing the man, it gave him the ability to enter into the temple with everyone else. This might explain why people would go so far as to carry him to the temple, then dump him at the door.
I will be posting the video of me drawing this comic on the We Like Sheep Youtube channel. My latest comic video was late, it took a while to get it uploaded… don’t ask. But this one should be up sooner. I update info like that on my Facebook page, so joining that would be cool. You can also just click on the the WeLikeSheepTV tab in the menu at the top of my page for the latest videos I post.
Thanks for reading,
Jared