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Question 101: Did Jesus eat pork? If not, then why did his apostles? (TR)
Answer: Please read Question and Answer 68. There it is explained how, in his preaching and by his example, Jesus had relativised the dietary obligations under Jewish law. In this earliest Christian community there were baptised Jews (Jewish Christians) and baptised Gentiles (Gentile Christians). The question arose whether Gentiles had to be circumcised when adopting the Christian faith (and that meant adhering also to the entire Jewish law, including the rules on diet and ritual purification). The Council of the Apostles in the year 48 (Gal 2; Acts 15:1-29) brought together in Jerusalem representatives of the various earliest Christian groups. The Council agreed that the Christian faith should be spread amongst the Gentiles without their having to abide by the Jewish law. However, baptised Jews were to continue to abide by the Jewish law. It is therefore to be assumed that the apostles, including Paul, who were all Jews, abided by the purity and dietary rules. Paul himself states in Gal 2:6 that the agreement reached in Jerusalem did not stipulate directives for his mission to the Gentiles. Also in 1 Cor 8-10 and Rom 14, which address similar questions, Paul makes no reference to such directives. He is apparently unaware of the Council’s Letter in Acts 15: 23-29. The discrepancy here can be explained when one recognises that Luke combined the shortened answers to two problems in Acts 15: the first bone of contention, where Peter and Paul take sides, concerns the question whether the converted Gentiles should be required to abide by the Jewish law, see Gal 2:1-10. The second bone of contention, which takes place later and where James plays a decisive role, concerns Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians living together in one community, see Gal 2,11-21. Although it could rightly be expected of the Jews to put aside their fears of ritual uncleanliness when dealing with Gentile Christians for the sake of the common membership in Christ, many Jewish Christians, however, evidently found it hard to overcome their inhibitions, see Acts 15:20. Thus it was expedient that also Gentile Christians would be required to respect certain customs of their fellow Christians of the Jewish faith. This would probably be the foundation of the Council’s Letter (Acts 15: 23-29). Luke wants to emphasise in the Acts of the Apostles that both rules were reached with the consent of the authorities and the early community in Jerusalem. For that reason he combines these decisions in chapter 15 of the Acts of the Apostles.
Question 102: Why are the Israelites, that is the Jews, cursed by Allah? Does this curse also apply to today’s Jews? (TR)
Answer: Please read the answer to Question 15 which is based on the text from the solemn declaration of Nostra Aetate (no. 4) from the Second Vatican Council. The Catholic Adult Catechism (1985), published by the German Bishops’ Conference, said in this regard:
“Jesus’s faith binds Jew and Christian; the faith in Jesus divides them. In contrast to Judaism, Christians believe that Jesus, our brother, is also the son of God, who has fulfilled his promise to Israel through Jesus’s cross and resurrection. The cross, which Jesus was handed over to by the Jewish leaders of the time, is a sign of salvation for Christians. It is to be proclaimed as such as a sign of universal peace (see Nostra Aetate 4). Therefore, according to the words of the apostle Paul, it is wrong to characterise the Jews as rejected and cursed (see Rom 11:1-2). God still loves his people for the sake of their fathers “for the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29). For that reason, all hatred of the Jews and particularly all persecution of the Jews, which has occurred so often and to such a horrific extent in the history of Christianity, is to be condemned, and talks with Judaism that have been resumed in our day are to continue and to deepen” (p. 63).
Question 103: Why did Christianity spread in Europe although it originated in the Near East? (TR)
Answer: The Gospel according to Matthew closes with the universal mission from the resurrected Jesus to the eleven apostles: “And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, until the end of time'” (Mt 28:18-20).
In obedience to this command, the apostles and the first generation of Christians spread their faith in all directions. Christian communities and churches were founded very early in Asia, Africa and Europe. Until the rapid expansion of Islamic rule, the focus of the Christian world was in the Mediterranean region, including North Africa, as well as the Near and Middle East. Not a few Christian communities and Churches came to be ruled by Muslims, due to the expansion of Muslim dynasties, and became dhimmi-s (literally: “protected people”) of Islam. The Christian majorities gradually became Christian minorities. The number of Christians in countries with Muslim majorities declined steadily and sometimes dramatically. During the course of several centuries, the focus of Christianity moved towards Western and Eastern Europe. Since the 15th century it has spread from here to other parts of the globe.
Christianity today is present in all six continents, that is, it has spread throughout the world. The majority of Christians live in the southern hemisphere, in Latin America, Africa and Oceania. While the number of European-Occidental Christians is steadily declining, the number of Christians in the southern hemisphere is increasing. As a result, the global face of Christianity is changing decisively and at an accelerating rate.
Question 104: Can God make mistakes, which of God’s attributes are an expression of the fact that God can make and forget mistakes? (DE)
Answer: God is all-powerful and perfect. It is thus inconceivable and absurd to assume that God could make or forget mistakes.
Question 105: In the answer to Question 94, you write: “The biblical writers also included myths from others in their books or even devised some themselves.” However, this is rejected in the Gospels (2 Pet 1:16). How do you explain this? (TR)
Answer: It is written in the Second Letter of Peter (1:16-19), “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honour and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, 'This is my son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.' We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”
The Gnostics – people who spread Jewish speculation regarding the history of the patriarchs and the heroes of the Old Testament – looked to support their heresy regarding the return of the Messiah with such arbitrary speculation, see 2 Pet 3:4-5, and 1 Tim 1:4; 6:20 and so forth. Peter and (his) two fellow apostles, on the other hand, as witnesses to the revelation were able to proclaim Christ’s transfiguration (see Mt 17:1-8) as a herald and guarantee of Christ’s mighty second coming, 2 Pet 1:16-19.
Naturally we did not mean in our response to Question 94 that the books of the Bible are full of arbitrary speculation and based on freely invented stories. Rather, what we meant is that different writers of the holy books, under some circumstances, also used fictional stories and persons to testify to the truth and values that they, as inspired writers, wanted to present effectively.
Question 106: Will a Muslim girl, who marries a Christian, be automatically excluded from Islam? (TR)
Answer: One could say, this question is rather directed towards the Muslims and their interpretation of Islamic law in such a case.
However, the reader presumably also wants to know whether, from the point of view of the Catholic Church and its cannon law, it is possible for an avowed Muslim to live in marriage to a Catholic and whether such the Church allows such a mixed marriage for a Catholic. Put another way, can a Catholic man marry a Muslim woman and allow her, as his wife, to continue to practice Islam without him, as a Catholic, being condemned for this? Does the Catholic Church recognise such a marriage and accept the underlying option on which it is based as a possibility?
Because of the difficulties that frequently arise when Catholics marry an unbaptised person, the Catholic Church advises against such marriages. Nevertheless, such a marriage is possible from a Catholic perspective. In such a marriage, from a Catholic perspective, both partners must have the freedom to practice their faith.
From a Catholic perspective, the same conditions apply to a marriage between a Catholic man and a Muslim woman as for a marriage between a Catholic woman and a Muslim man. In this regard, there are no legal differences since, from a Catholic perspective, men and women have equal rights in marriage.
Normally, a marriage between a Catholic and an unbaptised person faces the obstacle of “disparity of worship” under cannon law on marriage. However, if a couple are determined to marry, then a bishop or his representative can remove this obstacle. This removal assumes, however, that certain conditions are met:
- The Catholic partner must promise to firmly adhere to their faith and to make an effort to also ensure that the children are baptised in the Catholic Church and are raised in the Catholic faith.
- The Muslim partner must receive notice of this and must also be informed about the content of a Catholic understanding of marriage.
Having said that, the Catholic partner must be aware that also the Muslim partner is obliged to pass on his or her faith. For that reason, the Church does not ultimately demand that the Catholic faith be preferred when raising the children. From a Catholic perspective, the parents themselves are free to decide in which faith their children are to be raised.
Question 107: Why does the Vatican still prohibit the use of condoms when AIDS in Africa costs countless lives? (TR)
Answer: The question regarding the use of condoms has its place in Catholic moral teaching in the context of the permitted use of artificial contraception. As is generally known, the Church’s magisterium rejects the use of artificial contraceptives because this violates the link between “loving union and conception“. For the magisterium, the use of condoms to prevent an HIV infection merely presents a particular application of this teaching.
The Church is agreed that marital fidelity and sexual abstinence remain the safest way to prevent an infection. However, it must be borne in mind here that this is not a realistic option for many people or that they feel that too much is being asked of them. For this reason, there are repeated attempts by theologians and also bishops for the moral tolerance of the use of condoms to prevent an HIV infection as the minimum responsibility towards one’s partner and oneself. So far the magisterium has not accepted such attempts as a just interpretation under this particular circumstance.
Question 108: There are three characteristics which define God. 1- the ability to create 2- immortality 3- unending power. Which of these characteristics are also inherent in Jesus Christ? In your opinion, can someone like God be killed? (TR)
Answer: Please start by reading the following texts on this website which all refer to the question raised: Chapter 3, Sections III and IV and Answers to Questions 97; 12; 19 and in particular Question and Answer 50.
We also comment: the "three characteristics which define God“ of the question do not take account of other "characteristics“ or names of God, which are of central importance to the Qur’an, according to its own assessment, and therefore for Islam in general. Compare, for example, the invocation "in the name of God, most Gracious, most Merciful“, the beginning of each Sura of the Qur’an with the exception of the ninth. Or read Sura 59, 22:24 and look at the order of sequence in which God’s characteristics are listed. The various lists of the "99 most beautiful names of Allah“, for example the list of the Hadiths, which is found in Tirmidhi’s Hadith collection, and which is said to go back to Abu Hurayras ("according to Abu Hurayra“), names first of all those characteristics listed in Sura 59,22:24, followed by many others.
The Christian view of God is entirely formed by the sermons and actions of Jesus of Nazareth. Christians read the Old Testament in the light of the teachings and the witness of Jesus of Nazareth. What then, is the newness of biblical faith? In his first encyclica "Deus Caritas est“(= God is love) dated 25 December 2005, Pope Benedict XVI writes:
"The newness of biblical faith“
9. In the development of biblical faith, the content of the prayer fundamental to Israel, the Shema, became increasingly clear and unequivocal: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord” (Deut. 6:4). There is only one God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, who is thus the God of all. Two facts are significant about this statement: all other gods are not God, and the universe in which we live has its source in God and was created by him. Certainly, the notion of creation is found elsewhere, yet only here does it become absolutely clear that it is not one god among many, but the one true God himself who is the source of all that exists; the whole world comes into existence by the power of his creative Word. Consequently, his creation is dear to him, for it was willed by him and “made” by him. The second important element now emerges: this God loves man. The divine power that Aristotle at the height of Greek philosophy sought to grasp through reflection, is indeed for every being an object of desire and of love —and as the object of love this divinity moves the world, – (Cf. Metaphysik; XII,7) – but in itself it lacks nothing and does not love: it is solely the object of love. The one God in whom Israel believes, on the other hand, loves with a personal love. His love, moreover, is an elective love: among all the nations he chooses Israel and loves her—but he does so precisely with a view to healing the whole human race…
Particularly the prophets Hosea and Ezekiel, described God's passion for his people using boldly erotic images. God's relationship with Israel is described using the metaphors of betrothal and marriage; idolatry is thus adultery and prostitution… The history of the love-relationship between God and Israel consists, at the deepest level, in the fact that he gives her the Torah, thereby opening Israel's eyes to man's true nature and showing her the path leading to true humanism. It consists in the fact that man, through a life of fidelity to the one God, comes to experience himself as loved by God, and discovers joy in truth and in righteousness—a joy in God which becomes his essential happiness: “Whom else have I in heaven? And when I am with you, the earth delights me not…But for me, to be near God is my good" (Ps 73 [72]:25, 28)....
11. The first novelty of biblical faith consists, as we have seen, in its image of God. The second, essentially connected to this, is found in the image of man. The biblical account of creation speaks of the solitude of Adam, the first man, and God's decision to give him a helper. Of all other creatures, not one is capable of being the helper that man needs, even though he has assigned a name to all the wild beasts and birds and thus made them fully a part of his life. So God forms woman from the rib of man. Now Adam finds the helper that he needed: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gen 2:23)…
Two aspects of this are important. First, Eros is somehow rooted in man's very nature; Adam is a seeker, who “abandons his mother and father” in order to find woman; only together do the two represent complete humanity and become “one flesh”. The second aspect is equally important. From the standpoint of creation, Eros directs man towards marriage, to a bond which is unique and definitive; thus, and only thus, does it fulfill its deepest purpose. Corresponding to the image of a monotheistic God is monogamous marriage. Marriage based on exclusive and definitive love becomes the icon of the relationship between God and his people and vice versa. God's way of loving becomes the measure of human love. This close connection between Eros and marriage in the Bible has practically no equivalent in extra-biblical literature.
Jesus Christ – the incarnate love of God
12. … The real novelty of the New Testament lies not so much in new ideas as in the figure of Christ himself, who gives flesh and blood to those concepts—an unprecedented realism. In the Old Testament, the novelty of the Bible did not consist merely in abstract notions but in God's unpredictable and in some sense unprecedented activity. This divine activity now takes on dramatic form when, in Jesus Christ, it is God himself who goes in search of the “stray sheep”, a suffering and lost humanity. When Jesus speaks in his parables of the shepherd who goes after the lost sheep, of the woman who looks for the lost coin, of the father who goes to meet and embrace his prodigal son, these are no mere words: they constitute an explanation of his very being and activity. His death on the Cross is the culmination of that turning of God against himself in which he gives himself in order to raise man up and save him. This is love in its most radical form. By contemplating the pierced side of Christ (cf. 19:37), we can understand the starting-point of this Encyclical Letter: “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). It is there that this truth can be contemplated. It is from there that our definition of love must begin. In this contemplation the Christian discovers the path along which his life and love must move.” (Pope Benedict XVI, DEUS CARITAS EST (On Christian Love) 9, 10, 11 and12. For the integral text of this Encyclical Letter see: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals
Question 109: Can the inquisition be considered to be an example of Christian tolerance and love of peace? (TR)
Answer: As an answer we quote a selection from the 2nd volume of the Katholischen Erwachsenen-Katechismus „Leben aus dem Glauben“ (Freiburg i. Br.: Herder, 1995, p. 202-204), the Catholic Catechism for Adults, "Life in Faith“ published by the German Synod.
"Abuse of power 'in the name of God'"
The worst kind of bringing the name of God into disrepute and abusing His name is through unjust violence "in the name of God“. Historically, many terrible deeds have been committed in His name. The church, too, has repeatedly succumbed to the temptations of power. Even today, when the church presses strongly for the recognition of human rights, it still suffers the consequences of heavy past burdens connected with the Inquisition.
The Inquisition is the most misunderstood but also the most abused institution. Its original purpose was to protect the unity of faith from the serious threat of rapturous and revolutionary movements remote from the Catholic faith, which in the case of the Cathars, for example, lead to the foundation of para churches in medieval times. In 1184 Pope Lucius III and King Friedrich I (Barbarossa) reached an agreement on the persecution of heretics in accordance with the then prevailing understanding of clerical and secular authority. Clerical authority had the task of rooting out and enquire into (inquisition) presumed offenses (heresy), while secular authority was responsible for carrying out the judgement. Secular authority, which considered itself to be the protector of the church and which saw insurgency against the Christian faith as representing a threat to a Christian society (res publica christiana), was extremely interested in the persecution of heretics and subsequently put pressure on the church to extend the inquisition. Major theologians, like Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) in his main publication Summa Theologica, provided the theological justification for the persecution and execution of persistent heretics (cf. S. th. II II q.11, art. 3).
In subsequent years the different responsible institutions in the individual countries implemented the inquisition in vastly different ways. Next to fanatical supporters there were also strong opponents of the abuse of the inquisition, especially during the later persecution of witches from the 15th to the 18th century (among them the Jesuit Friedrich Spee [1591/1635]).
It was the tragedy of the inquisition that the thinking in those days was still without the concept of tolerance we take for granted in our time, that the original purpose of an orderly and just legal authority was falsified and abused in the maelstrom of excess and mass hysteria, and finally, that efforts of forces like the Spanish Inquisition, which attempted to fight the hysterical public fear of witches, could not assert itself sufficiently. With the abolition of the inquisition (in Portugal not until 1821 and in Spain not until 1834), a chapter comes to an end which is still cited as an example of the church’s abuse of power in the name of God.
Nor can a differentiated historic and factual assessment of the past erase the dismay of Christians regarding the abuse of power even important Catholic and Protestant representatives church officials displayed in the persecution of witches. In a speech before historians in 1955 Pope Pius III presented an in-depth analysis of the relationship between the church and the world, between faith and scientific knowledge, and described the respective criteria (cf. Acta Apostolicae Sedis XLVII, 1955, 672-682). Furthermore, Pope John Paul II took a huge step towards coming to terms with the past when he rehabilitated Galilei.
During a festive papal service in St Peters on 12 March 2000, the long announced "Soul-searching at the end of the century“ concluded in a great acceptance of guilt for the misconduct of the Church: the great “Say of Pardon, or “Mea Culpa”. The pope asked for forgiveness for the Church’s role in the inquisition, the burning of heretics, religious wars and the centuries of anti-Judaism. See: http://www.catholic.org.hk/document/pardon.htm
We quote from the confession:
"UNIVERSAL PRAYER, CONFESSION OF SIN AND ASKING FOR FORGIVENESS"
Introduction
The Holy Father:
Brothers and Sisters,
let us turn with trust to God our Father,
who is merciful and compassionate,
slow to anger, great in love and fidelity,
and ask him to accept the repentance of his people
who humbly confess their sins,
and to grant them mercy.
All pray for a moment in silence.
I. CONFESSION OF SINS IN GENERAL
A representative of the Roman Curia
(Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, Dean of the College of Cardinals)
Let us pray that our confession and repentance
will be inspired by the Holy Spirit,
that our sorrow will be conscious and deep,
and that, humbly viewing the sins of the past
in an authentic "purification of memory",
we will be committed to the path of true conversion.
Silent prayer.
The Holy Father:
Lord God,
your pilgrim Church,
which you ever sanctify in the blood of your Son,
counts among her children in every age
members whose holiness shines brightly forth
and members whose disobedience to you
contradicts the faith we profess and the Holy Gospel.
You, who remain ever faithful,
even when we are unfaithful,
forgive our sins
and grant that we may bear true witness to you
before all men and women.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
R. Amen.
Cantor:
Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie eleison.
The assembly repeats:
Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie eleison.
A lamp is lit before the Crucifix.
II. CONFESSION OF SINS COMMITTED IN THE SERVICE OF TRUTH
A representative of the Roman Curia:
(Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith)
Let us pray that each one of us,
looking to the Lord Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
will recognize that even men of the Church,
in the name of faith and morals,
have sometimes used methods not in keeping with the Gospel
in the solemn duty of defending the truth.
Silent prayer.
The Holy Father:
Lord, God of all men and women,
in certain periods of history
Christians have at times given in to intolerance
and have not been faithful to the great commandment of love,
sullying in this way the face of the Church, your Spouse.
Have mercy on your sinful children
and accept our resolve
to seek and promote truth in the gentleness of charity,
in the firm knowledge that truth
can prevail only in virtue of truth itself.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
R. Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie, eleison; Kyrie eleison.
A lamp is lit before the Crucifix.
Question 110: Could you please explain Vers Matthew 10:34 – "Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword"? (TR)
Answer: In Luke 2:34 we read that Jesus is "a sin that will be contradicted", i.e. in his mission to be a light to mankind he meets with hostility and persecution, also and especially from among his own people. Without wanting disunity, He creates disunity and hostility as an inescapable consequence of the choice He demands. Simeon, a just and pious man on whom the Holy Spirit shone (cf Luke 2:25) said to Mary, the mother of Jesus, at His presentation at the temple that : "Behold, this child (i. e. Jesus) is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted. (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed." (Luke 2: 34-35). In other words: Mary, the true daughter of Zion will experience for herself the suffering that is the her people’s destiny. Together with her son she will be at the core of this paradox, where hearts have to declare their allegiance, for or against Jesus. The sword is the symbol for this
Question 111: Why do you not talk about Judaism? Is Christianity in reality a religion under Jewish control? (TR)
Answer: Please read the answers to questions 83 and 102. In addition we quote the relevant paragraph of the recently published Kompendium der Soziallehre der Kirche (Freiburg i.Br.: Herder, 2006, Nr. 536), the Church’s Compendium of Social Teaching, which is based on the Council’s document Nostra Aetate :
"In the shared tradition of the Old Testament the Catholic church is aware, that it’s social teachings also enable a dialogue with our Jewish brothers, in order to create a shared future of justice and peace for the people who are the children of God. The shared cultural heritage furthers understanding and the respect both feel for each other. It is the basis on which the covenant for overcoming any kind of discrimination and the defense of human dignity can grow.” In a comparable way, in Part 3 of Nostra Aetate the Church urges Christians and Muslims “to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding and to preserve as well as to promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom.” (Point 3) No religion and no person of good will is excluded from the Church’s invitation to support the realization of more justice and sounder peace in the world, through dialogue and in co-operation with the church. “The social teachings of the Church is also a continuous call for dialogue between all the faithful of the world religions, so they search together for the most suitable forms of co-operation.”…. Because: “These religions play an important role in the realization of peace, which depends on the joint efforts towards the comprehensive development of mankind.” (Compendium, No. 537).
Question 112: You claim that Jesus is the Son of God, because He has no father. The ancestor of all, Adam, also did not have a father. Is Adam therefore also a Son of God? (TR)
Answer: The Church believes and proclaims that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God. Question and Answer 50 above explain how the Church has arrived at this belief.
The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the Church’s creed with regard to Jesus Christ:
“94. ‘Conceived from the Holy Spirit: What does this mean?
“It means that the Virgin Mary conceived the everlasting Son through the actions of the Holy Spirit and without any contribution from a man: ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God’ (Luke 1:35), as the angel said to her at the annunciation“.
95. ‘Born of the virgin Mary’: Why is Mary truly the mother of God?
„Mary is truly the mother of God, because she is the mother of Jesus (John 2:1; 19:25). Because He, whom she has conceived from the Holy Spirit and who became her real Son, is the eternal Son of God the Father. He himself is God.“
98. What is the meaning of the virginal conception of Jesus?
It means that Jesus was conceived in the virgin’s womb only through the power of the Holy Spirit, without any contribution from a man. He is Son of the heavenly Father according to His godly nature, and son of Mary according to his human nature. However, in both natures he is the Son of God, because He is only one person, the godly one.”
The Qur’an and the Bible speak of the creation of the first human couple, Adam and Eve, whereby the Qur’an does not mention the name of Adam’s wife. All relevant texts make it abundantly clear that Adam and his wife are nothing but human beings; furthermore, they are humans who sinned and who required God’s forgiveness. Jesus, on the other hand, was without sin.
Question 113: The Gospels tell of Jesus cursing a fig tree because it carried no figs. What kind of loving care is that? And how can Jesus, whom you consider to be the Son of God, experience hunger? (TR)
Answer: This question refers to Matthew 21:18-22.
According to the faith of the Church, Jesus was wholly God and wholly man. In His human life here on earth He was just like any other human being, except that He was without sin. This is confirmed in all for Gospels of the New Testament.
If given sufficient water and possibly some feed, the fig tree can also thrive on poor and stony soil; a non-fruiting fig tree is therefore justly considered to be a nuisance (Luke 13:6-9).
The biblical text in question is, however, not a “punishment miracle” – how can a natural plant be punished? – rather, it is a “sign of action”. Jesus' actions in the temple, which are described in the immediately preceding verse (Matthew 21:12-17) are to be interpreted as the judgment of Israel. Jesus came to the fig tree growing along His way in the hope to find figs to eat. Reference is made to Jesus’ hunger in order to explain His interest in the tree. But He finds no fruit on the tree although it bears leaves. Normally, he should have found at least the buds of the fruit, which serve as nourishment. The severity of the curse and the immediate withering of the tree show that this is a prophetic sign which points to something far beyond itself to a much sadder kind of “withering”. The miracle therefore has nothing to do with frustration or hunger. Rather, it is about Israel (see especially 21:43; and 22:3 and 23). Despite external signs, Israel was without fruit. The withering of the fig tree is an apocalyptic word and judgment which will be fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem and its temples (cf. Luke 13:6-9: there the parable of the fig tree has the same symbolism as the “sign of action” here. Regarding the symbol of the barren fig tree for Israel see also Jeremiah 8:18; Micah 7:1, Isaiah 5:1-8; Hosea 8:10,16).
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