Good Questions: The Fig Tree, Magical Thinking, the Language of Jesus, and Spiritual vs. Religious

The Fig Tree

Dear Dr. Tom: Seems like Jesus is really ticked off at that fig tree. What gives?

—J.C., Online Submission

Dear J.C.: Yeah, it does sound like Jesus pitched a hissy fit and whacked an innocent Ficus carica. The infamous cursing of the fruitless tree (Mark 11, Matthew 21) troubles our 21st-century, eco-friendly consciousness. We get hooked by the pique Jesus displayed. But let’s back off a second and remember this is a Christian myth, not objective history.

The function of myth is to convey meaning in superlative, often miraculous language. Cursing a fig tree, stilling the raging sea, the miraculous catch of fish, raising Lazarus from the dead—all these are power demonstrations offered as testimony by the early Church. Power demonstrations were designed to establish the credentials of Jesus as a first-century worker of wonders and partner with the gods. Those skills were required by a Greco-Roman world steeped in superstition, mysterious epiphanies of demigods, and other prescientific lore. The character and teachings of Jesus are not on display, just the testimonies of second- and third-generation Christians about his bona fides.

I could do a symbolic interpretation of the passage, but the affirming, healing ministry of Jesus is not on display here. He apparently believed all humanity possessed the same gifts, not just wonder-workers. Jesus taught neither magic nor miracle but centered on the divine within.

Magical Thinking

Dear Dr. Tom: How does the Law of Mind Action differ from magical thinking?

—E.F., Lee’s Summit, Missouri

Dear E.F.: Hmm ... My simplistic response: the same way driving inside the lines differs from autopilot. If you stay centered and live mindfully, better stuff usually happens. Not absolutely, but usually. Most religions struggle to stay centered in life, and sometimes the appeal to magic or miracles can be overwhelming. Who has not muttered a plea to the god of the ceiling? Trusting God, letting go of the outcome, and free falling into the embrace of divine love is not always easy. For me, it is simply the only alternative to despair.

Did Jesus Speak Greek?

Dear Dr. Tom: Numerous Bible scholars tell me Jesus of Nazareth spoke Greek. Is there proof that he spoke Greek vs. Aramaic? If Greek was his first language, would he not lose the kinship that he was trying to develop with people within his home area?

—R.C., Online Submission

Dear R.C.: Every time I answer this, somebody gets mad at me. Let’s try it again in the 2020s. The vast majority of reputable biblical scholars are convinced the Christian Scriptures were written in Koine Greek by second- and third-generation members of the Church. Their target audience was the Mediterranean world, especially Greco-Romans. New Testament documents were written to be read aloud as performance literature, not studied privately.

As a tradesman doing business in Roman Judea, Jesus may have spoken a little Greek, but his native language was most certainly Aramaic. Ironically, there were probably no Aramaic gospels until Greek-speaking Christians translated Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John into an Old Syriac (Aramaic) version called the Peshitta sometime after the third century C.E. In Unity circles, the case for an original Aramaic New Testament usually comes from the work of the late George Lamsa, who had little support outside a dwindling number of New Thought writers. Google the academic New Testament scholarship, not the Lamsa partisans, and see for yourself.

Spiritual vs. Religious

Dear Dr. Tom: “Spiritual, not religious.” What’s the difference between the two?

—Kansas Christian

Dear K.C.: Usually, religion describes beliefs and practices emerging from an established community of faith. Spirituality often describes individual relationships with God, the Universe, and neighbor. However, deep spirituality can be found in traditional communities or discovered alone.

This article appeared in Unity Magazine®.