The Fig Tree Outside of Bethany

Dr. David A. Wood, a Christian apologist and expert critic of Islam, speaks from time to time of The Principle of Embarrassment.  His principle states that in ancient historical texts, details that are embarrassing to the point of view of the writer are the most likely to have actually occurred.  

Though Wood applies the principle only to the Quran and Hadiths, the principle, if sound, applies also to the Bible.  Under the principle, then a leading candidate for the most likely New Testament passage to have actually occurred is Matthew 21:18–22 and Mark 11:20–25. 

The next day, when they had left Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if there was any fruit on it. But when He reached it, He found nothing on it except leaves, since it was not the season for figs. 14Then He said to the tree, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again.” And His disciples heard this statement.

So let's look at the statement not from the intent of the author of the passage, but from what it reveals.  It is not presented as a parable but as something that actually occurred.  Jesus was hungry, saw a fig tree, hoped that it would have figs, even though it was not the season for figs.  He was not only disappointed, but got angry at the tree and cursed it.

He did not laugh at himself, saying, "Silly me, for a moment I expected to find figs on a tree out of season!"  No, he cursed the tree.  For this to have made sense, the tree 

• Would have had to have had the ability to produce figs out of season
• Would have had to have had free will
• Would have to have known that Jesus was hungry and needed the tree to produce figs just for him
• Would have to have known that Jesus was not just an ordinary person, but was The Son of God
• Would have to have refused to produce figs for him on the spot.

Any one of these elements missing and his anger and his curse would not have made sense.  This is not a problem if one admits that the Bible was written by many different ordinary human beings over many centuries or millennia.  It is a challenge if one believes the Bible to have been divinely dictated.  

The standard response of most Christian apologists is to focus on the author's intent in order to distract from the question of the literal truth of the passage and what it says about Jesus if true.