On the Great and Holy Monday, we remember the All-Comely Joseph, whose life and ministry in the Old Testament times prefigured those of Jesus Christ. Simultaneously, in the parable of the fig tree, we receive the poignant warning that when we preoccupy ourselves fully with things of this finite world, our souls will bear no fruit and face eternal condemnation.
Joseph was the last son of the Old-Testament Patriarch Jacob. Joseph's jealous brothers first throw him into a dug-out pit and then sell them to a slave trader for thirty pieces of silver. Yet as governor of the land of Egypt, Joseph gave grain to his brothers even as a famine was raging among the Israelis. Like Joseph, Christ also attracted envy from his people, the Jews, and also suffered betrayal by a disciple who sold Him for thirty silver coins.
Imprisoned in the dark pit of the grave, Christ broke out with His own power triumphing over every sin as Joseph triumphed over Egypt. In His love for mankind, He gave Himself up for us, and He feeds us with Heavenly Bread, His own Life-bearing Flesh. For this reason, Joseph the All-Comely is remembered at this time.
In the Parable of the withered fig tree, narrated by Matthew (21: 19-22) and Mark (11: 20-23), the Lord cursed the fig tree that bore no fruit. As the Venerable John of Kronstadt said in his homily for the Great and Holy Monday, "The fig tree by the roadside, with only leaves but no fruit are like you and me, my beloved brothers and sisters. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Giver of our life, Who desires our salvation, will come to us someday to relieve the hunger of our souls and feed us with the Bread of Heaven. Almost invariably, he will find in hearts, to His sadness, nothing but worldly pursuits. By not caring for the salvation of our souls, we liken ourselves to the fig tree with the leaves but no fruit."
On our way through the Great and Holy Week, we relive the betrayal of Christ and His death on the Cross. We are called to do everything in our power to live our lives in the spirit and bear fruit. The image of the fig tree shows us the frightful consequences of not bringing to Christ the worthy fruit of righteousness and repentance.
The hymns chanted at our churches today talk about the passions of Christ that He accepted voluntarily for our salvation. They calls to to repentant before it is too late: "O brethren, let us fear the punishment of the fig tree, withered because it was unfruitful; and let us bring worthy fruits of repentance unto Christ.”
