Matthew 20-21

[wolfpurplemoon]

Ok, I'm all for treating people equalling and fairly, but if you worked for 12 hours and someone else worked for 1 hour you would be well within your rights to complain if they got paid the same as you for the whole day, equal in this case would be the same amount per hour worked. The unions would love Jesus.

Jesus hasn't got the power to grant shotgun rights to anyone who wants to sit next to him in heaven.

Jesus decides to make an entrance when he arrives at Jerusalem, riding on a donkey with crowds shouting his praises and scattering branches on the road. He then evicts the market set up on the steps of the temple because they are defiling his house of prayer.

Jesus gets unnecessarily annoyed with a fig tree that happened to not be bearing fruit, he curses it and it dies. If he hadn't evicted the market traders then he could've had a meal and not been so hungry that he was moody.

Jesus asks the leaders some riddles in parable form because they questioned his authority, their answers seem to condemn them. They want to arrest him but fear his groupies.

Comments

[zen-says.livejournal.com]

imagine jesus was thirsty and walking through an orchard and see no fruits.

pointing at the tress and say: "no fruits, you die,,,, dies,,,, die"

what kind of person curse at a tree? assuming the father of creation makes the tree and schedules the time for it to bear fruit.

Does jesus not know the time the plant, the time to harvest? to curse a poor tree due to the father's fault, is he not happy what his father has done?

Or did jesus just have a PMS?

[(Anonymous)]

I had an apple tree that did not bear apples two years in a row.
An arborist said the tree had been hit by blight thus slowly
killing the tree. Jesus story sounds like a parable of what
Will happen to us if we don't bear fruit.

if your seriously conserding reading the bible...

[(Anonymous)]

In order to get an honest analysis of the bible, it might be wise to let go of all your preconceived notions about Jesus, the bible, and christianity. Also, you might consider picking up a commentary. They help with the historical context the passages are written in to help understand the culture. I can tell by your analysis of this particular text you are quick to judge and point out faults of Jesus and his teachings (which there aren't any). Jesus isn't concerned with teaching about what makes us happy and comfortable. He was a real person, and he had emotions just like we do, but he was perfect. When you read the bible with your own disbelief, you tend to add your own tone to the situation, and that's how things can easily be taken out of context. Hopefully this helps. I don't know what your trying to accomplish, but good luck, and I hope you find the answers that you are looking for.

Re: if your seriously conserding reading the bible...

[wolfpurplemoon]

I understand that the culture was different then, but people believe that what was taught then still applies to our lives today so I don't see a problem with judging it from my own modern perspective. And if you really see no faults in Jesus or his teachings then maybe you have some preconceived notions you need to let go of.

Please Stop Reading

[allusionist tlamar (from livejournal.com)]

It is your choice to believe or not believe but is a disservice to you to read the book the way you are. You are not reading for the sake of inlightenment. This is more of an attempt to say that you tried but it (the bible) failed. You are not reading from a bible writen by a believer or using any of the resources that those who believe use to educate them selves on the subject. This tatic is as open minded as reading a Gleen Beck book to develop a defensive understanding of progresives.
Please pick up some of the Sartre, Camus or other existentialist, they would provide more productive reading for you.

Re: Please Stop Reading

[wolfpurplemoon]

I don't think I need to read a bible written by a believer as I get plenty of alternative perspectives through the comments here, which surely means the bible and its believers are getting plenty of chances to convince me - presumably the people who come here have made use of these resources you speak about.

The fact that all of this has failed to move me from my position of non-belief doesn't mean I'm not open minded, but that I have logic and reason on my side so I'm waiting for the extraordinary evidence to back up the extraordinary claims (to paraphrase Carl Sagan)

But, I'm guessing it's the mention of the Skeptic's Annotated Bible that has you concerned for the fairness of my bible reading, I've actually changed tactics since I wrote my intro, so what I am reading now is a modern translation and I'm only skimming the annotations in the SAB as they mostly relate to the KJV and its quirks and strange turns of phrase.

Matthew 20

[(Anonymous)]

In Matthew 20 Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to workers in a vineyard. He says that the last will be first and the first will be last. I see this as the choosen ones of god in heaven. He who humbles himself to god and others (like a slave) will actually be first in heaven. So the workers who were hired first, are actually last because they wanted more out of the landowner (god) than they asked for at the begining. Jesus has all the rights to grant people this because he is gods image on earth.

Jews vs Gentiles

[(Anonymous)]

Read deeper. This is about the Jews and the Gentiles.

Not about individuals but the groups.

Those who were longer in the field were the jews. They think its about the work. Those who came later to the fields were the gentiles. The money is heaven. Jesus is saying it is not about who works the longest or hardest to get to heaven. It's purely by grace and to the glory of God that anyone gets to heaven. Thank you so much Moon for showing me this scripture. Until you asked about it, I never saw the true message and meaning before. Thanks for the blessing.

[zteccc.livejournal.com]

Jesus tells a story about people who were hired for different wages to do the same job. They all got paid the same amount, but some worked a shorter time and thus earned less per hour. This passage addresses one of the complaints that people sometimes raise about Christianity. They say that a person who becomes a Christian early in life and lives a Christian life for all their years gets the same reward as a person who becomes a Christian late in life. They see this as unfair. It isn't. We all know the reward, and we all accept it. There is no greater reward for becoming a believer early or late. That said, the reward is pretty spectacular, nobody is going to feel that they didn't get enough.
Jesus again tells the Apostles what is going to happen to him in Jerusalem. He knows that he will be beaten and crucified, but will be resurrected.
James and John's mother wants her sons to be the most important in God's kingdom (what mother wouldn't?). The other apostles were angry with them, of course they probably wanted the same thing. She asks Jesus for this. Jesus says that they don't know what they're asking. Jesus said that those seats are for those for whom they have been prepared. Note that although Jesus is God and could give the seats to whomever he wants, the fact is that those assignments had already been made. Jesus is saying that his friendship with these men doesn't overrule the preparations that God (and Jesus) have made since the beginning. He explains that those who serve well on Earth, with humility and without self aggrandizement, will be placed in high positions in God's kingdom. Jesus says that he didn't come to be a domineering slave master, ruling from on high (which is what most people expected of a Messiah), but he came as a servant who is willing to die for his people (which is what any true leader, also termed "public servant", should be willing to do if necessary).
Two blind men heard Jesus was coming and shouted out for his help. The crowd tried to quiet them. Jesus felt compassion for them and healed them and they followed him. It didn't matter that he didn't know them and that they didn't know him they had only heard a few things of him. He saw someone in trouble and helped them because they believed that he could. Jesus could have been excused from helping others. He knew he was going to Jerusalem and would die there. Jericho is approximately 13 miles from Jerusalem, so it must have been pretty heavy on his mind, het he still stopped to help someone else.

[zteccc.livejournal.com]

Jesus sends his disciples to collect a donkey for him to ride into Jerusalem (as was prophesied). A king (or Messiah) would have been expected to make an entrance on a horse, or a sedan chair, perhaps a chariot or other great conveyance. The donkey symbolizes humility and servanthood rather than arrogance and domination.
Many people padded the way for him with clothing and branches. They cheered his arrival in Jerusalem. Most of these were the people who had been following him (Jesus had twelve apostles, but literally hundreds had been following him on his journey). They were overjoyed because the Messiah had arrived in Jerusalem as Ezekiel and Daniel had prophesied.
In comparison, the people in the city wondered who was arriving. The crowd (the people who were following him), answered. This would have brought recognition to the people in the city because they would have heard about Jesus' ministry for the prior three years.
Jesus found the money changers and merchants in the temple. He was incensed because they were cheating people with their practises. This is expanded in other gospels, but the money changers were exchanging the common currency for the "temple shekel" because that was the only offering acceptable in the temple. Of course the exchange rate was horrendous. Similarly, they would inspect sacrificial animals for blemishes or impurity. If they found one (which they always did), they would tell the penitent who had just traveled for days to get to Jerusalem, that their sacrifice wouldn't be acceptable, but of course they had a pre-approved one that they could sell them (for a huge fee). They'd even take the inferior one in trade. Of course they turned that one over the next day. That's why Jesus said that they had turned the temple into a den of thieves.
Jesus healed people in the temple. The priests and pharisees didn't like this and they didn't like people praising the Messiah. They were worried that they might lose their jobs because the Messiah either might not need them, or more likely, would recognize the way they had been hypocritical about their positions and responsibilities.

[zteccc.livejournal.com]

Fig trees, in the spring, bear fruit that is ripe by the time that they become leafy. The leaves signify that edible fruit should be on the tree. This tree was not bearing fruit which would indicate a problem with the tree. Such a tree would be barren, possibly forever, but at least for the remainder of the year. The tree appeared to be fruitful, but was useless. This is much like people who appear to be Godly (religious), they go to church, do good things, etc. but who only go through the motions and there is no substance; no fruit. Jesus was making a point about such people in cursing the tree. A further point is made about faith when he said that anyone could do such things with enough faith, even move a mountain (although, really, why would we want to?).
Jesus was challenged by the church leaders as to his authority to work miracles and teach (remember, he wasn't just reciting the Law, but was instead giving a better way of living and following God). Jesus asked them who gave John the Baptist his authority. They were stuck because they didn't follow John, but knew that the people did so they would have a revolt if they said that John had no authority from God, but if John did have such authority then they would have had to follow John. They instead said that they didn't know where John's authority came from (they dodged the question). Jesus said then that he wouldn't tell them who gave his authority. Jesus knew that they knew the answer, God, and he knew why they wouldn't answer, because it would show them as hypocrites, so by saying that he wouldn't tell them, he made it clear to them that he knew that for the same reasons that they evaded the question, they wouldn't accept his authority from God.
Jesus tells a parable about two sons. The first who refused to work, but then later did work, represented a good son who at one time strayed. The second, who agreed to work, but didn't, represented a bad son. The parallel is to the church leaders who had abandoned any work for God that they were supposed to do. Jesus said that the sinners who later came to follow Jesus would get to the kingdom of God, but the priests might not make it because they didn't truly believe.
The parable about the landowner and the vineyard is about God, the priests and Jesus. God built the vineyard (the Earth and its people). The priests are the workers who rented out the vineyard and worked it. The owner deserved his portion of the harvest (it is the owner's land and that was part of the agreement), so he sent servants (the prophets) to remind the renters of the agreement, but the servants were mistreated and killed. The owner sends his son (Jesus) hoping they would respect him, but they decided to kill him as well so they could keep their spoils. Jesus asks the religious leaders what the owner (God) will do when he comes. The leaders say that the owner will kill the renters.
Jesus says that because of their actions and lack of faith, the priests will not be in God's kingdom but instead to believers. The Pharisees and priests then want to arrest Jesus, but don't, for now, because they fear the people (the large crowd that came with Jesus and the people in Jerusalem that had become his followers).

Reading a map and not following the directions

[(Anonymous)]

Wolfpurplemoon, I applaud you as you are reading through such a weighty piece of literature. I have been following you for the past couple of months as you comment on the things that you have read. I am still blown away at the fact that you are reading through it. I am not here to attack or defend you or any of your followers/enemies. I am here to suggest something to you. Whether you do it or not, is completely up to you as I am assuming you believe in free will.
Reading the Bible to me is like reading a map. There are roads and highways leading to all different places, and you typically use maps to get you to a desired location. But if you just look at the map without attempting to take the routes shown you are just wasting your time. You can interpret the directions how ever you want, but unless you make the journey yourself with the suggested directions you will never know if they are true.
I believe that the Bible is "God-breathed" and inspired by Him. I believe that reading it can open people's eyes to the truth. But I also believe that if the reader doesn't "test" what the words say then they are just reading it to read another book.
I am not here to rip you apart or say that you should take everything literal that is in the Bible. The Bible isn't a "how to" kind of book. There are things that I still don't understand about it. I am here to tell you that if you have a willingness to really find out if there is a God rather than to check off that you read through the whole Bible, then just lift up some kind of prayer for some kind of sign that is indicating that.
I respect what you are doing and I will continue to read along with you as you stay on this reading plan.

P.S. Some of your followers/commentators seem to not think before they write. I sense a lot of anger and hostility. It amuses me.

Re: Reading a map and not following the directions

[(Anonymous)]

"I believe that the Bible is "God-breathed" and inspired by Him. I believe that reading it can open people's eyes to the truth. But I also believe that if the reader doesn't "test" what the words say then they are just reading it to read another book."

This is trustworthy advice. As a former atheist, I can certainly attest that simply reading the Word will not get you anywhere per se.
Please also be careful to not put too much weight in some of the so-called believers commenting here. Reading the Bible is not required for salvation. Faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, came to the earth as a man, gave His life as atonement for sin, and rose from the grave is the only requirement, and as an atheist you have a ton of faith, much more than you know.

consider this..

[(Anonymous)]

The Biblical worldview, whether accepted or rejected, has profound bearing on how we choose to live our lives. I'm not here to tell you why your analysis is simplistic or flawed. What I'm trying to say is, the issues at hand here are worth really digging in to. Consider for a moment..if Jesus really is who He says He is...what does that mean for you and I? Isn't it worth really using all of our intellect to give it the most honest consideration within our power? Sit down and really hash through it. You're worth it. Two books that helped me immensely:

Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis
The Case For Christ - Lee Strobel

Re: consider this..

[(Anonymous)]

A lot of atheists tend to think intellect and logic are thrown out the window by believers. This is simply not true. We are told to reason in our faith many times.

These two books are great. "The Case For Christ" was tremendously helpful for me in letting go of some faulty worldly knowledge in order to take a truly open minded look at what faith really is. Be warned. While Lee Strobel did the research for the book while he was a professed atheist, the book was actually written after he came to Christ, and as such carries a slight Christian slant. If you can over look that and examine the research without bias, it is quite helpful.

[(Anonymous)]

I think its great that you are reading the bible, what you are reading it for i dont know though. You say your an atheist and your reading it for understanding or knowledge, that is a step forward into God moving in your life. Even if you write your own thoughts and feelings about what you read, God will never be mocked. The fact your even taking time to read the bible, shows yout still searching, regardless of what you say.
Cant you see, even through your own agenda, God orchestrated this so you can read His Word.
No doubt you or your friends are going to comment back, but there really is no need. You can fool man as much as you like but the truth is God sees your heart and the real you.
Glory to God for your life, and i am praying for you. Jesus does really love you and He sees your past and the torment youve suffered, but now is the time for you to allow God 2 rebuild and heal you.
Amen & Amen.

sounds tragically familiar

[(Anonymous)]

Friend - I pray that God would open the eyes of your heart. None of your comments about what you are reading are in the least bit surprising. But I am grateful that you are reading so as to give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to soften you.

Mark 4:10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.

Philip Leeman - MD

Re: sounds tragically familiar

[(Anonymous)]

I am so pleased that you are reading the bible
and I believe and that before you finish you will discover the real truth.
God has directed your feet to do this and He will see you through to the end.
He who began this good work in you will be faithful to complete is my prayer for you.
Enjoy discovering God. You are in my prayers

consider this..

[(Anonymous)]

The Biblical worldview, whether accepted or rejected, has profound bearing on how we choose to live our lives. I'm not here to tell you why your analysis is simplistic or flawed. What I'm trying to say is, the issues at hand here are worth really digging in to. Consider for a moment..if Jesus really is who He says He is...what does that mean for you and I? Isn't it worth really using all of our intellect to give it the most honest consideration within our power? Sit down and really hash through it. You're worth it. Two books that helped me immensely:

Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis
The Case For Christ - Lee Strobel

[(Anonymous)]

Only God can judge. Jesus is coming again. Be prepared to meet thy God.

try this

[(Anonymous)]

Instead of fumbling through the bible attempting to understand it from your own perspective, ask God to reveal Himself to you. If you are willing to listen and rebuttal supposed believers then it shouldn't be so far fetched for you to ask God himself for some revelation. So what if you don't believe He exists or that the bible is His word. In order to get the most out if your experience you should adopt the preconceptions that God will infact reveal Himself to you if you so desire to know Him. Goodluck.

Seen this before?

[(Anonymous)]

Doves were the poor man's sacrifice. Ever heard of religions exploiting the poor to make money? Jesus hates it. Imagine if a charity was doing work in Africa and getting paid in us dollars, but the charity owner made a killing out of changing the currency to an African currency. It's horrible. Yeah, Jesus gets angry. I bet you look at churches selling healings and feel the same. You should. That's what Jesus would do. Anyways, I think if I were dirt poor and being exploited by the ruling elete, I would wave branches for the guy who says, "the least will be the most" I'll probably get even more exited if ge lived it. I bet the rulers wouldn't though. They'd probably want to kill that guy.

I dont get this web page

[(Anonymous)]

Why are you reading the bible and trying to discredit believes that have been here far before you and will be here long after you are worm food and your soul is burning in hell your wasting your life giving an opinion that no one will remember a year from now Jesus' love and the gospel has been preached for 2000 years what makes you think your going to leave even a dent in his legacy if your an unbeliever fine Jesus still loves you but I can promise you the percentage of people who don't care what you say far out weighs the percentage that do , so do yourself a favour and get a hobby that helps you keep your mind of the nonsense it is currently obsessing about. ill pray for you because your extreme enthusiasm can be used for more usefully things .

Re: I dont get this web page

[wolfpurplemoon]

Please use some punctuation.

[(Anonymous)]

If you don't like it don't read it no one is forcing you to believe I pray that you would but if you have such a strong negative opinion on the bible try something els, I love you and Jesus loves you and ill pray that he will soften your heart .

[(Anonymous)]

I guess I'm not sure why you've taken on this endeavor? If u don't believe in Christ then why not leave it at that? You're putting in a lot of effort to disprove the inerrant Word of God, which leads me to think that you really aren't rock-solid in your disbelief. Within each of our souls, there is a void, until we fill it with what God created us for -- fellowship with Jesus.

God's grace is truly unphathomable and I am so grateful that He loves me in spite of myself. Jesus died for ALL of us and until you draw your last breath, He is calling you. I pray that in your quest to disprove the awesomeness of God, that you will come to the end of yourself and recognize your need for the Savior... while you still have the chance to choose!

Right or wrong; Heaven or Hell; Eternity is a very long time to wish you would've made a different choice. Jesus loves you and desires your love and your trust, not your criticism or doubt. Regardless of your beliefs, you can't change the fact that you were created BY God, to be in relationship WITH God!

[wolfpurplemoon]

Actually I was very solid in my disbelief before I started and I've just got stronger and more certain that there is no God as I've read the bible and the comments I get.

Regardless of your beliefs, you can't change the fact that you are the product of millions of years of evolution, descended from apes and that when you die you are just gone.

Romans 1

[(Anonymous)]

This says it best:

Romans 1:7, 9, 17-32 MSG

And I greet you now with all the generosity of God our Father and our Master Jesus, the Messiah. And God, whom I so love to worship and serve by spreading the good news of his Son—the Message!—knows that every time I think of you God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.”

Ignoring God Leads to a Downward Spiral But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand. So God said, in effect, “If that’s what you want, that’s what you get.” It wasn’t long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes! Worse followed. Refusing to know God, they soon didn’t know how to be human either—women didn’t know how to be women, men didn’t know how to be men. Sexually confused, they abused and defiled one another, women with women, men with men—all lust, no love. And then they paid for it, oh, how they paid for it—emptied of God and love, godless and loveless wretches. Since they didn’t bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing. They made life hell on earth with their envy, wanton killing, bickering, and cheating. Look at them: mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, swaggerers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way. Stupid, slimy, cruel, cold-blooded. And it’s not as if they don’t know better. They know perfectly well they’re spitting in God’s face. And they don’t care—worse, they hand out prizes to those who do the worst things best!

God Is Kind, but Not Soft

[(Anonymous)]

Dear Wolf Purple Moon.
I know your angry and annoyed about the hand that you have been dealt in life, but dont ever think for 1 second that God doesnt care.
He has seen you cry and ask for His help, but He couldnt help you because you refused to give your whole life to Him.
But your taking a step in the best direction by even picking up the Bible to read. No doubt there are many 'so-called' Christians that dont even read the Bible, but then theres you, a self-proclaimed atheist/evolutionist, who is reading it.
I know your mindset of reading it, but God has brought you to read it.
Stop trying to prove yourself to others, and just give your life to Chgrist. Its as simple you could do it now.
This is the prayer of repentance:
"Lord Jesus, i admit that im a sinner and ive done wrong. I believe You died on the cross so my sins can be forgiven. I ask you to forgive me and change my life. I ask you to come into my heart and be my Lord and Saviour. In Jesus name, Amen."
God loves you so much, and if not today than sometime soon, all that you have read will be a seed that will harvest into your salvation.
Let every word of God, be of your rememberance by the Holy Spirit. May it follow you to the point of total surrender to God. I pray this for your life, and that God will protect you from death until you become born again. I pray all this in Jesus mighty name. Amen.
Ashleigh :-D

[wolfpurplemoon]

What has made you conclude I'm angry or annoyed about the way my life is going? I don't need a God to care about me in order to feel fulfilled and I don't need his 'help'.

I'm definitely not trying to prove myself to anyone, and picking up the bible to read wasn't a step in any particular direction, just a challenge to tackle.

But if you think you can convince God to keep me alive till I'm born again then I promise to ask for salvation on my 200th birthday.

Jesus

[(Anonymous)]

Lol I was reading a lot of your conversations with people and it seems everyone is talking from the bible and is tryin to understand you and convince you that the is real but All have failed lol. But All I want to add to what all the believers were saying is they shouldn't try to prove God's word is real it backs its ownself up scholars have tried to disprove the bible for years but still fail. But as for you I completely agree you can be happy without god but it isn't true complete happiness until you find him. There's such a joy in your life that you can not compare with anything else when you establish a relationship with god. See idk who you are but you seen very argumentative but So am I But the only thing I can say is one day when all else fails and your really broken, Jesus is Usally the name even non believers call on because there is power in his name. Well ttyl Ashley menchaca

Don't Stop Reading Wolf Puple Moon!

[(Anonymous)]

What a cool name, what does it mean? Anyway, up doing some late reading and came across these string of posts. Isn't hilarious that "so called" Christians who are supposed to "love" people would leave such nasty comments just because someone shares an opposing view of the Bible? Look there's another book about a guy on a mission to disprove God/Jesus/Bible. Its called "The Case for Christ". I'd like to hear your thoughts on that. Oh & by the way, within 1 year you will know the truth which will set you free. All the questions you've been asking will finally be answered. Keep asking, seeking, & knocking. There was a man who killed hundreds of Christians and had 1 encouter that changed everything - that's really what you are looking for. Be encouraged my friend, you're closer than you think!

[bloodborn01.livejournal.com]

You have not done your homework. You mock the Scriptures as a foolish child mocks their mothers warning when they reach out to touch a hot stove. You do not know what you are talking about. Everything you said was way off point. Just to touch on a few, in that time the Jews where under Roman oppression and were wanting the Savior to come as a military leader. The palm branches were a customary celebration for the coming of a powerful military leader in that day. The military leader would ride in on a steed through the crowd and glorify themselves. Jesus humbled himself by riding in on a donkey. For he did not come to lead them to war but to lead them to peace. Another have you ever had to work when another shift is getting payed holiday. Life isn't fair. God blesses us all differently. Quit crying about it you get what you get. The fig tree is a picture of someone who claims to be a child of God but only listens to the word but does not do it. Jesus was making a statement that those are not his children. If you are not a believer you cannot understand the Scriptures because you are a dead fig tree. But I pray that you will accept the free gift of life that God is extending to you. I encourage you to keep reading and keep an open heart about what you are reading.