cursing of the fig tree

The Fruitless Fig Tree: Part II

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20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” – Mark 11:20-25 ESV

When Jesus departed the temple, He and the disciples returned to Bethany for the evening. The next morning, which was probably Wednesday, they made their way back to the city of Jerusalem. After His symbolic exit from the temple the day before, Jesus likely entered the city through the Lion’s Gate rather than the Golden Gate, which led directly into the temple complex. He and the disciples would have taken the same path through the Kidron Valley and the Garden of Gethsemane, so eventually, they came to the spot where Jesus had cursed the fig tree the day before. To the disciples’ shock, the fig tree was “withered away to its roots” (Mark 11:20 ESV).

Just the day before, this same tree had been in perfect health, covered in green leaves and full of life. Yet despite its outward vitality, it bore no fruit. This tree, unlike all the other fig trees in the garden, had bloomed early. Under normal conditions, leaves would indicate that figs would be present. But when Jesus approached the tree the previous day, He found it completely barren. So, He had cursed it.

Peter was the first to recognize the dramatic difference in the tree’s appearance. He recalled what Jesus had said to the tree 24 hours earlier: “May no one ever eat fruit from you again” (Mark 11:14 ESV). Surprised by the tree’s sudden demise, Peter let Jesus know that His curse had worked. He called out, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered” (Mark 11:21 ESV). Overnight, the once-lush tree dropped all its leaves and lost every ounce of life-giving sap. It had withered away, from the roots up.

So much is going on in this scene. The tree is the obvious focal point, and Jesus uses the opportunity to convey two different messages to His disciples. One concerns fruit, and the other, faith. The tree was dead because it failed to bear fruit. It had all the appearances of fruitfulness but, upon closer examination, proved barren. For Jesus, the tree was an apt symbol for the fruitlessness of the nation of Israel.

Keep in mind that Jerusalem was literally overflowing with pilgrims who had come to celebrate the Feast of Passover. As faithful Jews, they practiced all the prescribed feasts and festivals, and regularly brought their tithes and offerings to the temple. They tried to keep the Mosaic Law and, when they failed, they counted on their sacrifices to assuage God’s righteous wrath.

Three years earlier, John the Baptist had confronted a group of Pharisees who showed up in the wilderness of Judea where he was preaching and baptizing. When John saw them, he responded in prophetic anger.

“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” – Matthew 3:7-10 ESV

As the religious leaders of Israel, these men were thought to be icons of virtue and the symbols of moral rectitude. But John recognized them for what they were: withered, lifeless trees incapable of bearing good fruit. Their flowing robes and outward displays of righteousness were nothing more than “green leaves” that gave the impression of faithfulness without fruitfulness.

Jesus later picked up on this same theme, warning His disciples to watch for false prophets, and He told them exactly how to spot these dangerous charlatans.

“You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” – Matthew 7:16-20 NLT

Jesus had also warned His disciples that only those who abide in Him can bear good fruit. Those who refuse to abide in Him and fail to produce fruit will be dealt with severely by God.

“He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” – John 15:2 NLT

The Jewish people were God’s chosen vine, but they had failed to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. When God sent His Son, the people of Israel rejected Him. So these fruitless “branches” would be cut off, eliminating any hope that they would ever produce good fruit.

The apostle Paul would later elaborate on this “cutting away” of the fruitless branches. In his letter to the Gentile believers in Rome, he reminded them that they were branches grafted into the olive tree of Israel. To make room for them, some of the natural branches had been removed.

Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them and participated in the richness of the olive root, do not boast over the branches. But if you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. Then you will say, “The branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted! They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand by faith. – Romans 11:17-20 NLT

With the cursing of the fig tree, Jesus was making a statement about the spiritual condition of the nation of Israel.His foray into the temple complex the day before had revealed just how spiritually fruitless Israel had become. They were rotten to the core, down to the very roots. Their religious leaders were exactly what John the Baptist had called them, a brood of vipers. Their venom had poisoned the people, leaving them as withered and lifeless as the cursed fig tree.

But none of this was on Peter and his companions’ minds as they stood looking at the dead tree. They were fixated on how quickly it had died after Jesus had cursed it. Jesus knew they were more interested in His display of power than in any lesson He might be trying to teach them. So, rather than expounding on Israel’s fruitlessness, Jesus took the opportunity to teach His disciples about faith.

“Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.” – Mark 11:22-23 NLT

First, He pointed them to God. He wanted His disciples to understand that God must be the focus of their faith. The people of Israel became fruitless because they failed to stay focused on God. Remember what Paul said: “They [Israel] were broken off because of their unbelief, but you [Gentiles] stand by faith” (Romans 11:20 NLT).

The real point of Jesus’ lesson was God’s power. We place our faith in God because He is all-powerful and nothing is impossible for Him. Jesus used an impossible scenario to describe God’s unfathomable power. If the unlikely situation arose where a mountain needed to be moved from one place to another, God could make it happen. The lesson Jesus was trying to teach had nothing to do with getting whatever we pray for. He was not suggesting that His disciples had a blank check from God to fulfill their hearts’ desires. They were to focus their faith on God, not for what they could get from Him but because He was the sole source of all their needs. Having the power to curse a fig tree would become a curse itself if God were left out of the equation. God is not to be viewed as a source of power to accomplish our desires. He is to be the focus of our faith and the object of our affections. His power is not why we love Him, but it is always at the disposal of those who do love Him.

This desire to tap into God’s power for personal gain is seen in the story of Simon the magician recorded in Acts 8.

A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great. Everyone, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as “the Great One—the Power of God.” They listened closely to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic. – Acts 8:9-11 NLT

When this influential magician heard Philip preach the gospel message, he believed, placed His faith in Christ, and “began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed” (Acts 8:13 NLT). Sometime later, Peter and John arrived in town to observe Philip’s ministry. When they saw that the new Gentile believers had not yet received the Holy Spirit, “Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:17 NLT). Blown away by this supernatural display of power, Simon was determined to get his hands on it and was willing to pay.

“Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!” – Acts 8:19 NLT

But Peter rebuked the misguided magician, saying, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought” (Acts 8:21 NLT).

Simon missed the point. Fruitfulness is the byproduct of faith. Power is not a commodity to buy and use for our own benefit. It is a manifestation of God’s presence and the byproduct of our faith in His matchless power and provision. As long as the disciples kept believing in God, they would experience His power flowing through their lives and producing the fruit of righteousness.

But Jesus also wanted His disciples to understand that while their access to God would place His power at their disposal, it came with conditions. The privilege of entering into God’s presence through prayer could prove dangerous. Trying to use God’s power for selfish reasons is always a risk. That is why James wrote, “you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure” (James 4:2-3 NLT).

But we must avoid an even more dangerous tendency. God’s power is not to be used to seek revenge on your enemies. That’s why Jesus warned His disciples, “whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25 ESV).

Jesus didn’t use God’s power to wither the fig tree because He was angry; He did it to teach His disciples a lesson. Jesus never used God’s power to seek revenge or call down divine wrath on His enemies. Yet, He knew that this would be a temptation for His disciples. In fact, just days earlier, as they made their way to Bethany, Jesus sent a few of His disciples into a Samaritan city to find accommodations for the night. When they returned, they announced to Jesus and the other disciples that the Samaritans wanted nothing to do with Jesus. This news infuriated James and John, the “Sons of Thunder,” and they asked Jesus for permission to use divine power to destroy the entire town.

“Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” – Luke 9:54 ESV

But Jesus rebuked them for their spirit of revenge and their desire to use the power of God for self-centered purposes. If they had recalled His Sermon on the Mount, they would have responded differently.

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:44-45 ESV

Faith and fruitfulness. These two vital characteristics are inseparable. Without faith in God, you cannot produce fruit, and the absence of fruit is evidence of a life devoid of faith in God. But as Jesus had told His disciples, God would be glorified by their future fruitfulness, and the key would be their faith.

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” – John 15:7-8 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Seven Days to Sunday – Week 4

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7daystillsunday_screenThis is the fourth week in our series on the final week of Jesus’ life. It deals with two very interesting events that are typically disconnected from one another, but that should be taken together to understand their meaning. The cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the Temple are not two isolated events, but are meant to be taken together and provide us with one primary lesson.

SevenDaysWk4Notes

Day 98 – Matthew 21:10-19; Mark 11:12-18; Luke 19:45-48

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The Cursing and The Cleansing.

Matthew 21:10-19; Mark 11:12-18; Luke 19:45-48

When he arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. – Mark 11:15-16 NLT

One of the reasons it is important to read each of the gospels simultaneously and in what is called a “harmony” is that it provides you with a much more accurate timeline of the events. The gospels were written by four different men, each addressing a different audience and with a different purpose in mind, so they each included or omitted certain details depending on the point they were trying to make. Matthew was writing predominantly to a Jewish audience, so he included many details that were pertinent or relevant to them. Mark was writing to a mostly Gentile audience, those who had been converted to Christianity from pagan religions, and so he leaves out the entire genealogy of Jesus and goes straight to the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Luke was a Greek physician writing to the Gentile individual named Theophilus. Luke was not a disciple of Jesus, but had become a close friend and companion of Paul. He tells us the reason he wrote his account right at the outset. “Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write a careful account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught” (Luke 1:3-4 NLT). John, a disciple of Jesus, writes his account to an audience made up of new Christians and those who were still seeking and searching. These four different men, while telling the same story, each had four different objectives in mind. By comparing and compiling their four stories, you get a much more detailed and accurate view of the events surrounding the life of Jesus. And that is important when reading the account of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of His last week on earth.

After entering Jerusalem on Sunday to the shouts of Hosanna and the seeming acceptance of the crowds, Mark tells us Jesus went to the Temple and, “after looking around carefully at everything, he left because it was late in the afternoon. Then he returned to Bethany with the twelve disciples” (Mark 11:11 NLT). Bethany would be their home base during what is called the Passion Week. They would return there each evening and spend the night. Then each morning they would make their way back to the eastern gate of the city of Jerusalem, passing through the Mount of Olives along the way. It would have been about at two-mile walk. On Monday morning Jesus and the disciples returned to Jerusalem and along the way they passed a fig tree. Jesus “noticed a fig tree in full leaf and little way off, so the went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leave because it was too early in the season for fruit. Then Jesus said to the tree, ‘May no one eat your fruit again!’ And the disciples heard him say it” (Mark 11:12-14 NLT).  This sequence of events is important if we are to understand what Jesus does next. Jesus curses the fig tree first. Then He and the disciples made their way to the Temple where He “entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace” (Mark 11:15-16 NLT). If you take these two events out of order or try to deal with them independently, they become difficult to understand. The cursing of the fig tree makes sense only if you keep in mind what Jesus did next.

When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem that Sunday and took a look around the Temple grounds, He saw what had become of His Father’s house. He assessed the situation and then left for the day. On the way back in the next morning, He sees the barren fig tree and curses it. Matthew tells us that Jesus was hungry and when He goes to find fruit on the tree, there is none. But His cursing of the tree is not done out of anger or vindictiveness. This was not some petty power display done on Jesus’ part. This was a visible lesson being taught to the disciples. One of the important points in the story is that the tree was in full bloom. It was a healthy, visibly vibrant tree that had all the appearances of fruitfulness. But there was none. Think back on what John the Baptist had to say to the Jewish religious leaders, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance’” (Matthew 3:7-8 ESV).

Now we could do a lengthy study on the fruit-bearing properties of the Middle Eastern fig tree, but that is not the point of the story. There are commentators who try to explain that the fig tree in that part of the world has fruit on it year found. Others say if it was in leaf, it should have had fruit. But all we know from the gospel accounts is that IT HAD NO FRUIT. Mark tells us it was not the season for fruit, and yet, Jesus hungered for fruit. He came expecting to see and enjoy fruit. BUT THE TREE WAS EMPTY OF FRUIT. It was appealing to the eye, but failed to meet Jesus’ expectations. As usual, this event had much to do with Jesus’ perception of the religious leaders of His day. Jesus had accused the Pharisees of doing everything for show. “They do all their deeds to be seen by others” (Matthew 23:5 ESV). But this problem had become a national epidemic. To all appearances, the nation of Israel had all the trappings of religious fervor and faith. They had a place of worship – the Temple. They practiced the religious requirements as handed down by God – Passover, Pentecost, Feast of Tabernacles, the Law, etc. They had a priesthood. They made regular sacrifices to atone for their sins. In his book, The Words and Works of Jesus, J. Dwight Pentecost writes, “Like the leafy tree, they had given external evidence of being fruitful but on examination they were seen to be barren and fruitless. Therefore judgment had to come on that generation.”

Mark tells us that it was the next morning, as they passed by the fig tree again, that the disciples noticed it was withered from the roots up. “Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, ‘Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!’” (Mark 11:20-21 NLT). So what’s the point? The cursing of the fig tree was a statement against the spiritual hypocrisy and religious formalism of the Pharisees. The fig tree had all that was required for fruitfulness, but no fruit. Jesus uses the moment to teach the disciples an important lesson on faith, and He makes the main point right at the outset: “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22 NLT).

No faith. No Fruit.

It was the lack of faith in God that resulted in Israel’s barrenness. They were not experiencing the power of God in their lives (Mark 11:23). They were not enjoying answered prayers from God (Mark 11:24). Their prayers were hindered by hatred and unforgiveness (Mark 11: 25). Over in the book of John we read the words of Jesus, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in my, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father” (John 15:5-8 NLT). Fruitfulness and faith go hand in hand.

When Jesus cleansed the Temple, He shouted, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves’” (Mark 11:17 NLT). They were stealing glory from God. They were abusing the people of God. They were more obsessed about financial gain than holiness. They were more interested in fleecing the people than faithfulness. But God’s house was for all people. Jesus had come for all men. Salvation was for all who would believe. They had taken the court of the Gentiles, the only place non-Jews could worship, and turned it into a three-ring circus. It was here they had set up their system of graft and greed, disguised as religion. But at the end of the day, Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple was all about obedience and faithfulness. It was about commitment to the Lord and not religiousness and ritual. Jesus compared them to their rebellious ancestors and concludes that NOTHING HAD CHANGED! The Temple was not going to save them. It was the God of the Temple who was their only hope. It was the people who God had called to His Temple who were important.

Over in his letter to the Corinthian believers, Paul reminds us, “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NLT). Jesus is still looking for fruitfulness from His people. That fruitfulness is only possible through faith in God. But those who have faith in God and believe in the Son of God will experience the fruit of the Spirit and the power of God in their lives.

Father, You have called us to be fruitful. You have given us Your Spirit to produce His fruit in us. But it requires that we have faith in You, not ourselves. You are not looking for religious zeal and hard work. You are not waiting to be impressed by our own self-effort, but You are looking to see if we will wait on You and lean fully on You. You want to produce Your fruit in us and reveal Your power through us. Help us learn to have faith in You! Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org