12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they went out of the city.
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.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
The next day as they headed back into Jerusalem, Jesus became hungry. He saw a fig tree with leaves and went to see if He could find anything to eat. When He got to it, He found nothing but leaves because it was not the season for figs. Jesus’ apparent curse of the tree for not having fruit seems harsh, especially as Mark mentions it was not the season for figs. At the time of Passover, the fig trees would produce small buds, an early-season fruit, that came with the leaves and peasants would eat these buds. Eventually, those buds fell off and the normal figs formed and ripened a few months later. A fig tree with large leaves and no early season buds would not produce fruit later in the season. Jesus used the fig tree as a metaphor for God’s impending judgement on Israel. The nation looked promising because of their outward appearance of religion but they were nothing but leaves, there was no spiritual fruit being produced. The next day when they returned to Jerusalem again, they passed the fig tree and Peter pointed out that it had completely withered. Jesus teaches them to have faith that God can do what is utterly impossible to man. They believed that the kingdom was going to be ushered immediately but because of Israel’s lack of faith, it would be delayed. They would need great faith, as do we, to wait for the kingdom to come. When we live God’s way and align ourselves with God’s will, then we can go to God in prayer and know that He will answer us and live in the knowledge that He answers our prayers. Part of living God’s way is to ensure that we keep our relationships with God and man healthy by continually asking for forgiveness and forgiving.
If your life was compared to a fig tree, how would it look? Lot’s of leaves with no fruit, buds showing the fruit is growing, or a full crop of fruit as you faithfully live for God?
When Jesus came to Jerusalem, He entered the temple and drove out those who were using it as a market to sell ritually pure items needed for temple sacrifice as well as money changers who converted Roman and Greek money for the local Jewish money. These transactions were not free from extortion and fraud. Jesus overturned their trading tables and chased them out of the temple area. There was disregard for the holiness of the temple. It had become a common thoroughfare. Jesus taught them about God’s intended purpose for the temple and contrasted it with how they had profaned it as a place where dishonourable trade could take place. The chief priests and scribes heard about this and set out to destroy Jesus. They were afraid of Him because the crowds were drawn to His teaching. When evening came, Jesus and His disciples left Jerusalem again.
Have you allowed any of your ideas about God to become “common”? Do you need a reminder that God is transcendent, holy and completely different to us, His creation.