2 Important Lessons from Jesus and the Fig Tree
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Matthew 21:18-22 and Mark 11:12-25 cover a very interesting story about Jesus. At first glance, these passages can be confusing. Jesus is hungry, he is angry at a fig tree, and then he curses it. We might read this and think about how it could have significance and why Jesus would act like this? Today we are going to dive deeper into what we can learn from Jesus and the fig tree.
Whether we are of Jewish descent or not, this is a message that we can all apply today. When we read about the Pharisees and Jewish leaders who, in their hate and drive to destroy Jesus, worked against Him, this serves as a warning to us. We are either working for the kingdom of light or the kingdom of darkness. The scary part is that the Jews believed at this time that they were serving God, but they were really rejecting Him. We can apply this today by always testing our decisions with Scripture and with the character of God.
If we are living in our Christian lives and we are not bearing fruit, we are in essence as useless to Jesus as that fig tree without figs. Christ has called us to join in His work (Matthew 28:19-20). We can have a tendency to be lazy and ignore our spiritual lives, but in actuality, our relationship with God should be the very center of everything we do, effecting every area of life.
In John 15, Jesus described Himself as the True Vine and we are the branches. He says that it is only through Him that we can accomplish anything. A branch can only produce fruit because it is attached to the vine. We can only produce spiritual fruit if we are staying connected to the Holy Spirit.
John 15:5-6 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned."
By remaining in Christ, we will bear a lot of fruit. It is only through Him that we can do this. He gives the warning that if you do not remain in Him, you will be thrown out and wither and be thrown into the fire. The word for withers in John 15:6 is exēranthē. This is the same word used in Matthew 21:19-20 for the withering of the fig tree.
I find this no coincidence that just as Israel was withering away in separating themselves from Jesus, that Jesus warns us through John 15 that we too are susceptible to wither away if we are not connected with Him. This call to remain and abide is for every believer. We can ask the Holy Spirit to help us to live for God and bear fruit through Himself each and every day. As we think about the fig tree, may it be a lesson to us to seek Jesus daily and live lives that bear much fruit for Him.
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Photo credit: Unsplash/svitlana
