18 Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
21 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Every statement the Lord Jesus made carried with it richer and deeper meanings to His hearer’s ears than at first blush they perhaps realized. It remains the same presently to the readers of His Truth. Indeed, each Word Christ uttered was pregnant with power and purpose. The Word made flesh and dwelt among men both spoke the Word freely and lived the Word accurately. I am reminded of the Scripture penned in Hebrews regarding the Word of God:
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Heb 4:12 (NIV)
In our verses for today, the Lord Jesus was hungry. He spots a fig tree in the distance by the roadside laden with leaves. Normally, figs appear prior to the leaves or at least at the same time as the leaves but this tree was barren of all fruit. Jesus curses it – sentencing it to a perpetual barrenness - immediately withering its leaves. Interestingly, up to this point Christ had used His power to only bless and bestow grace for the good of men and now we discover Him using His power on an inanimate object to show His wrath and curse. To be sure, Jesus uses this as a lesson on faith but it is also on the fruitlessness of hypocrites as well. I am reminded of Jesus Words recorded in the Gospel of John:
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:5-8 (NIV)
This is why John the Baptist came proclaiming to the hypocritical Pharisees of his day to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance”. Every person who professes to be a disciple of Christ is not necessarily a true follower of the Master. True believers cannot help but produce fruit with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit Who resides in every saint’s heart – prompting, convicting, empowering and encouraging. Christ looks for the power of faith from those who profess it. The sin of barrenness is justly cursed by the plague of barrenness. A false and hypocritical profession commonly withers in this world. They appear profitable for a time but their professions come to nothing as the pretender is powerless in and of himself to “walk as Jesus did”. I am reminded of Hebrews again:
7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. Heb 6:7-8 (NIV)
Lastly, Jesus addresses faith in the power and promises of God. We are to be careful in what we have faith in. It is not to be in our fickle inept selves rather in the all-powerful never changing God whom we serve. Our constant doubting spoils the efficacy and success of faith in God’s revealed will and ways. He is good on His Word – you can take it to the bank. I am reminded of Joshua’s words to the Israelites as he was about to pass from this life to the next:
14 “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.” Josh 23:14 (NIV)
God, Who never changes, remains faithful today just as He did to Joshua and the Israelites. We can depend upon His faithfulness. Nothing is impossible with Him. The world tells us “seeing is believing” yet God tells us believe in order to see.
“Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe.” Saint Augustine
“Strive to be one of those-so few- who walk the earth with ever-present consciousness-all mornings, middays, star-time-that the unknown which men call heaven is ‘close behind the visible scene of things.’” Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Heb 11:1 (NIV)