The Fig Tree Withers
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.”
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
To understand the parable about the fig tree you need to know one important details about fig trees. Just one more of many reasons why we often miss things in the Bible because we don't understand the culture or setting of the Bible - something I've loved learning about in the Follow the Rabbi lectures (see sidebar). Anyway, the important detail to know about fig trees is that the fruit develops on the tree before the leaves do. So, when you see a tree with leaves, what should you expect to find on it? Fruit! But there was none. There was the appearance of fruit, but no actual fruit.
The parable is now totally obvious, isn't it?
Fruit is the result of genuine salvation. People with the appearance of fruit, but no actual fruit, are not saved.
The Jews thought Jesus would be their deliverer, and they just celebrated Him, shouting "Hosanna! Save us now!".
MacArthur adds....
But instead of attacking Rome, He attacked Judaism. Instead of becoming a conqueror, He was a confronter. Instead of talking about revolution, He talked about righteousness. And instead of cleaning out the enemy, He cleaned out His own house. (yesterday's passage!) And this was not consistent with what they expected. This was not the kind of King they looked for.
Immediately after being inaugerated King, He does two things. He cursed the fig tree, denouncing them as a nation that had the appearance of fruit in all their religious activity, but no actual fruit. And immediately after cursing it, He cleansed out their temple, denouncing their religion and worship (external instead of internal).
And again, Jesus brings up a faith that does not doubt, that persists in prayer until God's power is revealed and mountains are moved (troubles are overcome). The Bible talks about God's sovereignty and we know He will act they way He will act, and yet the Bible also commands us to persist in prayer - and it is not up to us to reconcile how the two intertwine. Our finite minds cannot comprehend it. But we know it to be true.
MacArthur shared this poem in his sermon on this passage....
Nothing but leaves
and the Spirit grieves over a wasted life.
Or sins committed while conscience slept,
promises made but never kept,
hatred, battle and strife,
nothing but leaves.
Nothing but leaves,
no garnered sheaves of life's fair ripen grain,
words, idle words, for earnest deeds,
we sow our seeds low,
tares and weeds we reap with toil and pain,
nothing but leaves.
Nothing but leaves,
memory weaves no veil to hide the past,
as we retrace our weary way,
counting each lost and misspent day,
we find sadly at last
nothing but leaves.
And shall we meet the Master so,
bearing our withered leaves,
the Savior looks for perfect fruit,
we stand before Him humble mute,
waiting the words He breathes...
nothing but leaves.
And then he prayed this prayer....
Lord, if there are some in our fellowship, and we know there are, who have nothing but leaves, whose lives are devoid of fruit, who shall meet the master bearing their withered leaves while He looks for perfect fruit, and stand before Him humble mute waiting the words He breathes, nothing but leaves, O God, for those we pray. Save them. Infuse into the deadness of their life Thy living power through Christ that they may bear fruit and not be cut down and cast into the fire like so many Judas branches.
And then, Lord, for those of us who are fruit-bearing Christians but who have never really been faithful to persistent prayer and therefore never seen Your power the way we could see it, call us, O God, by Your Spirit to a more faithful prayer life, to a greater diligence. And may we not eliminate the power that is ours through prayer by reasoning away things, by developing a theology which says You're going to do what You're going to do anyway, so why bother? But, O God, may we leave the resolution of things that we can't understand to You and may we obey what we do hear and understand. And may we pray for mountains to be cast into seas. And may we accept the fact that all things, whatever we ask believing, we shall receive in prayer. We can experience as we pray in Your name, consistent with Your will, Your purpose, Your Son and with persistent faith. O God, we pray that You release Your power in this place in our lives in this church and around the world because we've become people of persistent prayer....Amen.
Tomorrow's scripture focus: Matthew 21:28-46
1 comment:
Persistent prayer... oh man, I am so guilty of being not only not persistent, but inconsistent even in praying at all. Something to improve on, for sure.
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