"May no one ever eat fruit from you again." (Mark 11:14) Jesus said this to a lone fig tree near the road he and his disciples were travelling. Imagining myself in the scene, I fear I would have been that impulsive disciple piping up with, "Lord, that’s pretty harsh!” Was Jesus truly angry that a tree did not produce fruit out of season?
Although Jesus was fully human, He was also fully God. God who is slow to anger. We can be certain that any frustration with this verse is due to our limited knowledge, not the nature of Jesus Christ.
The details in Mark 11:12-14 lead us to better understand what Jesus was saying. Scripture says it was "a fig tree in leaf" and "that he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs." (vv. 12-13)
As leaves start to unfurl on fig trees, little knobs also form. They drop from the tree prior to the figs’ fruition. These were a favorite source of food for travelers of Jesus' time. You can picture a single fig tree on the horizon full of bright green leaves and the promise of a delicious snack.
The fact that there were no knobs on this beckoning tree shows it was unhealthy and perhaps dying regardless of how it looked on the outside. Jesus was simply declaring the obvious. He was using this fig tree as an illustration to confront his disciples - and still does.
Keep in mind this occurs just before Jesus enters the temple to clear it. Standing in the Court of the Gentiles, where people from all nations worshiped God, Jesus finds hundreds of people making business transactions and busy with religiosity.
Jesus drove out these hypocrites flipping over their tables and chairs. He even stopped them from taking irreverent shortcuts through the temple. He then boldly taught from the prophet Isaiah who said, “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant — these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples .” (Isaiah 65:6-7)
Like the fig tree, Jesus found no spiritual fruit in the temple. It was full of religious people taking their work and busyness very seriously; however, people intimate with God were not found. The people of God looked as though they were in full bloom, but they were not fulfilling their purpose.
It is a tremendous thought that if you trust Jesus Christ as Savior, you are now "a temple of the Holy Spirit." (1 Corinthians 6:19) He lives in you.
Having been grafted to Christ, He has made a way to bear much fruit through you. You can now be a healthy branch abiding in God. "This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (John 15:8)
Realize that God longs for you to share the fruit of being in relationship with Him. Jesus Christ
strategically chose you to reveal Him at this time! (John 15:16) The Holy Spirit equips and empowers you to yield fruit that will feed your generation. What will Jesus find when he looks at your life?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for drawing me near through Your Son Jesus Christ. I want to be closer to
You, Lord. Please bear Your fruit and be revealed through my life. Amen.