Mere Leafiness is Not
“Worth a Fig” - from Matthew
21:18-22
Surprise inspections – like “pop quizzes” –
can set one’s nerves on edge. New Amy recruits come to expect their
quarters to be examined at any time. But who goes unannounced into the house of
a Five Star General and pulls an inspection? With no time to prepare – clean
up, hide things – drop-in investigations give an accurate, if painful,
assessment. If allowed, they can be a wakeup call, and an encouraging
affirmation.
Today’s text may sound like Jesus is irritated
at being denied breakfast, but something far more significant is happening
here. He is not “hangry”, He is teaching His disciples. God rightfully expects
His people to have lives filled with His love and life. There should be
evidence, proving-fruit, that we are His people. And such lives will have deep
faith in Him, His power.
Matthew 21:17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and
lodged there. 18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became
hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found
nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from
you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.
20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled,
saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them,
“Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do
what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be
taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in
prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew
21:17-22 – ESV)
Christian often tease about being “fruit
inspectors”. Jesus told
us people would know us as His followers by our fruit – our lives, not just our
profession. Jesus spoke of being able to tell False Prophets by their lives,
and not their empty, deceptive claims: “you will recognize them by their
fruits” (Matthew 7:20 – ESV).
Today’s passage is a case of “or lack
thereof…” The absence of
the evidence of God’s work in your life is no small matter. What if Jesus,
after checking what you claimed was a God-shaped life, needed to call out your
hypocrisy? Would He, upon further inspection, charge you with false
advertising, missing vitality, and then pronounced a curse?
In today’s short
passage, we are faced with two important questions:
Do we have God-honoring lives – not just claims, but fruit
Do we trust Him – prayerfully seek His will in the World
Fruitless, Faithless?
Beware!
This fig tree – with its leaves - boasted of
fruit, sustenance, fulfilled-purpose
Leaves equaled figs! Yet, there was nothing;
all show, no substance
Jesus called it out (see Matthew 23)
Jesus calls us out (John 15:1-11)
Jesus knew the tree was barren (Mark 11:13),
just as He already knows the spiritual state of our lives (Psalm 105; 139). Our
big claims cannot hide barrenness. His cursing of the fruitless fig tree was an
acted out parable for His disciples. Empty confessions of vitality
without actual lives that honor God and others are unacceptable.
Got Fruit? God’s character and purposes lived out in and
through you.
The tangible, practical impact of love for and
obedience to God (cf. 13:1-24).
We can have loads of religious leaves, but if
we do not have fruit, we are not fulfilling our God-given purpose (consult Ephesians
2:8-10; Matthew 5:13-16; 7:15-20)
John the Baptist rebuked, exhorted the
Pharisees and Sadducees:
“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”
(Matthew 3:8 - NIV – cf. Luke 3:8)
Got Faith? Mark separates these two episodes (see Mark 11:12-14, 20-24).
This teaching on faith can seem an odd take-away from Jesus cursing the
fruitless tree, but it is a natural, second lesson from this powerful
encounter:
From The Message: “But Jesus was matter-of-fact: “Yes—and if you embrace this
kingdom life and don’t doubt God, you’ll not only do minor feats like I did to
the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles. This mountain, for instance,
you’ll tell, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it will jump. Absolutely everything,
ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer,
gets included as you lay hold of God.” (21:21, 22)
Earlier,
Jesus rebuked His weak in faith Disciples: "You unbelieving and
perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you?
How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." (17:17
- NIV)
Among the many
sobering verses in Scripture, add Luke 18:8:
“I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.
However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the
earth?" (NIV)
Closing Applications, Additional
Study
Get Fruit!
What evidence is present in your life that you
are not an “all leaf, no figs” disciple?
Consider Paul’s
instruction to young pastor Titus: “To the pure, all things are pure, but to
the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their
consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their
works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.” (Titus
1:15, 16- ESV)
Spiritual Heritage is not enough! God wants congruence in our lives – walking the talk! See James
1:19-22; Matthew 7:21-29. “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matthew
3:8 - NIV)
Ø
Note the wildly
different fruits and their sources in Galatians 5:16-26
Ø
What does Jesus say
our part is in being fruitful (see John 15:1-11)?
Ø
What is the difference
between the two lives, trees portrayed in Psalm 1?
Ø
What should we be
careful to learn from John the Baptist’s stinging rebuke of Pharisees and
Sadducees in Matthew 3:7-10?
Get Faith!
In the midst of
faith-testing trials, James wrote: “If
any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without
reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting,
for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by
the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from
the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his
ways.” (James 1:5-8 - ESV)
Giving Jesus the last word: “Abide in me, and I in
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches.
Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart
from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4, 5 - ESV)
A
Discipleship tool of Christ Community Fellowship
Kerry S. Doyal –
Pastor
July 7, 2019
