Tuesday…Jesus curses the fig tree and teaches at the Temple.

The Fig Tree:

Early in the morning, as He was returning to the city, He was hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. And He said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again! ” At once the fig tree withered.

When the disciples saw it, they were amazed and said, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly? ”

Jesus answered them,

“I assure you: If you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you tell this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. And if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Matthew 21:18‭-‬22 HCSB
https://bible.com/bible/72/mat.21.18-22.HCSB

Early on Tuesday morning Jesus was hungry and saw a fig tree. As it turns out, the tree did not bear any of its spring fruit (a smaller, more bitter, fruit than what it should bear in the fall). When He saw that it failed to bear fruit, He cursed it and the tree became barren and died. He then tells His disciples that they can also do these things and greater things still if they have true faith and do not doubt.

Many find this hard to believe, or take it as a metaphor. Whether Jesus meant it literally or as a metaphor, I do not know. However, I do know that when I lean on my faith instead of my own abilities, I am able to accomplish a great deal more. This is because it is Christ working through me instead of me working myself.

Another image we can take from this is the image of the barren Christian. If we are giving off signs of having fruit, yet fail to produce any fruit for Christ, He may very well cause us to become dry and die as well. It is important to make sure that when you are working for Christ (as all Christians should) you should be producing fruit.

His teachings

When He entered the temple complex, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to Him as He was teaching and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? Who gave You this authority? ”

Jesus answered them, “I will also ask you one question, and if you answer it for Me, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or from men? ”

They began to argue among themselves, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him? ’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we’re afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought John was a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

“But what do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go, work in the vineyard today.’ “He answered, ‘I don’t want to! ’ Yet later he changed his mind and went. Then the man went to the other and said the same thing. “ ‘I will, sir,’ he answered. But he didn’t go. “Which of the two did his father’s will? ”

“The first,” they said.

Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you! For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn’t believe him. Tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him, but you, when you saw it, didn’t even change your minds then and believe him.

“Listen to another parable: There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. He leased it to tenant farmers and went away. When the grape harvest drew near, he sent his slaves to the farmers to collect his fruit. But the farmers took his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Again, he sent other slaves, more than the first group, and they did the same to them. Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. “But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance! ’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers? ”

“He will completely destroy those terrible men,” they told Him, “and lease his vineyard to other farmers who will give him his produce at the harvest.”

Jesus said to them,

“Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This came from the Lord and is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing its fruit. Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whoever it falls, it will grind him to powder! ”

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they knew He was speaking about them. Although they were looking for a way to arrest Him, they feared the crowds, because they regarded Him as a prophet.
Matthew 21:23-‬46 HCSB
https://bible.com/bible/72/mat.21.23-46.HCSB

Later that same day Jesus spent time in the Temple teaching parables to the masses when the Pharisees came to challenge Him. Jesus’ rebuttal to the Pharisees gives us the hope that everyone (no matter what we have done) have a chance to inherit a place in Heaven. Jesus says that even if we come to Him and do His work late, we are closer to Heaven than those that only say they do His will, yet never produce any real work.

Like the fig tree, we see that what we do for the Lord has to complete His will, or we will be found lacking and possibly loose our inheritance because of our laziness.

In the end, the moral of today’s lessons from Jesus is this: we must believe and confess our sins for the purpose of salvation. These lead to our calling, which we must make every effort to fulfill! Jesus has the final say, and may find us barren, so make sure that out of the gift He has given you, you use it for His will and produce fruit which will further the kingdom.

I know it may be a lot to take in, but it really is simple when you consider what John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:

Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance.

Matthew 3:8 HCSB
https://bible.com/bible/72/mat.3.8.HCSB

And also what Jesus said during His Sermon on the Mount:

“Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. You’ll recognize them by their fruit.

Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?

In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord! ’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.

On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name? ’

Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’

Matthew 7:15‭-‬23 HCSB
https://bible.com/bible/72/mat.7.15-23.HCSB

Have a blessed Holy Week Tuesday.