Calendar

FRUITLESSNESS IS CURSED
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26
Mark 11:12-14, 20-26

Matthew 21:18,19

 

“…No man eat fruit of thee

hereafter for ever.”

 

FRUITLESSNESS IS CURSED
 
Jesus made His way to the temple. Along the way, He became hungry. Chancing upon a healthy fig tree full of leaves along the way, he hoped for some figs for breakfast, but found none. Then the Lord cursed the fig tree that it should no longer bear fruit.
 
Jesus used the fig tree as an object lesson. The fig tree symbolised the nation of Israel (Hosea 9:10; Joel 1:7). Israel, like this fig tree, had a lot of foliage but was fruitless. Israel had all that she needed (the Scriptures, the miracles, Christ Himself, etc.) to get right with God and bear fruit for Him. Instead she produced nothing. Israel is cursed like the fig tree. God intends to uproot Israel and make her unfruitful. Nevertheless, this curse will be lifted in the last days. The Lord will replant Israel back into the Promised Land, and make her fruitful when Christ returns (Matt 24:32; cf. Amos 9:14,15; Rom 11:26).
 
A question may be raised: Was not Jesus unfair to curse the fig tree for bearing no fruit since “the time of the figs was not yet”? The answer is No. Jesus was not unreasonable to curse the fig tree. The fig trees in Jerusalem bore fruit twice a year, once between March and May, and another time between August and October. One could expect smaller figs during the March-May season since they came from the old shoots of the year before. The larger figs came in August-October and were produced by fresh shoots of the new year (i.e. “the time of the figs”). It was in April that Jesus went to the fig tree for food. There ought to have been some early figs, but He found none, only leaves. Like this fruitless fig tree, Israel greatly disappointed the Lord.
 
THOUGHT: The fruitless fig tree was like the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees—just an outward show but no inward life.
PRAYER: (Pray that you may bear fruit for Jesus all the time, and all your life.)

Search