On Monday, Jesus and the disciples were walking back into Jerusalem after spending the night in Bethany. No doubt they were hungry as they walked and they passed a fig tree. Jesus noticed that even though it had leaves, it had no fruit. He was frustrated . . . most likely not just with the fig tree but also with the circumstances in which he found himself. He’d certainly visited the temple on Sunday afternoon and was unhappy with what he found.
The tree and the temple had some stark similarities and represented the same things . . .
Jesus was disgusted by lukewarm, placid, vain believers who had pomp but no purpose.
They had no fruit . . . just like the beautiful fig tree that had the best “appearance” but nothing to show for it.
Jesus couldn’t stomach hypocrisy and “false religion.”
The religion and its leaders of Jesus’ day complained . . .
That he ate on the wrong day . . . healed on the wrong day . . . forgave the wrong people . . . hung out with the wrong crowd . . . and had the wrong influence on the children.
Every time he set people free the religious people wanted to tie them back down.
The message of the fig tree is not that we should all bear the same fruit.
It is that we should all bear SOME KIND of fruit.
The beautiful thing about God is there is no supposition that it must all be the same.
God wants us to soar through life . . . free from fear, free from guilt, and free from tomorrow’s grave.
What fruit can we bear of and for God today?