Depending on which gospel you read, this may have taken place from Monday to Tuesday morning or all on Tuesday morning/ But the lesson from the story remains the same. Jesus and the disciples came from Bethany and were hungry. Jesus saw a fig tree with leaves in the distance and went to it to get something to eat. But when he got to the tree, there was nothing to eat because it was not the prime season for figs. So Jesus said to the tree "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." Jesus would go on later this Monday to cleanse the temple from all the sinful activities there.
Tuesday morning Jesus and the disciples passed back by the fig tree and Peter noticed that it had withered to the roots and called the others' attention to it. Jesus responded to Peter saying, "Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,'" and has no doubt but truly believes, it will come to pass. Jesus uses this as a teaching moment telling the disciples that if they will believe in what they seek in prayer it will be theirs. He goes on to tell them that while praying we should forgive any who we may have something against so that our heavenly Father will also forgive us.
Thoughts:
- Some people who have studied the fig tree story often wonder why Jesus cursed the tree if it wasn't actually fig season in the region. Well the trees were capable of producing more than one crop of fruit so there wasn't just a one time thing to have fruit. The fruit was also green until almost ripe so it blended in with the leaves, thus causing Jesus and the disciples to believe that the leafy tree had fruit on it from a distance.
- The cursing of the fig tree is also seen as Jesus denouncing unfruitful Christians who profess his name but have no fruit in their life to back up the faith they claim. Sound like the "dead" faith James talked about in James 2:18-26? The tree with its leaves was a symbol of the Israelites faithless practice of religious activities.
The purpose of the fig tree was to bear fruit, other than providing a little shade it really served no other purpose. Our purpose as Christians is to bear spiritual fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control found in Galatians 5:22-23. Are you producing fruit, or would you be a tree that Jesus would curse if he passed by today?
Tuesday morning Jesus and the disciples passed back by the fig tree and Peter noticed that it had withered to the roots and called the others' attention to it. Jesus responded to Peter saying, "Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,'" and has no doubt but truly believes, it will come to pass. Jesus uses this as a teaching moment telling the disciples that if they will believe in what they seek in prayer it will be theirs. He goes on to tell them that while praying we should forgive any who we may have something against so that our heavenly Father will also forgive us.
Thoughts:
- Some people who have studied the fig tree story often wonder why Jesus cursed the tree if it wasn't actually fig season in the region. Well the trees were capable of producing more than one crop of fruit so there wasn't just a one time thing to have fruit. The fruit was also green until almost ripe so it blended in with the leaves, thus causing Jesus and the disciples to believe that the leafy tree had fruit on it from a distance.
- The cursing of the fig tree is also seen as Jesus denouncing unfruitful Christians who profess his name but have no fruit in their life to back up the faith they claim. Sound like the "dead" faith James talked about in James 2:18-26? The tree with its leaves was a symbol of the Israelites faithless practice of religious activities.
The purpose of the fig tree was to bear fruit, other than providing a little shade it really served no other purpose. Our purpose as Christians is to bear spiritual fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control found in Galatians 5:22-23. Are you producing fruit, or would you be a tree that Jesus would curse if he passed by today?
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