Mark 11:13 Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" And His disciples were listening...........20 As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up.
Pat Mcarty preached at Bethel last night. If you did not have the opportunity to make it you missed a real treat. For the full treatment I urge you to go to the website and listen to the sermon. But I will recap. He preached on the fig tree that Jesus cursed. Pat did a masterful job of showing how the fig tree in scripture is often used as a representation of the nation of Israel. Also he pointed out that the fig tree was often used as a covering in their culture serving as sheltered protection from the harsh elements. In the story of the cursed fig tree in Mark 11, the fig tree represents the nation of Israel. The covering of the fig tree represents Jesus who came to the nation of Israel as Messiah and yet was rejected by them. Oh how Jesus longed to put His people, the chosen people under His protective covering. However, He could not because they did not bear the fruit of faith and repentance. But instead they rejected the Messiah and clung to their own selfish desires as opposed to having eyes to see what God was doing in their midst, all the while being convinced in their own minds that they were actually doing the will of God when in reality they did not know Him. The fig tree with leaves but no fruit becomes a picture of the nation of Israel. They looked good from a distance.....lots of leaves. But upon closer inspection there is no fruit. So Jesus condemns the tree.
This story becomes a warning to all who live religious lives but do not bear fruit. It is particularly applicable to a lot of church goers. On the surface everything looks good. They attend church regularly and live decent, moral lives. From a distance they look good, just like the fig tree with a lot of leaves in the story looked good from a distance. But upon close inspection you begin to see the reality. There is no fruit. Many church people go to service regularly and yet never lead anyone else to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Many who have been supposedly been Christians for decades have never even led one other person on the planet to Jesus. Hundreds of sermons, bible studies, Sunday School lessons over the years, and they have not led one single person to Christ? Someone who has never led anyone else to Christ has failed to put into practice what they have learned in all those bible studies.
May I ask you today, are you bearing fruit? Who knows God because of your influence? Who have you shared the gospel with lately? Are you regularly looking for, and taking advantage of opportunities to share your faith in Christ Jesus? Remember that Jesus is looking for fruit in our lives in the form of others who know God through your witness. He is not looking for the leaves of religious activity, He is looking for fruit. As believers our faith and our relationship with God is not just something for us to enjoy privately. God lets us experience Him so we can in turn share Him with others. Are you sharing Him with others or are you keeping your faith to yourself?
In your life, do not just grow leaves of religious activity....bear some fruit.
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