Fig Tree 1

Mark 11:13-14

Rev. Bill Verhelst told us of a church where he had been assigned in Michigan, a large church, very old and very ornate with many, many rooms inside. The congregation at one time had been at about 2,000 members, but when he was at the church there were only 300 people. Many of the rooms of the church were no longer used and, in fact, were filled with chairs.

When Rev. Verhelst asked the church why they had so many chairs, they explained that the chairs were from the days when the congregation was large and busy. They held onto them because some day the people might come back.

The church looked good on the outside, but was not alive on the inside.

During Holy Week Jesus had an encounter with a fig tree and used it to teach. How did the fig tree appear? What was wrong with the fig tree? What did Jesus do?

This obscure encounter is one of those events that most people seem to overlook or choose not to deal with. But Jesus and the fig tree can teach us two valuable lessons. The second lesson is about the strength of our faith, which we will address later.

The first lesson this encounter teaches is about the quality of our faith. The fig tree is a symbol of the person who would be a follower of Christ. As believers we are called to produce the fruit of good deeds for the kingdom of God, and so we are like a fruit-bearing tree.

This fig tree, however, has only the appearance of a thriving and productive plant. Jesus was hungry – he desired something from the tree. The tree looked good from a distance – it was full of leaves.

It was when Jesus came closer that he saw the reality of that tree. It looked good, but it was unproductive. Because of that Jesus cursed the tree.

In this time of Lent we must examine our own faith. Are we able to produce good fruit for the kingdom of God? Our Lord and Master hungers for our ministries and our work to produce good fruit, but we may be good Christians in appearance only. As we journey to Easter we must truly evaluate the quality of our faith.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What are you doing to produce good fruit for the kingdom of God?