Early in the morning, as Jesus was on His way back to the city, He was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then He said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:18-22
“Jesus and the disciples, traveling from Bethany to Jerusalem, pass through the little village of Bethphage. The appearance of leaves on a fig tree in the region was a promise of the sweet early fig. But the tree is unproductive, with no figs at all. This becomes an appropriate object for Jesus to use to indicate Israel’s spiritual condition (cf. Hosea 9:10, where Israel is compared to a fruitful fig tree), providing a striking lesson for the disciples. Just as the fig tree’s fruitfulness was a sign of its health, so fruitfulness was a sign of Israel’s faithfulness to the covenantal standards. Now that Israel, especially represented by its religious leadership, has perverted the temple practices and has not repented at the appearance of Jesus Messiah proclaiming the arrival of the kingdom of heaven, Israel is being judged by God.
The disciples are amazed that the fig tree can wither so quickly, simply at the word of Jesus, but He tells them that they can also do such a thing and even more. Jesus’ cursing the fig tree is not a fit of temper but a symbolic act, demonstrating that God’s creatures must produce that for which they were created — to carry out God’s will, which means entering into a discipleship relationship with Him and then demonstrating fruit from that relationship in a life of faith empowered by prayer.
Using the handy object of the Mount of Olives or perhaps even the Temple Mount across the Kidron Valley, Jesus says that one with faith can throw the mountain into the sea. Then, similar to an earlier saying, Jesus declares, “If you believe you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” The point here is not the disciples’ amount of faith to do great things but rather their trust in accomplishing God’s will in God’s power. If God directs them to move a mountain, God will supply the power for it to be accomplished. They simply must be obedient to say yes to His will.”
Michael J. Wilkins in The NIV Application Commentary: Matthew (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004) 693-694.
What’s on your tree? That’s the question for Holy Week Tuesday.
Jesus uses the fruitless fig tree as an object lesson to illustrate the imminent downfall of the temple. The practices of the religious leaders aimed to make profit off those who came to the house of prayer. Their spiritual condition was revealed by their lack of fruitfulness and their trust in the wrong source of power to sustain the the temple.
Would Jesus locate figs or find you fruitless?
If our spiritual condition is right, there will be power and fruit related to our lives and ministry. There will always be enough because God will supply. The global reset forced on every ministry with COVID-19 will reveal the true condition of people and ministries. It will show where they place their trust.
The best part, and this relates to our generosity, is that Jesus sees everything. He knows who has a discipleship relationship with Him. He knows who is trusting in Him to guide, to supply, and to thrive. And regardless of the global situation, His servants know if they need anything to do His will, they need only ask.
We reveal our spiritual condition not by our level of resources but by the fruits God produces through us. Does this mean we can control results? No, it’s really the opposite of that. It means that as people of repentance, who regularly fast, confess, and pray, we surrender our agendas and plans to Him and ask Him to work through us according to His will.
Whatever He produces, as we are attached to Him (the vine) is the fruit He desires.