July 21
Mark 11:12-14
Failure: A person or thing that proves unsuccessful. This fig tree was a failure. It had it's leaves, it looked like it was doing it's job, but it was a failure. The bible often used figs trees as a symbol for the nation of Israel. "The Lord says, 'O Israel, when I first found you, it was like finding fresh grapes in the desert. When I saw your ancestors, it was like seeing the first ripe figs of the season.'" (Hosea 9:10a NLT) Just like the fig tree in today's story, Israel had stopped producing fruit, as Christians are required to do. "You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit.." (John 15:16b NLT) God has created each one of us with special abilities and gifts that we are supposed to be using for Him. When we are not fulfilling our purpose that God intended for us, we are no better than a fruitless fig tree. The scary part is, Jesus didn't say, "Oh well, this one's not producing, but that's okay. We'll just find another one." No! He cursed it! It is a sin to not be fulfilling God's purpose for yourself! Don't be like the fig tree; don't be a failure! It's time to start producing fruit.
Principle: Christ's condemnation comes upon those created things that do not fulfill their intended function.
Application:
1. Where is my life all "show" without fulfilling Christ's intended purpose for my life?
2. What unfruitfulness will I bring to Jesus for His life-giving touch?
3. Am I content to leave the "fruit inspection" of other Christians to Jesus alone?
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I admit to having a bit of an issue with today's passage -- or maybe I should say that I don't completely understand. The translation of the Bible I am using says that there were no figs on the tree because "it was not the season for figs". It seems to me that the tree is unfairly condemned. Obviously this is another lesson for the disciples (and us) since it is recorded that they heard the curse. But I don't get it.
ReplyDeleteBob, I'm with you on this one. When I read this, I actually thought, "Hey, Jesus is like me. Sometimes, when things don't go the way He wanted them to, he reacted in a way that seems negative." Maybe I've missed the mark, but I know that Jesus was fully human and that He never sinned because He was also fully God. So to me these verses are about a godly reaction to a human dilemma. Jesus was hungry; food was not available. I don't really get why the tree was cursed, other than when I know that when something should be good and available and it isn't, I'd like to do a little cursing.
ReplyDeleteJesus didn't sin, but he reacted to the dilemma of sin. He had to be in the position he was in because man sinned and because sin messed up the world. If Jesus had been on his throne, he wouldn't have needed the fig tree, but the brokenness of the world created a need. So Jesus--being fully God and fully man--reacted to the dilemma he was facing as a man with a godly reaction.
I don't think that Jesus would curse any of us out of season because that's against His nature, but I do recognize that those who do not fulfill their destinies--destinies including salvation--are cursed because of sin.
The tree was cursed because of sin.
Anyone else have thoughts?
When I first read this, my reaction was also, I don't get this. Why would the tree be cursed when it wasn’t its time to produce figs. I wanted to come up with something really profound, but there was nothing. So I had to consulted the commentary in my Life Application Bible(NIV) and it says "This incident occurred early in the spring fig season when the leaves were beginning to bud. The figs normally grow as the leaves fill out, but this tree, though full of leaves, had none. The tree looked promising but offered no fruit. Jesus' harsh words to the fig tree could be applied to the nation Israel. Fruitful in appearance only, Israel was spiritually barren" I don't want to be a Christian in appearance only or as you said yesterday, Bro. John. a "cultural Christian." I want figs with my leaves:),
ReplyDeleteI had the same first thought as everyone else, but then realized, "Trees have no feeling and no soul. Don't feel sorry for this tree, but instead look for the lesson Jesus was trying to teach." It was the writer who decided to throw in the part about it not being the season for figs, but that's a distraction from the lesson that Sarah correctly understands. We all sacrifice trees...when we buy a Bible which is made of paper (and pity the cow too!). The lessons learned justify the sacrifice. This tree was sacrificed to teach an imporatant lesson: God expects us to bear fruit. I'm not sure if this has any relevance to Paul's command to be ready to share truth "in season and out of season" but that's something I'm going to be chewing on today.
ReplyDeleteJohn: thanks. I think that's where I was headed, but since I was in a rush to get to VBS, I think I should clarify some of my thoughts. The tree was a tree, not a human. So the curse could be made and a lesson could be learned without someone getting hurt. We are not trees, but we can learn from an ordinary experience--hunger.
ReplyDeleteWhen God calls us to bear fruit, we better get to producing, but I was thinking that God calls people to himself at an appointed time. A little baby who never has the chance to understand who God is and the need for Jesus is not going to be cursed; that's against God's nature. A person who was supposed to bear fruit and refuses to do so on the other hand. . .but I still think this little situation is interesting. Jesus used the ordinary to teach a big lesson. (A lesson that wouldn't need teaching if our world wasn't broken; yep, I'm still stuck on the sin issue.)