The First Step…

Morning!

Raises his cup of coffee

I made it about halfway through the day before I lost track of what I was doing—and for whom. But looking back, the picture was clearer when my focus was on the morning. I’m happy to report that I’m not as selfish as I thought… though, as always, there’s room for improvement.

Taking stock of our fig trees and tending to our fruits—that’s a big part of what we’re called to do. Today, I want to add a little something to that thought.

• Jesus is the vine.

• God the Father is the vinedresser.

• The Holy Spirit teaches.

But what about other fig trees?

Mark 11:12-26

“Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, ‘Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.’ And His disciples heard it.  So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. Then He taught, saying to them, ‘Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves.’  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city. Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.’  So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.’”

The fig tree belongs to Jesus—by definition.

But was its withering a punishment?

The tree had leaves. It was growing. It was doing what it was supposed to do. And yet, when Jesus looked for fruit, He found none. Mark even tells us why—it was not the season for figs.

As far as I can tell, this tree had done nothing wrong. In fact, as a plant, it couldn’t do anything wrong. It simply wasn’t time for it to bear fruit.

So my conclusion is: the withering of the fig tree was not a punishment.

In Mark’s account, Jesus curses the fig tree. Then, He walks into the temple at Bethany and finds corruption—thieves and commerce where there should have been worship. He drives them out, purging the temple.

When we return to the fig tree the next morning, it has withered from the roots.

What else is a corrupt temple but a fig tree without fruit?

So Jesus purged the temple.

But what happened to the fig tree?

Its roots withered and died. But through the prayer and work of Jesus Christ, this fruitless tree became the centerpiece of one of His parables. Countless people have pondered this one fig tree. This single event became a lesson passed down through generations.

A tree that bore no fruit became part of the Word itself.

If Jesus can take a barren fig tree and use it to teach the world, then there is hope for all of us who are looking to bear more fruit.

1 Corinthians 4:1-2

“Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found faithful.”