The Fig Tree

Usually, I’m a pretty short-tempered person. Everyone in my house knows it. They also know that my lack of temperamental sweetness gets aggravated when I’m hungry. That’s why when “Mama” says that she is hungry, those who hear her roar, don’t dare to interfere with her pursuit for sustenance. 

Tucked in Mark, chapter 11, verses 12-14 there is a passage about Jesus that, when I read it lightly, at first glance it made me chuckle a bit. I chuckled because it reminded me of my “condition.” 

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

Cursing the fig tree, however, was not Jesus’ irrational response in a moment of hunger. It was rather a symbolic gesture foreshadowing the future of the nation of Israel. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary says that Jesus “made this fig-tree an example, not to the trees, but to the men of that generation. It was a figure of the doom upon the Jewish church, to which he came seeking fruit, but found none.” Jesus’ sentence to Israel comes right before He overturned the tables of the money changers and drove away the vendors at the temple. This was Jesus' way to expose Israel’s wickedness hidden behind empty religiosity.  This was His way to urge them to turn to Him and love Him.  But repentance never came, and instead, they put Him on the cross.  

Israel as a nation did not listen, and for that, they have missed out on knowing the truth that the Messiah they have been waiting for is already here. 

Today, I see this passage as a warning to me as well. Jesus warns me to open my eyes and see Him. He warns me of the consequences of not allowing the Holy Spirit to grow His fruits in me. He warns me of the fate that awaits me if I refuse the cleansing of my spirit and the change of my fallen ways.

As Lent continues to usher us into Easter, I recognize that I too, like the fig tree, am nothing but leaves. From the distance, I may seem lush, but in reality, I am not in season yet. I am not even in bloom. I’m still stuck in winter inside, asleep and unfruitful. Therefore, I pray to The Only One who can make something out of me. I lift up my eyes to Him who transfers His righteousness unto me and gives me the strength to carry on with the work of His Kingdom, that He may transform me into that tree full of His fruit for the benefit of His beloved.

In the meantime, I will try to start by measuring my grumpiness at mealtime….

Linking with:  Whole Hearted Home and Little R and R