Dave's Diary

Prayer

Briefly prepare your heart in silence, and ask the Holy Spirit to awaken your sense of anticipation that God is about to speak to you through His Word. Then, before you read, I invite you to pray this simple prayer, which is a verse from a lovely old hymn:

Holy Spirit, Truth divine,
dawn upon this soul of mine.
Word of God, and inward Light,
wake my spirit, clear my sight. Amen

Reading

Matthew 21:18-22

Let’s not imagine for a moment that Jesus was being vindictive with the fig tree in this passage. Something much deeper was happening. The fig tree had long been a symbol for the nation of Israel, and Jesus was essentially performing a dramatic prophetic action by causing the fig tree to wither.

Whenever a fig tree had leaves at this time of year, it was an indication that it also had an early bloom of fruit on its branches. So, as Jesus approached the tree, it showed all the outward signs of being fruitful and in a position to feed a hungry traveller. But, upon closer inspection, that proved to be false advertising. It bore no fruit at all.

Likewise, when Jesus, the Son of God, had entered the Jerusalem Temple the day before (Matthew 21:1-16), it was a place of much outward religious activity. Like the fig tree full of leaves, the Temple displayed all the trappings and activities that seemed to indicate that it was a place of true worship. It was grandiose in its size, magnificent in its furnishings, well-serviced by a huge contingent of priests in spectacular vestments, and filled with a hive of activity. And yet, it bore absolutely no “fruit” of true worship. It appeared outwardly to be the sort of place a spiritually hungry human could come for spiritual food. But in reality it had become nothing more than a site of religious profiteering.

So, when Jesus cursed the fig tree and it withered, He was dramatically enacting what God the Father would shortly do with the fruitless Temple.

With hindsight we know that Jesus’ perfect sacrificial death and resurrection did away with any further need for a Temple and its sacrificial system; and, that the Jerusalem Temple itself was utterly destroyed by the Romans in AD70. This fig tree incident was given to the disciples (and us) to help us understand what God would shortly do to the Temple.

What command do we infer in this passage? I would suggest that Jesus warns us (by implication) to examine our own lives very carefully indeed to ensure that we are not like that fig tree; namely, giving all the appearances of Christian discipleship, but actually bearing none of the fruit of a true relationship with Jesus, through the power of the Spirit.

Contemplation

Please take time to ponder what Jesus has commanded us. Turn one or more of these declarations over and over in your mind. Keep them in mind throughout the day and live in step with Your King, Jesus.

As a disciple of Jesus Christ:

• I will examine my life today for any signs of fruitless religion;
• I will return to the Lord with all my heart, repenting of all outward show and hypocrisy.

Holy Spirit, transform my life and make me fruitful for Jesus. Amen.