Humanity has mastered the art of facade. It’s easy for us to put on a mask of righteousness and try to clothe ourselves in holiness. How effortless it is for us to hide behind eloquent speech, aesthetic images, and viral catchphrases. But the question is, where is the fruit?
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The Fig Tree
Fig trees are fascinating. Their flowers are actually hidden inside the fruit. Early cultures thought they were flowerless because of this. Even more fascinating, this inverted flower is dependent on a sacrificial wasp to reproduce. They essentially enter the fig and die. Inside each fig are hundreds of tiny flowers that eventually mature into seeds. Another remarkable fact is the blooming process. Leaves appear on the tree before the figs begin to bud. It’s no surprise then that Jesus decided to inspect the lone fig tree which was in full leaf. However, we also know from Mark that it was not the season for figs. So why did Jesus curse the tree?
The fig tree is a metaphor for Israel’s spiritual health. The fullness of the fig tree gave the appearance of fruitfulness. Its early foliage should have signaled early figs. But to no avail there were none. The tree appeared to be good for sustenance but it was barren. The religious leaders of the day also gave the impression of being righteous but lacked truth. When the Messiah arrived, they missed Him. Not only that, they crucified Him.
The Narrow Road
This is why the road is narrow. The world teaches that there are many ways to truth and salvation but we know there is only one. His name is Jesus. Many wolves in sheep’s clothing will share lies disguised as truth. They will appear to walk in light when they are really running in darkness. The key to identifying good fruit is to be good fruit yourself. So where is your fruit? How healthy is your soil? How often are you allowing God to prune you? Are you fruitful in the ways of God or the ways of the world? Like the fig tree, what have you sacrificed to reproduce healthy fruit? Do you only give the appearance or are you truly fruitful?
Scripture To Meditate On
“Early in the morning, as he was returning to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again! ” At once the fig tree withered.”
“Seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he went to find out if there was anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs.”
“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.”
“Be on your guard against false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ”
With Love,
Tamara
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Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
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