P6 Miracles | The Parable of the Fig Tree

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Understanding the Miracle of the Cursed Fig Tree: What Jesus Expects From Us

In Matthew 21, we find a unique miracle that differs from Jesus' typical healing miracles. Jesus curses a fig tree that had leaves but no fruit, causing it to wither immediately. This seemingly harsh action carries profound lessons about what God expects from our lives and how we should live knowing we're being evaluated.


What Does the Cursed Fig Tree Teach Us About God's Expectations?

The context of this miracle is important. Jesus and His disciples were traveling from Bethany to Jerusalem during Passover week—the same week Jesus would later be crucified. Early one morning, Jesus was hungry and approached a fig tree by the road. Finding no fruit on it, He said, "May you never bear fruit again," and the tree immediately withered.

This miracle teaches us a fundamental truth: Jesus expects fruitfulness. Fig trees are created and empowered to produce figs. Since it was Passover in April, edible fruit should have been present on the tree. Jesus expected fruit because the tree was designed to produce it.

Similarly, God expects us to be fruitful with our lives because He has equipped us to be so. As 1 Peter 4:10 reminds us: "Each of you should use whatever gift you've received to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."


How Does God Respond to Our Fruitfulness or Lack Thereof?

The day after cursing the fig tree, Jesus reinforced this theme of fruitfulness in His Olivet Discourse. He told the parable of a wealthy man who entrusted his servants with different amounts of gold while he traveled. Upon his return, two servants had doubled the master's money, while one had done nothing with his portion.


This parable reveals two important principles:

1. Fruitfulness is Rewarded
To the servants who doubled his money, the master said: "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come share in your master's happiness." God rewards us when we are fruitful with what He's given us.

2. Fruitlessness is Reprimanded
To the unfruitful servant, the master responded harshly, even taking away the one bag of gold and giving it to the servant who had ten bags. Jesus stated: "For whoever has will be given more and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."

This teaches us that when we fail to use what we've been given to be fruitful for God, what we have may be taken away. We cannot get ahead by withholding from Jesus. While you can't outgive God, you also can't "out-withhold" Him either.


How Does God See Beyond Our Appearances?
The fig tree had leaves, giving the appearance of fruitfulness, but it bore no actual fruit. Jesus condemned it despite its promising appearance.


In the Bible, fig trees often represent the nation of Israel. At Jesus' time, Israel had every appearance of fruitfulness—following the law, making sacrifices, saying the right things—but Jesus said of them: "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me" (Matthew 15).


We live in a culture obsessed with appearances, where perception often matters more than reality. Social media exemplifies this, as people present their preferred version of themselves rather than reality. But this doesn't work with God. As 1 Samuel reminds us: "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."


You can fool people, but you can never fool God. He sees beyond appearances and judges our fruitfulness justly.


How Can We Be Authentically Fruitful?
On the Thursday of that same week, Jesus returned to the theme of fruitfulness with His disciples: "I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing."


The key to authentic fruitfulness is recognizing Jesus as the source. Branches do not produce fruit—they bear fruit that the vine produces. If a branch is severed from the vine, it can do nothing.


When Jesus says "remain in me" or "abide in me," He's not talking about staying saved—once you're a Christian, you are always a Christian. You cannot lose your salvation because it's not something you earned; it's a gift from God.


Rather, remaining in Christ is about staying connected to Him as the source of fruitfulness. It's like having a device that only works when connected to Wi-Fi. Without that connection, it can do a few things but not nearly what it's capable of doing when connected.


If you try to pursue fruitfulness apart from Jesus—not yielding your will to His, not spending time with Him, not seeking His guidance—you're living "offline." You might accomplish some things, but you'll never reach your full potential.


Life Application
Are you trying to live a meaningful life apart from Jesus? If so, you're likely experiencing frustration, disillusionment, disappointment, and a lack of fulfillment in your soul. As Blaise Pascal said, "There is in every human heart a God-shaped vacuum that only God can fill."


This week, consider these questions:

In what areas of your life are you bearing fruit for God, and in what areas might you be withholding from Him?

Are you living with an awareness that God is evaluating your life, or are you living as if there's "no radar gun"?

How connected are you to Jesus, the vine? What practical steps can you take to strengthen that connection?

Are you more concerned with the appearance of fruitfulness or actual fruitfulness in God's eyes?


Remember, God expects fruitfulness, rewards it when present, and reprimands its absence. He sees beyond appearances to the reality of our hearts. And most importantly, He provides the connection we need through Jesus Christ to bear the fruit He desires from our lives.


The good news is that God makes a way for us to live in connection with Him through Jesus, whose death and resurrection make a relationship with a holy God possible. When we remain connected to Him, we find the fulfillment and fruitfulness we were created for.