HOST: Ron House
SPONSOR: Start2Finish
In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
What good is a fruit tree with no fruit? While Jesus’ action here might seem to be harsh and impulsive, there is no doubt that He knew the condition of the tree before reaching it, and that He had a purpose and plan for His action. But what was that purpose? Obviously, this occasion provided Jesus with an opportunity once again to teach His apostles about the power of faith. But I believe that there is another lesson to be learned from this text. A fruit tree’s purpose is to produce fruit. A tree that is barren is useless. As disciples of Christ, we are much like fruit trees. Our responsibility is to bear fruit for Him. But just as surely as a barren fruit tree is not fulfilling its purpose, if we are not bearing fruit for Christ, then neither are we fulfilling our purpose. Could it be that Jesus is attempting to impress upon His apostles, and us, the importance of fulfilling our purpose and the seriousness with which God views that purpose? May He help us to be about the business of bearing fruit for Him.
What does it mean to bear fruit for Christ?
Don’t forget to pray and have a great day!