“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.” – Matthew 21:19
At first glance, this seems like quite an odd little story! It feels so unlike Jesus. Why would He curse a tree by the side of the road?!? Two things help us understand the deeper meaning of the story. The first is that the tree had beautiful, healthy leaves and gave every appearance that it should have fruit growing on it. It looked good from a distance but produced nothing of value. The second is that the fig tree was a symbol of the nation of Israel.
What Jesus does with the tree is a metaphor for what He’s doing in Jerusalem. In the context of what’s happening early in the week that He would be crucified, Jesus is symbolically condemning a nation that looks great from a distance but is producing no spiritual fruit. A nation that prided itself in holy rituals, rule following, and appearances but had no love for God in their hearts. In condemning the fig tree, Jesus condemned all Israel with its busy and proud Pharisees and Sadducees but no real spiritual fruit as God’s people. Jesus condemned the hypocrisy of holy appearances and hard, unholy, untransformed hearts.
Bringing this story forward to the present day, Jesus hasn’t changed. He still condemns those who appear religious and claim His name as Christians but live unfruitful, unholy, selfish, untransformed lives. The invitation to follow Jesus isn’t about joining an honor society. It’s about submitting your life to the Lordship of Jesus. It’s about taking up your cross daily and denying yourself to love and serve God and neighbors. It’s about growing the fruit of the Spirit in your life while making disciples as you go through life. If a Christian isn’t doing those things, then he or she isn’t different from that fig tree! #FollowJesus