“Fruit and Faith Pt 1”
Devotion in Motion
Midweek Meditation
Mark 11:11-21
06/02/21
”And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.” “Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.” “And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.” “And when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.” “they came to Jerusalem. And Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.” “Then (Jesus) taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” “And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.” “When evening had come, (Jesus) went out of the city.” ”Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”
What Jesus saw in the Temple angered Him. He plans to return to the Temple the next day, and do a little spring cleaning… Jesus had skipped breakfast that morning, and His stomach was rumbling… “And seeing from afar off a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if maybe He would find something on it.” Remember, between Bethany and Jerusalem was a village called “Bethphage” which means “house of figs.” And it lived up to its name… The hillside was full of fig trees. Fig trees in Israel can grow as tall as 25 feet high. They produce broad leaves and delicious fruit.
The fig was a staple in the Jewish diet. The average Jew had four major fruit groups – bread, grapes, fish, and figs. Figs were picked and eaten fresh – or they were dried out and eaten. The story continues in verse 13, “And when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.” Look, we need to understand that Most fruit trees sprout leaves first – then fruit. But a fig tree is the opposite. Fruit appears before the leaves. So When Jesus saw that this tree had leaves but no figs, He knew it was unhealthy. And so He cursed its future. Understand, in Jewish literature the fig tree was a symbol for Israel (Isaiah 5:7) What Jesus does here with the fig tree was a metaphor for the nation. He saw Israel as a fruitless fig tree. It was full of leaves, — but there was no real spiritual fruit- the Jews were ultra-religious, on the outside they looked good. But there was no fruit to their religiosity.
This parable helps us understand the last 2000 years of Jewish history. Jesus came to Israel looking for fruit and all He found was religious leaves. As a result, spiritually speaking Israel was withered and barren. After the fig tree incident, then “they came to Jerusalem. And Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.” Understand, the priests turned Temple worship into a revenue stream. When you brought a sacrifice to the Temple, it had to be inspected. If the priest found a blemish you were without a sacrifice, and had to buy a dove from the Temple stock – at an upped up price.not only that but your Temple tax couldn’t be paid with Roman coins, since they carried the Emperor’s image.
They had to be exchanged for kosher coins – but at a hefty exchange rate. It was a scam to make a buck off God. Early in His ministry Jesus took a whip and drove out the moneychangers. Here He uses His bare knuckles. Imagine, tables tumbling, money flying, merchandise is ruined, merchants are running for cover… Jesus is a one man wrecking crew! Realize Jesus was no wimp! He got angry for the right reasons. He was zealous for God. Jesus ran off folks who misrepresented Him. I’m sure there are greedy ministries today, where if Jesus visited, the first thing He’d do is clean house. Verse 17, “Then (Jesus) taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” Jesus was so infuriated not just by what the priests were doing, but where they were doing it. They probably were set up in the court of the Gentiles. This was the one place in the Temple where non-Jews could go to learn about God. And instead of God being glorified, He was being horribly misrepresented.
This is why Jesus calls the Temple, “a house prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of thieves.” And notice, Jesus referred to the Jewish Temple as “My house.” I’m sure that statement made the hair stand up on the backs of Jewish necks. Jesus walks into God’s house and calls it His house! Jesus was claiming to be God. That’s how His enemies reacted… “And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.” In the NT, the church is called the Temple. This is why we want our gatherings to be “a house of prayer.” We always want the agenda to be spiritual. “When evening had come, (Jesus) went out of the city.” He left Jerusalem and returned to Bethany… ”Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”
When a tree ceases bearing fruit the issue is not the fruit but the root. The roots are no longer getting the proper water and nutrients. And this is why a Christian dries up and stops producing fruit. He is no longer sinking their roots in God – drawing refreshment and nutrients from Him. No longer opening up their bibles like they used too, or just praying and speaking to the Lord. They have stopped sinking their roots and going deeper in the soil of their relationship with the God of all creation. Roots are the secret part of the tree that no one sees. When you feel dry, it’s most likely because there’s a problem with the root system. Morning devotions are skipped. Evening prayer is no longer a priority. Outwardly, the part of your life that people see might be going along just fine. But the root system, the secret part, is dried up.On the outside the jews were flamboyant and religious but on the inside were dry and barren. Psalm 1: 1-3 NKJV “Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord,And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water,That brings forth its fruit in its season,Whose leaf also shall not wither;And whatever he does shall prosper.
What is your delight? Are you dried up, or are you refreshed?
Plant yourself by the river of living water and drink. Amen
Victor Tafoya
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