What If Faith Looks Alive But Is Not

A fig tree with full leaves looks alive, so why would Jesus curse it for having no fruit? We take a close look at Matthew 21:18–19 and uncover the deeper meaning behind one of the most misunderstood moments in the Gospels. Set during Passion Week near Jerusalem, the fig tree becomes a vivid symbol of spiritual appearance without spiritual reality, and a warning against religion that looks impressive but fails to nourish anyone. 
We walk through how Scripture often uses the fig tree to represent Israel, and why Jesus’ words signal more than disappointment. The temple was meant to be a house of prayer and the people were meant to live by faith, yet the essentials were missing. That gap between “leaves” and “fruit” still shows up today when our habits outpace our transformation. This devotional-style episode keeps it practical and personal, pressing us to ask whether our lives are producing anything that strengthens others. 
 If you want a faith that makes a difference in real life, this is a five-minute reset you can carry into the rest of your day. 

Transcript

The Fig Tree Jesus Cursed

Fig Tree As Israel’s Warning

The Fruit Of The Spirit Today

Let Your Fruit Help Someone

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Good morning and welcome to Starting Right with Danny Mack. I'm going to be here every Monday to Friday to help you get a great five-minute start to your day. So grab your cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and let me help you start your day right. Good morning everybody and welcome to this Tuesday of the Passion Week. And today I want to take a look at one very curious event that's recorded in Matthew chapter 21, verses 18 and 19. It's when Jesus cursed the fig tree. In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. And then he said to it, May you never bear fruit again. And immediately the fig tree withered up. For many when we read this story, it's actually quite surprising. It seems like Jesus is doing something that really doesn't make a lot of sense. In fact, why is he picking on this poor fig tree? Well, there's a whole lot more to it that I just want to touch on this morning. Because when we consider the time and place of this event, uh we can understand it a bit better. You see, Jesus was near Jerusalem in the last week of his ministry. Throughout Scripture, the fig tree has symbolized the nation of Israel. We read about that in Jeremiah chapter eight, in Hosea chapter nine, and in Luke chapter thirteen. And just as this fig tree had leaves but no fruit, so Israel had a show of religion but had very little practical experience of faith. Jesus wasn't angry at the tree. Rather, he was using the tree to teach several lessons to his disciples. The first thing was that God wants to produce fruit in the lives of his people. Fruit is the product of life. The presence of leaves usually indicates the presence of fruit. But this was not the case. This tree was taking up space and was doing nothing worthwhile. There's a huge practical lesson for us in that right there, which we will look at in just a moment. But first, let's look at what Jesus is saying about the nation of Israel. Jesus was declaring that the time of judgment has come for the nation of Israel. The sentence was pronounced by God, but it would not be executed for forty years when Rome would come and destroy the city and the temple and scatter all the people. The temple was supposed to be a house of prayer, and the nation was to be a believing people, but both of those essentials were missing. And as a result of that, the entire nation of Israel would be overrun by Rome. But not only was this a judgment upon Israel that Jesus was showing, and also is that message for us that I mentioned earlier, some lessons that we can learn that are very important for us as we continue in our walk with Christ. First of all, we need to understand the importance of bearing fruit. Galatians chapter five, beginning in verse twenty two, reminds us of what that fruit is. It tells us that the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives. It's love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Are we productive at producing that fruit in our lives, that we are using it to help feed others and encourage others in our walk with God? Are we able to bring peace when others are upset? Are we people who can find joy and contentment in the midst of stressful situations? Can we bring wisdom and calm when things are stressful? And do we have the kind of self-control that sets us apart from the people of the world who freak out about everything that is going wrong? Are we different from this world? And are we showing the kind of fruit that God has planted deep within us? And are we making a difference in our world? We need to understand that bearing fruit is not a suggestion that God has for us. It's what he tells us to do. We are to be the people who make a difference in the world because his fruit shines through us and from us and impacts the people and our world around us. We are to be a light to shine with truth and hope, always believing, always looking forward to what God has for us, no matter what is happening. And that's the kind of fruit that Jesus was looking for. Remember that he knew within just a very few days he was going to die on the cross and leave these people behind. He was wanting them to know that in the midst of that they should show the fruit of God's faithfulness and his presence in their lives, and not be afraid, not be overwhelmed by that seeming disaster, but know that God was still with them, even though Jesus departed for a short time. Let God's fruit of the Spirit work in your life, and let the people around you see it in you, even when you're going through difficult times, and you will be amazed by the impact that can make in the lives of other people who are hurting and desperately needing to know God. You can help somebody today with the good fruit in you. Have a great day, my friends, and we will talk again tomorrow. Thank you for joining us today, and I invite you to join us every Monday to Friday, right here at Starting Right with Danny Mack.