"The next day when they went out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves. He went to find out if there was anything on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, 'May no one ever eat from you again."
Mark 11:12-14 Christian Standard Bible
At first, it can seem quite harsh for Jesus to curse this fig tree, after all, it wasn't the season for figs. However, the tree was giving the appearance that it had fruit because of the leaves. Fruit and leaves on a fig tree, grow together. This was a false display and Jesus was making a point.
This false outward appearance could also be found in the religious leaders of the day. Outwardly they were godly but, inwardly they were corrupt. Their lack of faith made them also barren, producing no fruit for God. Sadly, it can be the same today; many people attend church each week, sing, praise and listen to the sermon, giving the occasional Amen, but sadly there is no fruit for the rest of the week; they get on with their worldly lives.
This is very similar to what King David wrote in Psalm 37:35-36 'I have seen a wicked, violent person, well-rooted like a flourishing native tree. 36 Then I passed by and noticed he was gone. I searched for him but, he could not be found.'
When Jesus dwells within someone, it shows. There still may be some rough edges but basically, the heart has been changed because Jesus has taken up residence there. Having the biggest bible one can find and reading it from cover to cover, will not make someone a Christian. Only Jesus can do this via salvation. Don't fall into the category of the fig tree, giving off a false Christian front. It doesn't matter what denomination you belong to or, how many times you have taken communion, only Jesus, within you, can produce living fruit. Once on a Street Evangelism exercise, I asked a person if they were a Christian. The answer I received was, he had been a Methodist for 30 years, surely this made him a Christian. He didn't like my answer.
One day, and it could be sooner rather than later because of the state of the world, we will all have to appear before Jesus and give Him an account of our lives. It will be too late to change your mind then and, no amount of pleading with Jesus will influence His decision. We will either enter the Kingdom of God or spend eternity in the clutches of the devil and his angels in hell. It's all in the bible, we will have no excuse. Do you need to make a decision?
'Lord Jesus, I ask you to forgive my sins and be my Lord and Saviour. I give you all I have - my whole life; please come and live in my heart and bless me with Your Holy Spirit. Amen'
Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.
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