The End of Withered Religion Part 2

Introduction

Last week we saw the contrast between the purely ritualistic religion that temple worship had become in Jerusalem and the true purpose that God had for temple worship. The purpose of the temple was to bring all the nations, and specifically the child and the disabled, to be a place of healing, prayer, and joyful worship.

This contrast continues into this second half of our text as Christ pictures this with the image of a barren fig tree. On this contrast, Christ continues to teach his disciples on faith by expounding on his teachings back in 17:19-20.

Jesus and the Fig Tree

What does Jesus’ interaction with the tree mean?

What happens:

We are told it was not the season for fruit (Mark 11:13), so why is Jesus upset to see the fig tree without fruit? Because the fig trees there only have leaves when they have fruit. Its likely that this tree had produced fruit early but had lost it due to winds or animals.

What it means: The leaves boast of a tree that has fruit, even when the season for fruit had not yet come. When the tree which boasts of fruit does not have it, it is cursed.

When Mark tells this story, he sandwiches the cursing of the fig tree between the day the temple is cleansed and the next day. So Mark gives more detail, showing that the curse happened the day before but Matthew tells the event as one to simplify it, as he does with many of Mark’s events.

What ties this interaction with what happened in the temple the day before?

Matthew and especially Mark show these events to be related. The Jews, like a fig tree with leaves, boast of having the fruit of repentance and worship even though it was not yet the season when God would change people’s hearts through the Gospel. God thus judges Israel more severely because while the nations do not have fruit or leaf, Israel boasts with leaves of temple worship but without the fruit of righteous living.

A recognizable reference to Hos 9:10

Hosea 9:10 ESV

Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. Like the first fruit on the fig tree in its first season, I saw your fathers. But they came to Baal-peor and consecrated themselves to the thing of shame, and became detestable like the thing they loved.

A reference to OT condemnation of Israel’s spiritual leaders, like in Ez 34 as we just saw in our reading. Israel’s religion was all show but no substance. It did not bear fruit of righteousness or the power of God.

Contrasting Withered Religion with Genuine Faith

When the disciples ask about the withered tree, amazed at the miracle and seemingly missing the point, Jesus indulges them and focuses once again on the power of faith.

Why this sudden turn in the topic?

The failure of Israel’s leadership founded on unbelief. The true Kingdom of God founded on genuine faith. By faith, the power of God will remove the fruitless representatives of God’s authority and replace it with those that have faith.

That faith will be proven to be genuine by the power of God moving through those individuals to bring the Kingdom of God to the world.

While I spoke about Jesus’ promise for answered prayer back in chapter 17, I’ll summarize it by saying this:

Jesus here is speaking of the power of faithful prayer. That is, he promises that God’s power will be at work on a magnificent level (tossing mountains into the sea) in individuals who trust God’s promises and follow him faithfully.

More than that, with the connection to the withered tree Jesus shows that the faithful themselves will be the means by which the power of God brings those corrupt religious powers to reveal their ultimate fruitlessness. This is done, not through the power of the individuals, but by the power of God at work through the prayers of those individuals.

How may we interpret this in our own lives? Does Jesus want us to literally start commanding mountains to move? No, this is an obvious metaphor. However, the implications for us are clear.

First, this whole passage defines for us true religion as opposed to false religion. False religion boasts of fruitfulness but is not fruitful. True religion shows its fruit through the power of God at work in the prayers of the faithful.

This clearly removes any kind of outward institutionalism from true religion. The true church is not that church which can historically trace its bishops all the way back to the apostles anymore than membership in the tribe of Levi made the hypocritical priests true worshipers of God. Most non-protestant traditions say, “we know we are the true church because our institution goes back to the apostles.” So what? Why would that prove you are the true church? Were the priests that condemned Jesus to death true Israelites because they read the Torah and traced their ancestry back to Abraham? No, so why would it be that way with the church when Jesus makes it clear over and over again that this is not how things work in the Kingdom of God.

The Pharisees and Sadducees established their claim to true religion on their observance of ancient traditions, so clearly keeping church traditions does not make you the true church either. Neither does theological perfection do this, since the disciples themselves were far from understanding the theological significance of most of what Jesus said and the power of God was at work in them (see Mark 6:13 regard. the power of God casting out demons and healing the sick through the disciples). We cannot say that because we believe in election and believers baptism, which most of the church rejects today, that we automatically are the true church or practice true religion. Institutions, traditions, and theological accuracy do not mean a thing in proving that you are of the true church.

How do you know you are of the true church and have true, godly religion? Faith. You have faith. Not a profession of faith, but real faith. Not faith that Jesus existed, but faith in Christ as your redeemer from sin. Faith that follows Christ actively and prays with confidence. Faith that puts sin to death and exposes it. Faith that conforms us into the image of Christ. Faith that is used by the power of God to tear false religion down through prayer and spreads true worship to the world, making the church a house of prayer for all nations. It is our conviction, one that is firmly planted in the teachings of Christ and of the Apostles, that the church is the community of those with true, living, active faith in the risen Lord. It is nothing less and nothing more than that.

Second, it is the responsibility for the believer to engage their faith in prayer submitted to God’s will. This includes prayer that false religion would be exposed and torn down by God’s grace so that the truth may advance. This is what the Reformation was all about. The Reformers looked at the religion around them and they saw abuse, scandal, deception, idolatry, superstition, and hypocrisy. They saw an institution which called itself catholic but was far from it; that called itself The Church but kept the Word of God and the Lord’s Table from laypeople, that failed to communicate the gospel, that lifted up saints instead of the One who creates saints, that profited off of religious scams, whose clergy were regularly engaged in sexual immorality, and who burned to death anyone who dared to say anything about it. Let us not back down from speaking the truth and most important from praying that any form of false religion, whether we see it in this building, across the street, or across the world, would collapse in the wake of the true Gospel being preached.

Third, let us embrace true faith and expect God to fulfill his promise and work powerfully in our attempts to bring the nations into the House of Prayer, into the true Israel, into the Kingdom of God.

What is your religion like? Does it bear the fruit of repentance, love, growing holiness, and care for the weak and helpless?

James 1:26–27 ESV

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Let us take seriously what the Word says in 2 Cor 13:5

2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

As we sing, as we pray, as we take the Table, as we come together for loving conversation, let us examine the fruit of our religion. Christ gives us the power, by faith, to bear fruit. Seek that power of the Spirit with all your heart. Ask and you will indeed receive. Jeremiah 29:13 gave this hope even to the Israelites of his day:

Jeremiah 29:13 ESV

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.