Palm Sunday and the Fig Tree

On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

Between now and next Sunday (Easter)…

This passage occurs just after PALM SUNDAY, and during the week leading up to the Crucifixion. This is significant…

• Palm Sunday

• Stay at Bethany

· Next day walk from Bethany and the fig tree

• Cleaning the worship areas

• Seeing the tree again

• Explanation of why

This story is driven by an object lesson. (Dr. Jim Bradford)

· Not a lesson in anger management, with Jesus being frustrated in spite of the natural lack of figs.

· The Gospels are to be read more as ‘sermons’ than chronological stories, and Mark especially edits stories tightly together as a way of ‘preaching’ to the suffering believers in Rome.

· The Son of Man motif in Mark is taken from – the son of man who has authority (confronts), suffers and is vindicated.

· This is the Son of Man acting true to himself according to Mark. Throughout the whole book Mark therefore tends to alternate authority/teaching sections with stories of confrontation and conflict.

This is the only time in the Gospels when Jesus is described as being hungry .

· It attests to His humanity. He had been angry on occasion, but now He was hungry?

· The One who fed crowds of 5000 and 4000 Himself was hungry!

· Amazing! ~ Dr. George Wood

· Unlike the times when He miraculously multiplied bread and fish, He makes no food for Himself. In fact, never does He do a miracle for His own personal benefit . It’s always for others.

· In fact, never does He do a miracle for His own personal benefit . It’s always for others.

· What an example for us – that we live out our lives in self-giving and not in self-serving !

It’s a most perplexing text.

On the one hand, Jesus surely knows that it was not the season for figs. Why then did He even bother to check it for fruit?

· Various reasons have been offered – including the idea that a fig tree in leaf, if it was going to bear fruit, already had small fig buds.

· The analogy would be that of an apple tree with small sour unripe apples needing further maturation. The premature fig, like the apple, would be bitter to the taste but could be edible.

· On the other hand, since the text says Jesus was hungry, it doesn’t make sense that He would be looking for a sour fig to satisfy His hunger.

· When a fig tree was in leaf, but does not have premature figs, it meant the tree would have no fruit in that year.

There are two accounts. The other account is …

Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. 20When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. 21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

20When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. 21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

· One answer is that this may have happened twice.

· The other is that the tree began withering immediately (as opposed to waiting a few hours) but that it was not fully and strikingly noticeable until later in the day after the temple confrontation (if it took a few hours to finish withering).

· It did not serve Matthew’s purposes, writing to convince a Jewish audience, to put this kind of son-of-man authority/confrontation in, and so there is no linkage for Matthew between withering a tree and confronting money collectors.

Again, the gospels are sermons, not just stories.

The POINT

Jesus is moving forward to being taken, challenged, beaten, and crucified.

· I would assume these moments are important… hinge of history that opens the door to heaven.

· I would assume we are meant to learn deeply from these moments… just before crucifixion and resurrection.

FIRST – from the Tree

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

Fig tree moment.

• Challenge With visual aid to explain.

In the Matthew version the DISCIPLES instantly had to point this out. I mean he has done so much, yet they still needed wake moments to remind them WHO HE IS.

: 19Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. 20When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. 21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

A metaphor for them to remember.

The VISUAL AID of the FIG TREE: How did Jesus know the fig tree was barren? Because the leaves and the fruit typically appear at about the same time. To see a fig tree covered with leaves but with no fruit meant that it was barren. In the Old Testament the fig tree often stood as a symbol for the nation of Israel (; ).

Remember the fig tree?

· IS ABOUT remembering the truth of Christ.

· If He can… then why can’t we!!???

Now let’s briefly talk about cursing…

The Curse

· The term “cursed” is used only once in the two New Testament records of this incident. On the second day, as Christ and his disciples passed by the tree, on their way to Jerusalem, it was noticed that the fig tree was completely dead.

The term “cursed” is used only once in the two New Testament records of this incident. On the second day, as Christ and his disciples passed by the tree, on their way to Jerusalem, it was noticed that the fig tree was completely dead.

· This compelled Peter, who was speaking on behalf of the others as well (cf. ), to comment: “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered.” (v. 21).

· It should be noted first that the term “curse” is not used in biblical angst in the modern sense of profanity. Rather, a curse was a pronouncement of judgment upon a person or object (cf. ).

· In this case, there was a command miracle by which Christ spoke words that would cause this tree to die.

· Christ’s action was not a purposeless act of intemperance. It represented a strong object-lesson that the disciples needed to learn (and numerous others since that time as well).

God can bless… and He can take down.

o Yes Easter is a celebration of CHRIST’s resurrection. 3 days after dying for us…

o He is raised from the dead… He conquers DEATH, HELL, and the GRAVE itself.

o So salvation can occur for any of us…

o BUT we must partner with God to be saved.

The Curse was very Representative:

;

“When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your ancestors, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree. But when they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol and became as vile as the thing they loved.

Cursing the fig tree was Jesus's way of saying that the whole nation had become spiritually barren before the Lord. They had the form of religion but not the reality in the form of REAL FRUIT. They knew the right words to say, but their hearts were far from God.

You have leaves… but you have no fruit… this is a problem.

And He judges them… bringing down a curse.

This story is placed next to the story of Jesus cleansing the temple in Jerusalem ().

SECOND – from the Temple Courts

- Jesus Cleanses the Temple

In between the curse and the explanation. Jesus does another radical thing in that age.

· The money lenders had turned the Lord's house into a den of thieves.

· They were profiteers who exchanged foreign currency and also sold the animals that worshipers from distant towns would buy to sacrifice before the Lord.

· By shrewd marketing they could charge exorbitant rates and make a killing off the pilgrims who came to worship.

· The whole scene angered our Lord because he knew that the temple should be a house of prayer for all nations.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”

One of the greatest missional passages in scripture.

• in between the lesson of the withered tree.

· We know from John’s Gospel that Jesus first cleansed the temple of the merchandisers at the beginning of His ministry ().

· Later His disciples remembered His statement at the time: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

· Now, three years later in this second cleansing of the temple, Jesus’ zeal remains undiminished.

· Following His triumphal entry into Jerusalem the previous day, Jesus entered the temple area and simply “looked around at everything” (v. 11).

· Now, we know the reason why.

WHY?

This is missional scripture because

THIRD – Explanation from the Tree

The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God.

23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Explanation from Jesus

Faith Can move mountains

• Not about declaring businesses open or closed. You can't build Portillos because you want one. BUT, you can have the power to move things.

SONG on FAITH… THERE'S ALWAYS MOUNTAINS

In the Broadway musical, The Scarlet Pimpernel, the 18th century (fictional) hero encourages his followers by reminding them of David vs. Goliath. I took that and modified for our use today.

The song goes:

(have bbox help, bump bump AND tish (sound of))

"David walked into the valley

With a STONE in his hand

He was only a BOY

But he knew HE SHOULD STAND

There will always be a VALLEY

With mountains WE must scale

There will always be CRAZY waters

Which someone must SAIL.

Don’t you ever give up.

Make sure to forgive

As you move this mountain

Just like Jesus did.

Don’t ever give up…. Don’t ever give up… don’t ever give up.

Believe”

In the lyrics I just quoted,

the words tie the ancient text together with the challenge that the heroes faced.

More than that, the lyric says that there are always challenges or obstacles that we must face.

We will always have mountains. BUT if we trust God, THEY CAN BE MOVED!

BUT if we trust God, THEY CAN BE MOVED!

• Do not doubt

• It will be done

• Ask in Prayer

• Believe

• Forgive them

• So you can be forgiven

And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

You don’t forgive… you are not forgiven.

Mountain passage in Luke:

Increase Our Faith

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

3 moments after Palm Sunday and before the crucifixion.

· Hungry: The fig tree

· Temple: The outer courts

· An Explanation:

o Have faith in God

o Move mountains with Him

o PRAY

o Forgive, so you can be also

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The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree 20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Jesus taught very visually – parables, withered trees, healing miracles, etc. They all make a point about his identity and authority, some of which can be shared by his followers.

· These passages point towards the authority of Christ… withered tree .

· They point towards the missional heart of Christ… worship not coin .

· They point to the heart of prayer in Christ… change everything and pray .

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