Jesus, the Tree Slayer

Introduction

We have been in a very serious series dealing with Anxiety.

Today I want to do through something a bit more light hearted, still very serious.

Today I specifically picked a Biblical story that is a bit odd. It’s a story about Jesus, preparing for his death. He is on his way back to Jerusalem where he is going to engage the bipolar mobs, who will one day love him and the next call for him to be crucified.

Play Movie (Not my gumdrop buttons)

The question one is left asking is, WHY is the King picking on the fairytale creatures?! Why does he go after and interrogate this cute, delicious looking creature and his friends?

And in our story today we come across a moment where Jesus is going to do something very out of character.

In fact it is so out of character that Bertrand Russell, a famous atheist philosopher, accuses Jesus in this story of “vindictive fury” (Edwards)

READ PASSAGE

Mark 11:12–14 ESV

On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 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. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

Mark 11:12

Jesus does something that is almost out of character.

He is walking by this fig tree on his way to Jerusalem and gets hungry and sees a fig tree with leaves and find no fruit. It seems like Jesus has a fit of anger and without reason curses this poor innocent fig tree.

Title of Sermon: Jesus, the Tree Slayer.

We see Jesus do something he has never been shown before in the Jesus story, he performs a miracle of destruction.

A miracle so sudden that the next morning, the disciples and Jesus will walk by and it will be withered and dead.

Fruit is the Test of Authenticity

Jesus came to a tree that appeared to bear fruit, even though it wasn’t the season for the fruit.

Fig Trees will produce fruit in the Harvest months and during the winter months they will produce buds that will continue on with the tree until the spring months, where they will turn into an edible bud called a paggim. the paggim was not a preferable food but the natives would often eat them. When the leaves would bloom in the spring one would expect to find the paggim all over the branches.

Jesus finds none, he finds a tree that APPEARS to bear fruit yet it has produced nothing.

This means the tree is either dead or dying, yet it appears to be alive.

The tree wasn’t bearing even immature fruit which means there is no way it could produce mature fruit.

A healthy tree will start with immature fruit and over time that immature fruit will grow into a mature fruit that is good for eating and commerce. But a tree that produces no immature fruit can never produce mature fruit!

The Gospel is meant to come into your life and transform you.

It affects and changes your character and integrity. It causes you to grow as a person, while still dealing with the consequences of past decisions and failures.

The gospel turns hatred into love, it turns gossip into encouragement,

Immature fruit is still fruit and fruit is the test of authenticity.

THIS IS IMPORTANT

This tree was cursed, not because it bore immature fruit, it bore no fruit. It had the appearance of fruit but when seen up close, nothing.

Sin doesn’t disqualify you from God’s grace, fruitlessness does.

We have many people in this room and church who have come to faith in Jesus, they believe in his gospel and that his blood covers their sin and they have recieved grace. YET, they still struggle with their sin. They have past addictions and failures that linger and every once in a while they rear their ugly face and you fall into sin again. You are filled with shame and guilt, you need to hear this morning, THAT DOES NOT DISQUALIFY YOU FROM GODS GRACE.

Your fruit may be immature now but God is working in you, you are bearing fruit! Continue bearing fruit and God will turn it into maturity.

Struggles doesn’t mean failure, It means your following.

The tree Jesus curses is a tree that produces no fruit.

The person that needs to worry is the one who looks like they are producing fruit but when you get close up it just appears they have fruit but in reality they produce no fruit.

BUT EVEN STILL, isn’t this a bit harsh!

There’s more to the story.

Jesus is the healer, because he is the destroyer.

Mark 11:15–19 ESV

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. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 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.” And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. And when evening came they went out of the city.

The Temple was busy.

There were people everywhere. hundred’s of thousands of people were beginning to gather the week of the passover.

The Temple was booming. The high priest Caiaphas instated a new rule in the year 30 AD. there were four markets that would sell sacrificial animals to the pilgrims coming in. Caiaphas may a decision to allow the sale of animals to enter into the Temple.

The Temple was corrupt.

“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.”

House of prayer for all nations

The tables would most likely of been set up in what was later called, the court of the Gentiles.

This is where the different people prayed. This would’ve been the only spot the non-Jews would’ve prayed. Yet it would’ve been full of stuff. It was almost like it was too busy for them.

Jesus was the defender of the outsider.

Den of Robbers

Jesus goes after the people selling the pigeons and pushes them out. Pigeons were the sacrifice of the poor.

These people were profiteering off the backs of the poor. They were taking advantage of the ones who needed the most help.

Jesus sees the injustice and does something about it.

Jesus was the defender of the outsider.

The Temple needed to go.

Many call this the cleansing of the temple. This wasn’t a cleansing, this was a pronouncement of judgment.

The temple would be completely destroyed 40 years later!

John 2:19 ESV

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

The Temple was a place that was busy and packed with people, inside and outside.

YET, it appeared to have fruit but when you got closer you quickly realized, there was nothing!

The Temple was fruitless - it had to go.

Faith is the Key to Fruit

Mark 11:20–25 ESV

As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 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. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 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.”

The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree

Faith means you trust Jesus to be the destroyer in your life. Faith means you have put your trust in Christ and his plan for your life. Faith means that it’s ok for God to call you out because you know he is going to work for your good. Faith means you are willing to change how you live if it doesn’t align with the path of Christ.

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.”

Faith is when you have a growth in your body that is going to kill you, and you lay back and let this doctor you barely know cut you open and take it out.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.Faith means you trust Jesus to be the destroyer in your life. Faith means you have put your trust in Christ and his plan for your life. Faith means that it’s ok for God to call you out because you know he is going to work for your good. Faith means you are willing to change how you live if it doesn’t align with the path of Christ.

Faith means you trust Jesus to be the destroyer in your life. Faith means you have put your trust in Christ and his plan for your life. Faith means that it’s ok for God to call you out because you know he is going to work for your good. Faith means you are willing to change how you live if it doesn’t align with the path of Christ.

Faith is when you have hatred toward someone because they have wronged you, yet you forgive because Jesus asked you too.

Faith is when you fail over and over again and yet you continue to follow Christ, knowing his blood covers all our sin.

But where does this faith start? where does this faith come from?

Where does this incredible faith that has the ability to transform lives start?

Where does this faith start that can move mountains start?

Where does this faith come from, that you can ask God anything and he will give it to you?

It starts on a tree.

A tree planted by the Romans atop a hill called Golgotha. the man Jesus would be nailed to a fruitless tree. A tree that would curse the man who was hung from it, as Deut says, “cursed is any man who is hung from a tree”. He was crucified in a busy place where many people came to watch this man be robbed of his life. He was hung between two robbers and was rejected by his own people, he was an outsider.

Jesus took the curse of our sin upon his shoulder. Humanity, in its state without Christ cannot and will not produce any fruit.

THAT TREE IS US! It’s humanity. It’s our brokenness and rebellion and exactly what is produced…nothing.

It ends in a tree

He was taken down and placed, better yet “planted” in a tomb. And three days later Jesus would rise from the dead. From his death would come life like the earth has never seen.

Jesus would start the greatest movement the world would ever see.

You have access to the tree of Christ but its only by faith.

Faith is when you have a life threatening disease or growth and you allow a total stranger to cut you open and save your life.

Faith is when you realize you are broken and incapable of healing yourself and allowing God to place you on the operating table to he can heal you.

Jesus wants to destroy the sin in your life.