The End Of Fruitlessness

Read: Matthew 21:18-22

I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, “May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,” and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.

Matthew 21:21-22

JESUS SAW A FIG TREE with no fruit on it and cursed it—a seemingly capricious act from a very patient Savior. But there was a lot of symbolism in this cursing, as well as a teaching moment for the disciples. As the fig tree withered away at Jesus’ words, it signaled judgment on a fruitless generation and the world’s ways. It also marked the end of an age of futility. No longer would humanity have frustration and fruitlessness as its only option. A corrupt local leadership and a wider world of brokenness had met their conquering King. The death and decay of the Fall were being usurped by a greater reality. Inspired words could now wield authority over a world of sorrow.

How? By the power of faith. Jesus made the fig tree an object lesson for his astonished disciples. Not only would they be given authority to speak words of faith over fruitlessness; they would also be able to move mountains. Jesus could point to enormous obstacles—in this case, most likely Herod’s fortress on a man-made hill within view from the fig tree—and tell his followers to pronounce judgment on them. The ways of the world have to surrender to the decrees of the insistently, stubbornly, relentlessly faithful. Sometimes the results are immediate, as Jesus demonstrated with the fig tree, but our experiences prove that the battle and the wait can often be long and arduous. Nevertheless, the words and prayers of faith eventually triumph. The new creation always takes precedence over the old.

When we look for evidence of that victory in specific moments or situations, even our new eyes may strain to see it. But if we persist in our faith against the tyranny of surface appearances, and if we look at how the Kingdom has grown over the course of history, we can see how victorious our words and prayers have been. The fig tree was emblematic of the fruitlessness of human effort independent of God. Our earthly, kingdom-building ambitions and maneuverings do not produce the fruit of God’s Kingdom. Faith in the Messiah and his authority do.

Let go of old, fruitless paradigms. It’s time for them to wither away. Newness and life are contained in the words of Jesus and, by extension, in the Spirit-inspired words of his followers. Wield them often, be persistent, and watch mountains move. You now live in a Kingdom of unearthly ways and uncommon fruitfulness.

PRAYER

Lord, teach me the ways of your Kingdom. Fill my mouth with powerful words of faith that accomplish your purposes. May the fruitless places in my life wither away and the glories of your Kingdom come. Amen.

REFLECTION

What does Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree say about his priorities? What does it teach his followers about fruitfulness?

Further reading: 1 John 5:4-5

Against the foe in vales below

Let all our strength be hurled;

Faith is the victory, we know,

That overcomes the world.

“FAITH IS THE VICTORY,” JOHN H. YATES