His final steps led to a fig tree.

 

Sermon for 4^th midweek Lent, March 15, 2023

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.  Amen.

Mark 11:12-14, 20-25  ¹²The next day, after they had set out from Bethany, Jesus was hungry.  ¹³When he saw a fig tree in leaf in the distance, he went to see if he might find anything on it.  When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, since it was not the season for figs.  ¹⁴Jesus said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!”  And his disciples were listening. … ²⁰As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered down to the roots.  ²¹Peter remembered and said, “Rabbi, look!  The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”  ²²Jesus replied, “Have faith in God.  ²³Amen I tell you: Whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.  ²⁴Therefore I tell you, everything that you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  ²⁵Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (EHV)

His final steps led to a fig tree.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

            For many people, this miraculous event might seem totally out of character for Jesus.  Jesus had spent His life in service, and His ministry in helping and healing, yet here, His simple curse immediately brought death to the tree.  This evening, we explore why His final steps led to a fig tree.

The first thing we must admit is that God is the owner of all things and He expects certain results.  Early in Jesus’ ministry, He told a parable about an unfruitful fig tree that the owner of the garden was ready to cut down, but the gardener interceded and pleaded for another chance to feed and nurse that tree into production, with the caveat that if it produced no fruit in the next year, he would cut the tree down.  Clearly, Jesus was showing His disciples, the Jewish leadership, and all people of all time that while God is patient, and His servant Son is willing to do everything in His power to save us, there is a limit to God’s patience and a day of reckoning will come.  Likewise, here.

Therefore, Jesus didn’t curse this fig tree because He had a nasty temper or a selfish streak no one had previously seen.  His whole focus was on saving people like you and me.  Consider an example from the Old Testament; the Lord’s closing words to the prophet Jonah.  While Jonah waited, hoping to see God’s destruction of Nineveh, the Lord caused a vine to grow up and give shade over Jonah’s head during the heat of the day, but the next day, God sent a worm that chewed through the vine, so it withered away, and Jonah was angry.  He questioned why God would allow the death of the vine that was giving him comfort.  The Lord’s reply shows us a good picture of Jesus’ intention with this fig tree. 

The Lord asked Jonah, “Should I not be concerned for Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than one hundred twenty thousand people who do not know the difference between their right hand and their left—and also many animals?” (Jonah 4:11)  The Lord was concerned for the eternal salvation of those former heathens in Nineveh.  He was likewise concerned about the salvation of the people of Judah including even the rulers who so despised Him, and Jesus is concerned about our eternal wellbeing.  Thus, this fig tree is a picture warning of judgment for a lack of producing fruit.

As the Creator and Lord of heaven and earth, Jesus has the perfect right to use that tree as He saw fit, so when He was hungry, Jesus saw the fig tree from a distance, and He went intending to pick some fruit.  However, as he reports this account, Mark gives a very interesting detail.  He wrote, “The next day, after they had set out from Bethany, Jesus was hungry.  When he saw a fig tree in leaf in the distance, he went to see if he might find anything on it.  When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, since it was not the season for figs.”  Did you catch the interesting detail?  “It was not the season for figs.” 

Now, why would Jesus, the possessor of infinite knowledge and wisdom, not recognize that it wasn’t the right time to find figs on the tree?  He wasn’t being deceptive nor being deceived.  Yes, Jesus was hungry just as it says, but Jesus used this fig tree to picture for us that God is looking for fruit from us in season and out of season, and He has every right to do so.  The Jews of His day were worshipping in a magnificent temple.  They followed rule after rule the leaders had laid down to make them look good, but the fruit of faith was missing. 

This event takes place on the Monday and Tuesday of Holy Week.  As Jesus was progressing toward the temple, the leaders of Israel were plotting to kill Him.  Shortly after His reply to Peter’s astonishment, Jesus proceeded to the temple and again cleansed it of the money changers and thieves.  The picture is clear, our Lord doesn’t want the show of faithfulness, He wants to find fruit.  His final steps led to a fig tree so that we would be warned of the result of being unfruitful in our spiritual lives.

Thus, exactly as in His previous parable, this tree represents the life of those who profess to believe in God.  God has chosen us to be His people, planted us as treasured trees in His garden.  The Lord has provided us with nourishment for the body, and most important, nourishment for our souls in His Word.  So, whenever He comes to us looking for faith, He expects to find it—even at an inconvenient time.  However, if the fruit of faith—that is trusting in Jesus as our Savior—is not found in us, He will say to His Son who is given authority to judge, “I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and I have found none.  Cut it down.” (Luke 13:7)

The next morning, as Jesus and the disciples passed by on their way to the temple, “they saw the fig tree withered down to the roots.  Peter remembered and said, “Rabbi, look!  The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”  Jesus replied, “Have faith in God.”  The evidence of judgment was right there plainly in front of them, but the answer?  “Have faith in God.”  That is the point of Jesus’ vivid example; it is faith that saves us.  Faith gives life.  Faith in Jesus produces fruit in us.  Remember, He has told us, “I am the Vine; you are the branches.  The one who remains in me and I in him is the one who bears much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

The withered fig tree shows us the power of Jesus’ faith.  Now, some will likely scoff at that because obviously God’s Son would believe in His heavenly Father, but Jesus was living on earth in human flesh for you and me.  Therefore, in contrast to our often weak faith, Jesus lived in perfect trust and obedience to all His Father wills.  There was never a moment when Jesus had doubts, or a lack of trust in what God wanted from Him.  Jesus was showing us the way—actually, He was living the way of faith for us.

Furthermore, Jesus was promising what He often taught, that God hears the prayers of those who trust in Him and answers those prayers.  He told His disciples, “The one who believes in me will do the works that I am doing.  And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.  I will do whatever you ask in my name so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:12-13)  Always seeking to glorify His Father in heaven, Jesus will answer our prayers.  Naturally, those answers are always for our benefit, so if we desire or ask for something not in accord with God’s will, Jesus will give us something that is in line with perfect righteousness.

True faith trusts God completely without doubt.  Jesus tells us, “Therefore I tell you, everything that you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”  True faith believes in God and trusts that however God answers our prayers, it is the good and perfect answer to what we need.  That idea is totally at odds to our sinful nature, but perfectly in line with Jesus.

A troubled father once brought his young, demon-afflicted son to Jesus requesting, “But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”  “If you can?!” Jesus said to him. “All things are possible for the one who believes.”  The child’s father immediately cried out and said with tears, “I do believe.  Help me with my unbelief!” (Mark 9:22-24)  This is how the faithful come to the Lord in prayer, not unsure or wondering whether God can or will help, but pleading for His mercy and begging for stronger faith to believe.  Jesus immediately healed that young boy.  He answers our prayers so well that we are promised, “The prayer of a righteous person [that is, someone who trusts in Jesus] is able to do much because it is effective.” (James 5:16)

True faith also forgives.  Jesus told His disciples, “Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”  Our Father in heaven has so richly forgiven all our sins for Jesus’ sake.  The first statement to roll out of Jesus’ mouth when being nailed to the cross was, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)  When we come under the shelter of Jesus’ righteousness by faith, we also come under His mercy, and His kindness.  How could we be part of our God and Savior, who willingly died for the sins of the whole world, and yet hold on to grudges and hurts?  How might we dare to withhold forgiveness from someone God the Father has already counted innocent for Jesus’ sake?

I am sure we all can admit to times we didn’t want to forgive, times when the hurts inflicted upon us feel so deep and painful that we can’t get them out of our minds.  Yet, the forgiveness we offer to those who hurt us also helps to heal our hurts.  Though mankind had rebelled against God, He refused to be forever offended.  Instead, He offered up Himself to bear in our place the punishment we deserved for our guilt. 

Ultimately, that is the story of Lent: that God has given Himself so that we might be reconciled with Him, and He invites us to recognize our unrighteousness and the total depravity of our nature, while He opens His arms on a cross to die for us, and then invites us to come to Him for forgiveness, peace, healing, love, and life everlasting.  Having brought us to peace and safety by faith in Jesus, God welcomes us back into His kingdom, invites us to partake of the miracle of faith, and promises that just as Jesus is righteous in every way, so too we will be when He gathers us from this earth and takes us home to heaven.

Dear friends, as you walk with Jesus to a fig tree and ultimately to the cross this Lenten season, “Have faith in God.”  When you pray, trust that your sins are forgiven and God desires to answer your prayers with whatever is best for you, for “As distant as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our rebellious acts from us.  As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” (Psalms 103:12-13)  Heaven awaits you on your last day, for having been washed clean in the water and Word of Baptism, and being reconciled to God by faith, your sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake.  To teach us, His final steps led to a fig tree.  Amen.

How blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, everyone who is walking in his ways.  Amen.