The Withered Fig Tree

Matthew 21:17-20

This is a miracle and a parable.
Jesus uses this parable to give his disciples and us an object lesson.
Whatever Jesus does and says, we should regard with deepest reverence.
Our deep desire should be to learn as much as we can from our Lord Jesus.

We see great mysteries in the simple actions of Jesus and find profound teaching in His plain words.
When He speaks or acts, we are like Moses and the burning bush, and feel that we are
truly standing on holy ground.

In our Scripture passage Jesus is teaching His disciples of the impending doom of Jerusalem.
The reception given Him in Jerusalem was full of promise, but it would come to nothing.
Their loud hosannas would change to, "Crucify Him!"

Jesus used this fig tree as a fine object lesson, and He took His disciples to see
if there were figs on the tree as well as leaves.
When He found none, He commanded the fig tree to remain forever fruitless,
and immediately it began to wither.

The Jewish nation had made great promises to God.
When all the other nations were like trees without leaves, making no profession of allegiance
to the true God, the Jewish nation was covered with leaves of abundant religious profession.
Scribes, pharisees, priests and elders of the people were sticklers for the letter of the law
and boasted of being worshipers of the one God.

They were like a fig tree in full leaf.
But there was no fruit upon them; for the people were neither holy, nor just, nor true,
nor faithful towards God, nor loving to their neighbor.
The Jewish church was a mass of glittering profession, unsupported by a spiritual life.
Our Lord had looked into the Temple, and had found the house of prayer to be a den of thieves.
So, He condemned the Jewish church to remain a lifeless, fruitless thing.
And it was so.

The synagogue remained open, but its teaching was only a dead form of religion.
Israel had no influence upon the age.
The Jewish race became, for centuries, a withered tree.
It had nothing but profession when Jesus came, and that profession proved powerless
to save even the Holy city.

Christ did not destroy the religious organization of the Jews.
He left them as they were, but they withered away from the root, until the Romans came,
and with the weapons of their legions came and cleared away the fruitless trunk.

What a tremendous lesson this is for every nation!
What a tremendous lesson this is for every church!

We should tremble, if, having a profession of godliness, that we wear it conspicuously,
and yet lack the fruit-bearing which alone can warrant such a profession.
A profession of Christianity without a Christian life backing it is a lie.

In our world there are many cases of fruitless profession.

That are those who excel their fellow men.
Their promises are very loud, and their appearance is very impressive.
They look like fruitful trees.
You would expect many baskets of the best figs from them.
They impress you by their talk, and they overpower you by their manners.

Such a person strong in faith, even to presumption; he is joyous and hope, even to levity.
He is loving in the spirit, even to utter indifference about truth.
He is so glib in his talk.
He is deep in theological speculation.
He is fervent in urging every pilgrim to move forward.
Yet, he has never entered the kingdom of God by the new birth.
He has never been taught by God.

We have known men and women among us who are such persons.
Their lives deny what their lips profess.

Such people seem to defy the seasons.
It was not the time of figs, yet this fig tree covered with leaves which usually meant
that there would be ripe figs upon the tree.
The fig tree put forth its fruit before its leaves.

So when a fig tree is covered with leaves, you would expect to find figs upon it.
If you do not find figs, then it will not bear figs for that season.

This tree put forth leaves abundantly before its season, and so it excelled all other fig trees.
It was true that it was beautiful with leaves all over it, but it was a freak of nature,
and not a healthy result of true growth.

Also, notice that they bypass the ordinary rule of growth.
Remember, the rule is first the fig, and afterwards, the fig leaves,

We have known people people who made a profession of faith with their lips
before they have been born again.
They attend a revival meeting and see that others come and see their friends go forward,
and it is an emotional event and a persuasive preacher.
Then such a convert is quickly put to work -- teaching.

Such a person is like a builder who says, "It is all nonsense to spend labor and material
on anything underground and out of sight.
Foundations are never seen, and I can put up a house in no time;
four walls and a roof will not take long."

True, it will go up fast, but how long will such a house last?
If you leave out the foundation, you might as well not even build the house.

There seems to be a tendency in these days when men are either skeptical or fanatical.
They cultivate a mushroom godliness which comes up in a night and perishes in a night.
It is disastrous when conviction of sin is slighted, and if repentance is neglected,
and if faith is imitated, and if the new birth is only counterfeit, and if godliness is faked.

This will not cut it!
This will not work!
We must have figs before the leaves, and we must have the new birth before profession.
We must have faith before baptism and union to Christ before union with the church.
A person cannot omit the processes of grace, lest their leaves without fruit becomes a curse without a cure.

These people usually catch the eyes of others.
According to Mark, our Lord saw this tree "afar off."

The other trees did not have leaves, so consequently, when Jesus began to go up the hill
towards Jerusalem, He saw this one tree a long way off before He reached it.
A fig tree dressed with its lovely green leaves would be a striking object to see.

People whose religion is false are frequently prominent because they have not grace enough to be modest.
They seek the highest honors, and literally push themselves into leadership.
They have little concern about private godliness, and so they are all the more eager to be seen of men.
This is both their weakness and their danger.
They covet the wear and tear of publicity, and are therefore watched by a lot of people.

This is the evil of the entire matter; for it makes their spiritual failure to be known by so many,
and their sin brings all the greater dishonor upon the name of the Lord whom they profess to serve.

Whenever we see anyone standing out prominently, and making a bold profession,
what should we think about them?
We must not judge them!
We cannot fall into a habit of mistrust.

Our Lord did not stand at a distance, and say, "That tree is worthless."
Oh! No!
He went up to it, and carefully inspected it.
It is possible that these bold, professing prominent people may be wonders of divine grace,
and let us hope and pray that they are.
Let us pray that the Lord and His love will be magnified in them.

God has His fig trees that bear figs in winter.
God has His saints filled with good works, and who are excited and zealous even when others are cold.
The Lord can make young man mature, and new converts useful.
The Lord can give great grace, so as to make spiritual growth rapid and yet solid.
He does this so often that we have no right to doubt about a prominent brother or sister
as one of these growths of God's grace.
Unless we are forced to see with bitter regret that there are no marks of grace,
no evidences of faith, let us pray for the best, and be happy at the sight of God's grace.

If we are inclined to be suspicious, let us turn the point of this sword toward ourselves.
Self suspicion is healthy.
Suspicion of others may be cruel and unjust, and we are not judges.

Where those who are prominent turn out to be all they profess to be, they are a great blessing.
It would have been well if that morning there had been figs upon that fig tree.
It would have been a great refreshment to the Savior if he could have been fed by that fruit.
May God help us and not to be devoid of the fruit that God expects of us.

Then we need to remember that these will be inspected by King Jesus.

When Jesus comes near, and when He comes He will look for fruit.
He searches our character through and through, to see whether there is any real faith,
any true love, any living hope, any joy which is the fruit of the Spirit, any patience,
any self-denial, any fervor in prayer, any walking with God, any indwelling of the Holy Spirit;
any compassion for the lost.
And if, He does not see these things, He is not pleased.

Without a genuine profession of faith, He is not satisfied with our church-going,
our prayer meetings, our lip service, etc.; for all these may be nothing more than leaves.
If our Lord does not see the fruit of the Spirit upon us, He is not satisfied with us,
and His inspection will lead to severe measures.
Notice that what Jesus looks for is not our words, not our resolutions, and not our vows.
He is looking for the sincerity of our motives, our inward faith, our being wrought
by the Spirit of God to bring forth fruit fit for the child of God.

Our Lord has a right to expect fruit when He looks for it.
When He went up to that fig tree, He had a right to expect fruit because the fruit,
according to nature comes before the leaves.
If, then, the leaves were there, the fruit should have been there.
This tree, by putting forth leaves, which are the signs of ripe figs advertised itself as bearing fruit.
Christ certainly expects to find fruit from those who are His own.

He looks for fruit from the preacher, from the Sunday school teacher, from the leadership of the church,
from deacons, from Christian parents, from Christian young people, and from all
who have been saved by His grace.
As our Savior, and our Lord, He has a right to expect great things from those
who claim to be His faithful followers.
That fact should cause us to tremble!

Fruit is what the Lord desires to find in us.

When Jesus came to the fig tree, He did not desire leaves.
For we read that He hungered and His hunger would not be satisfied by the leaves of a fig tree.
He desired to eat a fig or two.
And He desires to have fruit from us also.

He hungers for our holiness.
He longs that His joy may be in us, and that our joy may be full.
He comes to each one of us, and He looks to see in us the things in which His soul is pleased.
He desires to see in us our love for Him and our love for others.
He expects from us actions according to the law of God, and if He does not see these fruits,
we rob Him of what He has a right to expect from us.

He died to make His people holy.
He gave himself on the cross that He might sanctify unto Himself a people zealous for good works.
What does the bloody sweat and the five wounds of the cross and the agony of death mean?
It means that we have been bought with a price.

And we rob Him of His joy if we do not glorify Him.
So, God is grieved at our conduct if we do not show forth His praises by our godly and zealous lives.

We also notice that when Christ comes to a soul, He searches it with keen discernment.
He is not mocked.
It is not possible to deceive Him.
He knows the fruit of the Spirit in whatever stage it may be.
He never mistakes fluent expression for genuine possession.
He never mistakes mere emotion for real grace.

Christians, we can expect to find the loving grace of Jesus as He comes to deal with us.
Our fellow-men are quick in their judgments, and very critical, but Jesus will give us a righteous sentence.
He knows just where we are, and what we are.
He judges not by appearances, but according to truth.

Christians, our prayer to our Father in heaven should be:
"Dear Jesus, come and cast Thy searching eyes upon me,
and judge whether I am living for Thee or not.
Please give me the ability to see myself as You see me, that I may have my errors corrected,
and my graces nourished.
Dear Lord, make me be what I profess to be.
And if I am not so already, convince me of my false state, and began a true work in my soul.
Help me to be right in Your sight and assure me of Your guidance and I will rejoice in You
as the God of my salvation."

Now let us consider the result of the coming of Christ to the forward,
but fruitless professor for it will be very terrible.

The searcher of our souls finds nothing but leaves where fruit might have been expected.
Nothing but leaves means nothing but lies.
If I profess faith, and have no faith, that is a lie.
If I profess repentance, and have no repentance, that is a lie.
If I unite with the people of the living God, and yet have no fear of God in my heart, that is a lie.
If I come to the Lord's Supper table and partake of the bread and the wine,
and yet never discern the Lord's body, that is a lie
if there is nothing but leaves, there is nothing but lies, and the Savior sees that it is so.

Someone has said that profession without grace is the funeral procession of a dead soul.
Religion without holiness is the light that comes from rotten wood.
If we have but a name to live, and are dead, what a state of corruption we are in.
It is the corruption of corruption.
If we remain unconverted, of what use can it be to have my name written among the godly?

Our Lord discovered that there was no fruit, and that was a dreadful thing.
So therefore, He condemned the tree.

It was His right to condemn it.
He cursed the tree that was already a curse.
It was calculated to tantalize the hungry, and take them out of their way to deceive them.
God will not have the poor and hungry teased and tantalized.
An empty profession is a practical curse, and it rightly deserves to be censured of the Lord.

The tree was of no use as it was, and it gave no one any refreshment.
So the barren professor occupies a position in which he ought to be a blessing,
but, in truth, an evil influence streams forth from him.

Our Lord did use the fig tree to a good purpose, when He caused it to wither away.
It became a warning to all who put forth vain pretenses.
So, when the ungodly, who has exhibited a flourishing profession, is allowed to fade away,
the world is compelled to see the peril of a false profession.

When Jesus had condemned the fig tree, He pronounced sentence upon it.
The sentence was simply, "as you were."
It was in reality a confirmation of its state.
This tree bore no fruit, and it never shall bear fruit.

If a person chooses to be without the grace of God, and yet falsely professes to have it,
it is only just that the great Judge should say, "Continue without grace."
When the great Judge at last shall speak to those who depart from God,
He will simply say to them, "Depart!"

I pray that the Lord Jesus will never have to sentence any who are here in this way.
I pray that He may work in all of us His marvelous grace, and pray that all who are here
may truly be born again by the grace of God.

And then finally, we notice there came a change over the tree.
At once, it began to wither.
On the next morning, when Jesus and His disciples passed by that tree, according to Mark,
it had dried up from the roots.
No axe was used upon it.
No fire used it for kindling wood.
It was just a word from the Lord that did it.
And the tree withered from the root.

So without a thunderbolt or pestilence, the once brave professor is stricken with judgment.

No one can say, "This is unfair!"
It is not unfair for the Lord to expect us to be true followers of Him whom we profess.
Our Lord is love and tenderness and marvelous grace.
He does not wish that we would wither and decay.
He does not desire that our soul should live in corruption and death.
He will not tolerate the hypocrite.
He expects that we will be true to what we profess.

It would greatly please our Lord God to hear those who would bow humbly at His feet and pray:
"Dear Lord, if anything in this solemn truth applies to me, I pray that You would apply
to my that to my conscience that I may feel its power, and rush to You for salvation."

Many have come to Christ in this way.
Some have had these honest truths drive them from false refuges,
and has brought them to be true to Jesus Christ and to hide themselves holy in Him
as their Savior and Lord.

May each one of us here cry out to the Lord to make us conscious of our natural barrenness.
May the Lord cause us to mourn our comparative barrenness, even if we do bear some fruit.
To feel satisfied with ourselves is perilous.
To feel that we are holy -- good enough or too good -- is on the brink of the pit of pride.

It would be much better to pray: "Lord, I do serve You, and I am no deceiver.
I do love You.
Your precious Spirit lives in me, but I am not what I ought to be.
Help me to bear the fruit of the Spirit so it would please You."

It just possible that there are those here who can even pray this.
In all honesty, they can cry out: "Lord, I am so dry, and dead, and barren,
please take the sticks of my life and make them bud and blossom and bear fruit for You."

And then there are those here who earnestly need to pray, "God, be merciful to me a sinner."

Sermon adapted from several sources by Dr. Harold L. White.