“The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again.’ And his disciples heard him say it.” (Mark 11:12-14)

What did Jesus do on Monday of Holy Week? He cursed a fig tree. Now at first glimpse this really doesn’t look good for Jesus, does it? He curses a fig tree for not having fruit- and one out of season?? Really?

Apparently, as I understand it, Middle Eastern fig trees bore two kinds of fruit. In the spring when the leaves were just beginning, the branches bore these little nodules before the figs came and these nodules were quite delicious. If a tree had begun to sprout leaves but had no nodules on it, you’d know that something was wrong with it- either diseased or dying inside.

What’s Jesus doing? He’s providing a little object lesson. The fig tree was not doing its appointed job. It wasn’t bearing fruit.

What about us? On the outside the tree looked fine, but something was definitely wrong inside. Perhaps we, too, can look good on the outside, appear to be doing all the right things, but God looks at the heart. We can do all the right outward things but if it isn’t coming from the right heart, it’s not God-pleasing. What disease is residing in your heart? Anger, resentment, pride, fear, worry?

Jesus cursed the fig tree, but He didn’t curse us! He could have, but rather, He took God’s curse when later that week He died on the cross. He did so to give you a new heart – a heart transformed by the gracious love of God. With a new, cleansed, redeemed, forgiven heart we now live from the inside out healed from the dreaded disease of sin.

Live transformed from the inside out by the gracious love of your Savior!

Thankful for a clean heart from God, just like you,

pastor