THE FIGFUL CHRISTIAN:
Mark 11
We see our Lord Jesus coming to the end of his earthly ministry; the last mile of his journey; about to perform his last miracle.
He is on his way to Jerusalem also known as the House of Fullness coming from Bethany, the House of Figs.
At this time of the year; fig trees get ready to bring forth their fruit and going by the seasonality, in about a month’s time, the fig trees would be laden with fruit. However, there is one unique aspect which makes the fig tree very different from other trees. The tree first brings forth fruit and only then the leaves appear.
We read that while Jesus is ‘afar off’ one particular fig tree on the wayside catches his attention. Its rich, green foliage makes it an arresting spectacle. It stands out from all other fig trees which remain bare branches. Truly, this particular tree holds a promise of plenty. Nature’s own neon-lit sign flashes attractively: PRE-SEASON OFFER! FRESH FIGS FOR FREE!
Jesus, hungry for what the tree promises approaches with anticipation….and to his great dismay finds the tree - FIG LESS! And then to the great astonishment of his disciples, Jesus does something unusual: He Curses the Fig Tree – henceforth you shall bear no fruit at all! …and they continue their journey to Jerusalem.
Principle I:
It is not the color of your coat but the fabric that counts!
Like the Fig Tree, all of us need to have good coats on. We should look good even from afar off, make a positive impression and announce: I am here people! Different from the crowd! Do you see me! An object of attention; attraction; admiration; appreciation; there used to be a very popular tagline of the Onida TV Ad: Neighbor’s envy; owner’s pride!
You and I can put on the coats of charm, education, job, social status, church involvement and so on. A high Fig Leaf Quotient. Likewise a church can showcase her hoary history, her wall of fame of renowned pastors, pews and projects there’s nothing wrong with the lush leaves. In fact, one can wish for no better.
Jesus doesn’t curse the tree because of its pretty leaves. In fact, that’s what draws him towards it. What he cursed was its putting on a show of fruitfulness when in reality it had none. Because of its deception Our Lord, the Giver of Life; takes away from it the most precious gift of all, the gift of life.
That’s what happened to Israel, God’s chosen people personified by the Pharisee we meet in the New Testament – a whitened sepulcher – beautiful on the outside; dead and decaying inside. More Woes are pronounced on the Pharisees than on any other – such is the Lord’s response to those who claim a name but truly a shame to Him. And that’s what will happen to any church, or any Christian, who outwardly appears Good and Godly but inwardly hollow and hypocritical.
Ananias and Sapphira wore the coats of charity and generosity; the rich young ruler wore the coat of conformity and religiosity; the elder brother of the Prodigal wore the coat loyalty and dependability. They looked so good to the world. What happens when God parts the leaves? The Truth is exposed. You are shut out of his kingdom.
In the Garden of Eden, we see Adam and Eve hurriedly putting on a coat of…….piety and duplicity.
In Genesis 3:7, after Adam and Eve had sinned, "… the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves coats."
The problem is that so many of us remain Fig Leaf Christians unmindful that the Lord may stop by and take a look.
In reality, who are we really? Are we hiding our nakedness and fruitlessness behind our pretty leaves?
By substituting man’s coat of fig leaves with a coat of skins, God teaches a valuable lesson. The coat that really counts must come out of sacrifice; out of a shedding of blood. It must cost you something precious and valuable in His sight to be acceptable. This is the foundation of Christ’s Values.
Your outward life must be a reflection of your inward life. For a fruit to come alive, a seed must die. Unless you die to yourself, you cannot live for Christ. If you are not willing to lose yourself for his sake; you will not find yourself in Him.
If there is no Price there is no Value.
Price may be your ego; your willingness to confess your unworthiness; hollowness; obsession with self; unwillingness to step out for Him and live for Him. He emptied himself; made himself nothing and was obedient unto death even to the Cross!
What is the Price you and I are willing to pay?
Principle II:
Your Knee Bends to what Your Heart Bends:
After cursing the fig tree, Jesus reaches Jerusalem and heads straight for the temple, his Father’s House. Instead of finding God being worshiped reverentially, he finds the temple overrun by a corrupt and commercially driven system with traders and money changers occupying center-stage. God is nowhere to be seen. The House of Prayer has become a Den of Thieves.
As a 12 year old; Jesus describes that the temple is his Father’s House and that He is about His Father’s Business. The message is clear. In the Father’s House, you should be about your Father’s Business. Period. In 1 Cor 3:16 it is made clear that you and I are the temple of the living God – God lives in you. Question is, whose business are you going about?
If you are in God and God is in you; your heart is filled with God and you become God’s House. Your conversation in this House is seen in Prayer. You therefore become a House of Prayer. When you allow the things of the world to take God’s place; you are no longer carrying out your Father’s Business but Your Business; you make this house a den of thieves – thieves in the form of greed, corruption, lying, deceiving, cheating, backbiting, world loving – thieves who steal, kill and destroy the things of God in your life making your life barren, worldly and an abomination unto the Lord.
Eli and his sons paid scant regard to the sanctity of the temple in Shiloh but Samuel even as a little boy was faithful to the Lord. He wore a tunic just like the priest, swept the floor and kept the lamps burning. Eli and his sons, Hophni and Phineas met an ignoble end; they were pompous and presumptuous making the glory of the Lord depart from the temple. God raised Samuel as one of Israel’s mightiest prophets.
Where your treasure is; your heart is.
Your Heart is the Dwelling Place of the Living God. When you guard your heart; you guard your temple. Joseph in Potiphar’s house guarded his integrity and purity; Ruth guarded the lineage and loyalty of the family she married into; Esther guarded the safety and security of her people – each one putting God above self. This is faithfulness. It is this faithfulness that leads to fruitfulness. Unless you abide in Me you can produce no fruit. Col 3:3 – set your hearts on things above; not on things of the world.
Your Value is determined by what you Value.
Principle III:
As your Faith; so your Mountain.
After the fig tree was “found out and cursed”, the disciples were amazed at how fast it died. Jesus’ response to the disciples is strange: Have Faith in God!
Let’s understand what this means. First, faith may not always change the outer circumstances of life, but it always changes the inner landscape of life.
In 2 Cor: 5, "We walk by faith, not by sight."
Faith enlarges the possibilities of life. Faith brings God directly into the situation.
In Algebra, when you bring in or change one variable in the equation, you change the result. When you bring God, the Creator into any situation, entire creation trembles and obeys. For He is El Shaddai – Almighty God, God of the Mountain – El Elyon – Possessor of Heaven and Earth.
Whenever we relate God to a Mountain, we witness a moving experience. Amazing outcomes. Isaac on Mount Moriah; Moses on Mount Sinai; Jesus on Mount Calvary. What seems impossible to Man is made possible with God on the Mountain.
Faith will connect us to the God of the Mountain. And your Faith and my Faith unleashes God’s power
To bring about extraordinary changes.
Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, "Go, throw yourself into the sea," and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them (Mk.11:23).
God instructs you and me to Speak with faith to the mountain ahead.
We often talk about, describe, worry over and pray about our mountains. But Jesus teaches us an extraordinarily simple act of faith: Talk to your mountain!
When David faced his mountain, Goliath, he did not tremble or fall on his knees. He spoke.
Peter and John at the gate of the temple meet the lame man: In the name of Jesus Christ – stand up and walk!
If you speak words of faith, not in your own authority, but in the authority of the Son of the Living God, then all the forces of heaven come to attention. The unseen armies of the unseen, Most High God will stand behind you. And no power can stand before our God. Your problems are not going to steal your destiny.
Zerubbabel was the head of the tribe of Judah during the time of the return from the Babylonian exile. He was charged with rebuilding the Temple. Everything had come against him.
People tried to stop him.
Zechariah 4:6-10,
So he (the angel) said to me, "This is the Word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty. What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'Grace to it! Grace to it! => Favor of God is with me!
Zerubbabel had the favor of God. Like David, he had the grace of God. The power of the Most High God will remove your mountain, if you have the right attitude. God's power will get you to where you ought to be. And, no obstacle can keep you from your destiny.
Faith positions you to receive God's favor. When you speak to the mountain, God will do for you what he did for Zerubbabel. You will become everything God has created you to be.
The one word you speak is like a Mustard Seed; Just one word; just one seed – it is little; but living – and life giving – when God puts it on one scale of the Balance of Faith; you will find that it can move even a Mountain on the other scale.
Your True Value is in what God Sees in you; not what Man Says.
