Scripture: Mark 11:12-14, 20-22; Jonah 1:17; Mark 6:38-44; John 2:1-11
Theme: Obedience – Working With God
Title: A Tree, A Fish, Some Bread and Water
Mark 11:12-14; 20-22
12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he (Jesus) was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
What a joy it is to be with you this morning.
I want to talk to you today about the subject of obedience – especially obedience in working with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
I want to start with a rather strange passage in the Bible – we find it in Mark 11:12-14; 20-21. It takes place as Jesus is going up to celebrate Passover for the final time before His arrest, trial, crucifixion, death and resurrection.
As he and his disciples are walking along the road they come upon this fig tree. There is nothing odd about the fig tree. It looks like one of the hundreds of fig trees that you would find anywhere in Israel at that time.
That is not where the story gets a little strange. What is strange is that Jesus goes up to the fig tree to get a fig. And again, that is not a strange thing to do. Fig trees produce figs just like apple trees produce apples and lemon trees produce lemons.
But this fig tree didn’t have any figs on it. And again, not something strange at that time of the year. It was not time for fig trees to have figs. It was out of season.
What is rather strange is Jesus’ reaction to this tree. He looks at it and seeing no figs proceeds to be rather upset and then does something that seems unfair in that Jesus curses the tree. He pronounces judgement upon the tree and the next time that the disciples come by the tree they are at first amazed for the tree has in fact died (withered to its roots).
What? Why?
Why was Jesus so upset that this tree didn’t have fruit when by all accounts according to nature it should not have any fruit?
Was Jesus merely throwing a temper tantrum.
Was Jesus expecting too much?
Was Jesus being cruel?
Looking at this passage in only the natural, may in fact cause us to think that way. It may cause us to wonder what is wrong with Jesus. I mean to expect a tree to produce fruit out of season seems a little odd or out of place. And then to be so upset with the tree that you curse it to die sounds rather harsh doesn’t it.
So, what do we make of all of this?
One of the best ways to understand Scripture is to do a few important things:
1. Read it – Read it over and over and perhaps if they are available to read the passage in a couple of different versions.
2. Study it – Be Still and allow your heart and mind to be under the direction and will of God’s Holy Spirit. After all the Holy Spirit was the one who inspired the words to be written down, so we need the Holy Spirit to understand what scripture means.
3. Put it into the full context of the Bible – look and see if there are other scriptures that can help us understand what is exactly going on.
If we do all of that when we look into our passage I believe we can find some wonderful truths that will not only help us understand this passage but can also help us live a better life in Christ.
What is going on with this tree is vitally important.
The question we must ask is not if the tree is in season but why did the tree refuse the wishes of the One who made it in the first place.
John 1:1-3 tells us that in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Hiim nothing was made that was made.
What that means is when Jesus stood in front of this tree, as Maker of all and as the Word, the Son of God and the Anointed One, He expected the tree to obey Him. The tree already possessed the ability to have figs. It had produced figs in the past and in front of Jesus, it’s maker it was expected to bring forth figs.
Now, let that sink into your heart and mind for a bit.
And as you are allowing it to sink down into your heart and mind let’s take a little journey through some other passages and hopefully you will see what I mean.
I. The Fish – Jonah 1:17
17 [a] And the Lord appointed[b] a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
We all have no doubt heard or read the story of the Great Fish and Jonah. But have you ever really thought about that Great Fish.
+It swallowed Jonah but did not consume Jonah.
+It became Jonah’s safe haven, his spiritual retreat place and a place where he was able to reflect, repent and be recharged.
It’s not common for big fish to eat something and not consume it. It is also not common for big fish to be able to keep a man alive in it for three days and nights. And it is not common for a fish to be the means by which Jonah gets a chance to still fulfill his mission.
But all of that happens because that is what God asked and expected of the fish. It obeyed God and was used in amazing ways.
It’s actually a small representation of what all churches and church ministries should be able to do – to help some find their way without devouring them, to help someone have a safe space to reflect, repent and be recharged before they leave.
Got that one – let’s go to another example.
2) The bread – Mark 6:38-44
38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
Jesus is need of something to feed the 5,000 people that have spent the day listening to him preach and teach. That need included the need for some bread – the staple food of the time.
Bread – not the whimsy white bread that lines our shelves today and turns into a wadded mess of whatever in our mouths and in our stomachs. But real bread – bread made of grain and that has real substance and weight. Bread that brings needed nutrients, energy and life.
Jesus takes the bread given to him by a little boy and that bread in his hands is not only broken but allows itself to be multiplied thousands of times over and over again.
It is not just Jesus creating bread but co-working with the bread at his disposal and that bread allowing itself to be multiplied over and over again. This is not simple manna from heaven but the co-operation between created bread and Jesus.
St. Paul would later write these words in Ephesians 3:20-21
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
What Paul points out is what Jesus and those simple pieces of bread were able to do. They were able to exceedingly abundantly above all meet the needs of those that were there that day with Jesus.
Every church no matter how large it is or how small it is has this worry – we never seem to have enough. We don’t have enough people to do the work of the ministry, we don’t have enough resources to pay the bills and we don’t have enough to do this or that….
But we do if we will allow Jesus to take what we give him and what we give him is our best just like this little lad did that day and through it co-operating with Jesus not only will our needs be meet they will in turn be able to meet the needs of others.
Just a few miles from here on Tuesday is a food pantry that is run by a very small church with very limited resources. In spite of their limitations they had a dream to help feed families.
At first, they were only feeding 20 – 30 families a week, providing a simple box of food. With God’s help and blessing three years later they are networking with the Federal Government, the State Government, local grocery stores and bread stores along with local farmers and more to provide enough food to feed 110 families and more each week through giving out a box of food along with bags of frozen food and more.
The age of those people ranges from those in their 70’s to early 90’s. But like this bread in our story, they have committed themselves to co-work with God and create miracles.
When Jesus came to them they responded like Jonah’s fish and like the little boy’s bread – they gave themselves over to Jesus and miracles happened.
One more story
3. The water – John 2:1-11
On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.[a] 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
One of the greatest stories in the Bible is the day that Jesus provided over 150 gallons of wine for a wedding party. I mean talk about providing enough drink for a group of people to really have a great time. But then again the Good God of Creation, Jesus the Son of God did not come to condemn the world but that through Him the world would be rescued, redeemed and restored.
While Jesus was on the earth He not only taught about the Kingdom of God, the need to be forgiven and Born Again but He brought so much joy and victory into people’s lives. Think for a moment how much joy was experienced each time someone was freed from a demon, had their sight restored, their hearing restored or some sickness taken away.
Who doesn’t rejoice when they come through a time of sickness and pain. Who doesn’t rejoice when the pains of depression and sorrow are wiped away.
Jesus brought life. Jesus brought healing. Jesus brought wholeness. Jesus brought hope. Jesus brought New Life.
And here Jesus asked water to do something water usually does not do on its own.
Usually, water works with grape plants giving them water and allowing them to grow and through their grape nature grow grapes.
However, since water can through the help of grape plants make grapes which can then be used to make wine, water can in working with Jesus make wine.
Or at least the water in those water jars decided they could. They would try to do the impossible. To skip the process of going through a grape plant and become something greater than just water.
Jesus didn’t just wave his hand and suddenly out of thin air – wine appeared in those jars.
No, Jesus had the jars filled with water and in His presence the water became wine – life giving, joy giving, celebration giving wine.
So, let’s see –
The Fish becomes a safe haven, a place of retreat and a place where Jonah can repent, be refreshed and restored. Ready to go out and do what God has called him to do.
Sounds like we need some Jonah fish churches and ministries.
The bread although small in number allow themselves to be broken by Jesus and become the very means that thousands of people physical, emotional and spiritual needs are meet.
Sounds like we need some Bread churches and ministries.
The water even though it could say it can only be a part of a bigger process in the presence of Jesus does the impossible. It becomes not just water but wine that brings so much joy and celebration.
Sounds like we need some Water to Wine Churches and ministries.
What we don’t need are some Fig Tree churches and ministries. At least not like the Fig Tree we have read about in Mark chapter 11.
Fig trees that don’t even give an effort. Fig trees that want to hide behind the natural and say even to Jesus it is not our season. We can’t do it right now. We refuse to even try. Come back at another time when we decide that we want to give you some figs.
That tree missed a miracle. It missed being a miracle to those that would have walked by it on the way to Passover.
Think about it, here would have been this tree amongst all the other fig trees going up to Jerusalem only it would have been filled with fig after fig. It would have been become a wonderful story of something God was doing anew in the land of Israel.
People would have been inspired and challenged that Passover to believe in the impossible. They would have shared the story of how in the wrong season this fig tree was doing the impossible.
But it stood up against its Creator. It refused to meet Jesus’ needs.
And sadly as a result it was put under judgment and in a few hours was not only dead but withered down to its roots.
Now, it would serve as a sign but not the sign of New Life and Vitality but the sign of decay and death.
Sadly, all across our land we see Fig Tree churches. Churches that once had life. Churches that at one time were filled with life.
But some out of disobedience decided that they would no longer be
+Places of safe haven for those who needed a place to repent and be restored.
+Places that could be broken so that from their brokenness Jesus could use them to meet the needs of others.
+Places that dared to be more than what they could be so that they could bring joy, restoration and celebration to the lives of others.
And so, they never practiced restoration ministries, never allowed God to break them so that they could hold them and help them multiply and never dared to be more than what they thought they could be.
They decided to be like the Fig Tree – God we will do what we want to and in our right season we will listen to you, serve you and be what others expect of us. Just a normal church. Just a regular church.
Jesus today is looking for Fig Trees to join the ranks of Jonah fish, bread from a little boy’s lunch and water that was put in some stone water pots. He is looking for people to work with Him to do what looks like the impossible but to Jesus – its just the work of a carpenter – creating, repairing, restoring and making all things new.
As we close, let’s be determined to never go the way of the Fig Tree.
Remember:
In his young age Samuel walked with God.
In his youth David fought giants with God’s Help.
As young adults the Three Hebrew Children stood true and faithful.
Hannah, Sarah and Elizabeth all allowed God to do the impossible and all four brought mighty people of God into the world.
Full of white hair, more than likely dealing with arthritis, weakened eyes and with a face full of wrinkled character Daniel was still a man of great prayer, Anna was a woman serving God in the temple and Simeon was everyday getting up and coming to the Temple to meet the Messiah.
None of them Fig Tree Christians – but all men and women who allowed God to work with them, through them and experienced the goodness and greatness of God.
That is my hope for all of us this morning and it is my prayer that they finally write our story it will be one that looks more like the Great Fish, the small pieces of bread and the water in the waterpots that become wine than that of a fig tree in the presence of Jesus choose not to try to produce fruit. It didn’t even try.
Let us pray –
Closing Song/Open time for Prayer
