July 25

I was reading the story where Jesus curses the fig tree.

Mark 11:12-14 and 11:20-25^[2]

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.

In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “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. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

What I took away from this passage is that Jesus believed that the fig tree represented something more than just a tree without fruit. It resembled the attitudes of the people in the city below. He did not like that people lived their lives without the real fruit of the Spirit. They lived and judged others based on their outward appearance, rather than their important traits of character. In the Jewish temples, people were coming to be seen by others as religious and active in their temple, rather than coming to renew their faith. He later drives out the evil lurking inside of the temple by turning over tables and yelling at several greedy people including money changers and salesmen. He thought it was irreverent to exchange money in God's house.

The main point of this passage is to bear fruit on the inside through faith.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.