"12 The next day as Jesus was leaving Bethany, he became hungry. 13 Seeing a fig tree in leaf from far away, he went to see if it had any figs on it. But he found no figs, only leaves, because it was not the right season for figs. 14 So Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And Jesus’ followers heard him say this." ~ Mark 11:12-14
As we come back to our study of Mark 11, we notice that it was Tuesday morning and the Lord Jesus was on His way back to the Temple in Jerusalem with His disciples. In the Old Testament, the Temple was known to be the dwelling place of God for those who sought Him. Daily we must be on pilgrimage to discover God, but we no longer have to go to the temple in Jerusalem to find Him. Daily our hearts must be eager to practice God's abiding presence and to be defined by Him.
In v.12 of today's passage we read, "The next day as Jesus was leaving Bethany, he became hungry."
Today's story begins with hunger, the hunger of the Lord Jesus. And, it was out of this context that some very important truths are accentuated in this chapter. Before we consider those truths, let's think about the fact that the Lord Jesus hungered. This was not the first time He hungered. In fact, just after His forty days and nights in the wilderness, He emerged from the wilderness hungry.
Many make too much of the Devil and they see him everywhere and in everything, and their resulting fascination with evil is unhealthy. We must never be preoccupied with the enemy, for when we do we fall into his trap of distraction from the Lord. We must be fixated on the Lord in order to know Him for ourselves and to better be able to make Him known. This is partly why the Lord Jesus was hungry, to create a platform for God to show up in that context. This is why bad things happen in our lives and rather than being enamored with the trial, we must be reminded that God is doing something and we want to factor in on what He is doing around us.
In v.13 of today's passage we read, "Seeing a fig tree in leaf from far away, he went to see if it had any figs on it. But he found no figs, only leaves, because it was not the right season for figs."
In that part of the world there is an early edible but smaller fig that grows during the springtime of the year. That smaller edible fruit when it shows up on the fig tree is a harbinger of another production of the fruit that will come later on in the summer. If there are no early figs, there will be no figs later. That day in Bethany the Lord cursed that tree because it produced no fruit.
In v.14 of today's passage we read, "So Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And Jesus’ followers heard him say this."
Many have been amazed at the fact that the Lord Jesus cursed this tree. It seemed so unlike Him to do this for He did not come to condemn. This is the only miracle in the entire ministry of the Lord Jesus wherein He pronounced judgment on anything. It seemed so strange that He treated the tree for having no figs. But, as we have pointed out already, a fig tree has two kinds of figs; one comes in the Spring and the other in the Summer. And, if a tree does not produce Spring figs, it will not produce Summer figs.
That tree that day was a symbol of the nation Israel. The reason the Lord Jesus cursed that tree was so it would be a visual parable of the condition of the people of Israel. Judaism had become a false religion, and all false religions are nothing but leaves, no fruit, just leaves. That tree was an analogy of unbelief.
Only our spiritual hunger for God and His culture makes sense of this story. When we invited the Lord Jesus into our lives, He began a deep work in our hearts that we can not refuse. Hungry people hope for miracles. Our physical hunger is, in a real sense, a precursor to our spiritual hunger. We must not ignore our spiritual hunger. Most would lead us to believe that once we have invited Christ into our lives that our lives will be easier. This is not the case. In fact, my life got harder and more difficult after I became a believer in the Lord Jesus.
When we look closely at what the Lord Jesus taught His disciples about discipleship, we recognize our difficulties will increase. Our difficulties increase because the internal threat of ourselves becomes more apparent to us. Rather than blaming our problems on others, the training the Lord offers causes us to recognize that we, more often than not, are the real source of our problems. When we were not believers, we were blind to our defects. Now that we follow the Lord Jesus, we are vividly aware of our defects, because the Holy Spirit calls attention to them and attempts to sift them out of our lives.
Spiritual hunger and thirst are drivers of spiritual fullness. Only those who are hungry and thirsty get filled. This transformation requires a long and challenging journey. This process will not be overnight, and actually, it will never be perfected this side of heaven. The good news is none of this journey will we take alone. The Lord will always be our close companion for all of eternity. And, because of this, He will walk us through this process of transformation as we choose to yield our broken lives to Him on a daily basis.
