Lesson from Fig Tree
During the days of His earthly ministry, Jesus was like any of us suffering hunger or physical want. He was hungry and thirsty. He was also weak in His body.
Let us mediate on Mark 11:12 – 14 and 20-24. When He had come out from Bethany along with His beloved disciples, He was hungry. If any servant of God lacks a material blessing today, let us not judge that God has forsake him/her. If God has blessed you with material things, you should to minister to him/her, and meet his/her physical need immediately.
Jesus saw from afar a fig tree having leaves. As He went to see if perhaps He could find something on it. But when He came to it, He “found nothing but leaves”, for “it was not the season for figs”. Jesus was disappointed! Does this sound strange to us? How is it that the Lord Who could foresee everything, and Who Himself is the Wisdom of God, could not see from afar that the fig tree had no fruits on it? Why did He take the trouble of going near the fig tree just to find out that the fig tree had nothing but leaves? The Lord could have seen through His prophetic eyes that the fig tree had no fruits on it and that it was not the season for figs. Jesus could have used His supernatural powers to find out this simple thing.
Do we crave for the supernatural power of God to meet our own physical needs? Do we crave for a prophetic insight into some knot, which we could not undo? When we faced disappointments, we were prompt in pointing our finger of accusation at the Lord and told Him, “You could have given me a revelation so that I was not disappointed”.
Hunger! Want! Disappointment! The Holy Spirit at times teaches us the way of His Cross as we have to deny ourselves, take our cross and follow Him. This is the one side of the Word of God. These days, many ministers preach always on material prosperity but ignore the way of His Cross.
On the other side of the Word of God, we find that Christ suffered hunger physically and bore on His body the agony of His people who are hungry today so that these people may be filled with His material blessings. Christ suffered disappointment so that His people may be shown the right path in their lives.
Let us give equal importance to the two-edged Sword of the Spirit. Let us not ignore either side of the Word.
Jesus spoke to the fig tree, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again”. And His disciples heard it. In the following morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
Do we find any fault with the fig tree, which could not bear fruits out of the season? Why did then the Lord curse the poor fig tree? Christ had to curse this fig tree symbolically so that it could serve as a warning to His disciples who were not exercising their faith in God.
Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them”.
This interesting episode of the Gospel, which begins with the physical want of the Lord ends in the revelation of His supernatural power which was finally released through faith. The Lord used His hunger to teach a lesson of faith to His disciples. He did not use His supernatural power to meet His physical need. The Bible does not tell us how the Lord fulfilled His appetite. A minister of God, who himself is in want, has to teach his sheep about reaping the great blessings of God, that are in store for them, through faith.
- Job Anbalagan