One Parable - Two Lessons

Read Matthew 21:18-27

      The episode with the fig tree was a parable Jesus didn’t tell, but acted out.  This is clearer in Mark’s parallel account which the splits the story in two, sandwiching it around Jesus’ cleansing of the spiritually barren Temple.  Mark’s account makes it clear that Jesus cursed the fig tree on Monday, and it was found to be withered the next day (Matthew has compressed his telling not into a single day, but into a single event).  Jesus approached the tree looking for the fruit that was suggested by the tree being in full leaf.  But he found none – nothing that fulfilled its purpose, nothing that could do anyone any good.  The leaf-laden, fruitless tree was like Israel’s religious hypocrites with their great shows of religion covering up a barrenness of soul, while producing no fruit of real righteousness at all.  And so Jesus cursed the fig tree, just as he had passed judgement on Israel’s unbelieving.    

      But the symbolism was lost on the disciples, who just marveled at the miracle.  Their response was along the lines of, “Wow!  How did you do that?”  Jesus didn’t tell them they were missing the point, but established another:  faith is the coin of the realm in God’s Kingdom, and believing prayer can accomplish much more than we think possible – anything, in fact.    

      Lord, save us from a religion that is all about appearances; all about how we will look from afar.  And grant us a real, true, and growing faith that will prove itself by its effects, that we would fulfill our purpose, and do others some good.