Jesus Cursed

Jesus Cursed
April 28, 2014
Jeremiah 8:13  "I will take away their harvest, declares the Lord.  There will be no grapes on the vine.  There will be no figs on the tree, and their leaves will wither.  What I have given them will be taken from them."

Jesus cursed.  No, He didn't yell obscenities; He pronounced judgement on....a tree.  He was walking along the road with some of His disciples when He saw a fig tree.  Jesus walked up to the fig tree intending to find fruit on it, possibly hoping for a small snack.  The tree should have offered something to Jesus, but it was barren and fruitless.  Frustrated with its performance, He cursed the tree because of it's lack of fruit.  Days went by and the same group of people walked passed the same fig tree.  They all noticed in astonishment the tree had withered up and died.  It's a small miracle in comparison to everything else Jesus did, but still quite significant.

I used to read this story and hope to replicate the cursing and withering, calling out judgment against people and things that frustrated me over the years, but alas it's never worked out that way.  It's not a scenario Jesus actually wants us to replicate; it is the fulfillment of prophecy as well as introduction of more prophecy for the future.  In fact, a thousand years earlier, the prophets Jeremiah & Micah introduced the cursing of the fig tree story.  (I encourage you to really read the additional scriptures for study below).  When Jesus saw the tree it wasn't really time for full fruit, it was only time for "pre" fruit.  A fig tree creates little "nubs" right before it is about to bear its full fruit.  The nubs are actually edible.  Jesus was hoping to see it's "pre" fruit but when it didn't have any, Jesus knew it would never produce fruit like it was supposed to produce.  He chastised the tree for not bearing any "pre" fruit and condemned it to die.

While it is just a tree, He was introducing a prophecy in regard to what He will do to you and me in the future.  If we, as Christians, do not bear the fruit of righteousness, like we are supposed to, then He will condemn us to die.  His example in real life was a replica of what Jeremiah foretold about.  The cursing of the fig tree was and is a real life simile of what will happen in the future.  Jesus was speaking prophecy without telling His disciples what He was talking about.  They thought it was about the fig tree.  But it carries much more significance than figs.

You and I are supposed to bear fruit.  The Lord is watching and when the time has come for fruit to appear, there had better be at least a hint of "pre" fruit, something to demonstrate the future abundant harvest of fruit in our lives.  If the Lord does not see fruit in our lives, we may be condemned to die.  Just like the fig tree was made to produce figs, you and I are made to produce fruit for the Lord when we become Christians.  Sadly, millions of people go to church and from outward appearances seem to be Christians.  But the Lord will judge them for their fruit in the end.  It's not enough to simply be saved from Hell; we are asked to bear fruit, the fruit that comes from receiving salvation.  If there is no fruit, then the argument could be made that salvation wasn't achieved.  The Lord said, "what I have given them will be taken from them."

All fruit is the evidence of healthy natural progression both physically and spiritually. Don't be a barren fig tree; figure out what fruit the Lord expects to see in your life.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Song of Songs 2:13, Jeremiah 8:4-13, Jeremiah 29:15-19, Hosea 9:10 & 16, Hosea 10:12, Micah 7:1-4, Matt 21:18-22 & 33-46, Mark 11:12-21, Eph 5:8-10