The next miracle in our series is The Cursing Of The Fig Tree …This miracle is recorded for us in Matt 21:18-22, Mark 11:12-14, 20-25.
In this miracle, we find the Lord who was hungering coming upon a fig tree. When the tree is examined it is found to be barren of fruit. The Lord’s response to the barren condition of this tree is recorded for us…. “And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it”. This was the Lord’s curse delivered upon this tree. The result of this curse is described “And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.”
The Lord then, uses this event as an object lesson to teach His disciples of two important aspects of an effective prayer life… The first aspect is the need for a God-given faith that is characterized by an understanding of the will and ways of God. Secondly, the need for the forgiveness of others who have wronged us.…
“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
In this miracle we can see, in a sense, an exact opposite type of miracle than all the others we have previously studied. So far in our studies, every one of the previous miracles we have seen involved the Lord healing, or providing each individual need that was brought before Him. In this study, we find for the first time, a miracle of the Lord bringing about harm and death to an object that was found to be in need.
The miracle was a display of grace and kindness to His disciples as the curse He pronounced ended up being the basis of a spiritual lesson on the importance of God-given faith and forgiveness to our prayer life. But the tree was not a recipient of His grace, but of His judgment. The tree, although it was in the fig bearing season did not bear figs, was thus deserving of judgment. The phrase “for the time of figs was not yet” tells us that it wasn’t time to harvest the figs yet… therefore, it was to be expected that the tree would still have figs on it.
Folks, not only is our Lord a loving, kind and merciful God; but He is also a just God who will punish those who are not in submission for those who are living their lives within His will. For those who have never accepted Him as their Lord, and therefore, have never willingly submitted to His authority we find the promise of an eternity of separation and punishment is awaiting them in the Lake of Fire. (Matt 25:31-46)
For those who have trusted in Him and submitted themselves to His authority, when we find willful, unrepentant sin on their part, they can be expected to face the chastening hand of the Lord as a loving, caring Father will punish His children in an effort to bring them back into communion with Him and help them to escape further disobedience and heartache. (Heb 12:5-9)
Folks, let’s all examine our lives and make the needed corrections. If we judge ourselves effectively, He will not have to judge us in this present world, or in the world to come. (1 Cor 11:31)
May the Lord bless each one of us as we “Think On These Things”.
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