Walking With Jesus: An 8-Day Exploration Through Holy WeekSample

Day 2 | Fruitful Faith

On our journey through Holy Week, it’s now Monday morning, and after spending the night in Bethany, Jesus is again heading back to the city of Jerusalem. On the way, He comes across a fig tree, which leads to one of the more puzzling—and pointed—encounters of the gospels.

Though it was early in the season for fig trees to be in bloom, Jesus and the disciples approached this particular tree to find it fully in leaf. Jesus rightly expected, then, that there would be fruit to provide the group with a nice breakfast. Unfortunately for a hungry Jesus, the fig tree simply had an unseasonable number of leaves, with no fruit to show for it.

“He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then He said to it, ‘May you never bear fruit again!’ And immediately the fig tree withered up” (Matthew 21:19). Seems like kind of an overreaction, right? The tree didn’t have fruit, so what? There would be plenty of food available down the road in Jerusalem. But like everything Jesus does, His cursing of the fig tree was far from random.

At first glance, it seems like this is simply another instance of Jesus performing a miracle to demonstrate a truth for His followers. About the withered tree, He said, “‘I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it” (Matthew 21:21-22 NLT). It is a lesson in the power of faith, sure, but there’s more to this event if we dig in a little deeper.

Throughout the gospels, Jesus uses agrarian metaphors filled with things like vineyards, plants, and trees to illustrate what we as Christians should be producing as a result of following Him: spiritual fruit. As Jesus’s followers, we’re called not only to hear the truths Jesus preaches but also to allow God to change our lives because of those truths and bear fruit.

The fig tree Jesus stumbled upon while heading back to Jerusalem on this Monday had all the trappings of bearing fruit—healthy branches, lots of leaves—but the actual fruit was absent. It was all show and no substance. The same can be true for us.

We can carry all the trappings of being a Christian—church attendance, generosity of time and resources, behavior modification that helps us stay away from “bad” circumstances or “unsavory” people—but if we don’t have a genuine heart change that results in a life that bears actual fruit, we’re no better than an overly leafy, fig-less tree.

As if that wasn’t enough happening on this Monday of Easter week, when Jesus and the disciples get to Jerusalem (after a snack, we hope), they return to the Temple where Jesus had His table-flipping moment yesterday. This day, He goes to the Temple to teach, only to have those same religious leaders confront Him again.

“They demanded, ‘By what authority are You doing all these things? Who gave You the right?’ ‘I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,’ Jesus replied. ‘Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?’” (Matthew 21:23-25 NLT).

Confounded, the leaders discussed the question amongst themselves for a bit—weighing the pros and cons of answering whether Jesus’s authority was from heaven or merely human. Finally turning back to Him, they anticlimactically declare, “We don’t know.” (v. 27)

Wrong answer.

“And Jesus responded, ‘Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things’” (Matthew 21:27 NLT).

Both this showdown in the Temple and the cursing of the fig tree point to the true identity—and power—of Jesus as He walks toward His inevitable purpose at Calvary. With each event that happens, we’re beginning to see that there is no neutral ground when it comes to Jesus and who He claims to be. Jesus’s power is either from heaven or from man. He’s the Messiah, or He’s an imposter. The ground between the two alternatives is getting smaller and will all but disappear as the day of the cross draws near.

The time of decision is getting less and less for each of us as well. We, too, must answer what we believe to be Jesus’s identity. Just like the religious leaders in the Temple, “We don’t know” is not an acceptable answer. We either accept Jesus as the One sent from heaven with the authority and power to rescue sinners, or we reject Him altogether. He does not offer a middle ground.

Reflection Question: Why do you think the religious leaders replied, "We don't know," to Jesus's question? How does their response reflect the lesson from the fig tree?

Can you relate to the religious leaders' reluctance to take a stance on their relationship with Jesus? Are you trying to stay neutral instead of making a decision about your faith?

Do you observe any positive changes in your life that demonstrate the depth of your faith?