Chapter 21 records Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. His entry is planned and carried out with great detail to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. As He enters the city, Jesus is welcomed and cheered by the common people, but only as a "prophet" and not as the Messiah. Upon entering the temple, Jesus throws out the money changers(people who worked for the religious leaders and cheated the common people). Jesus and His disciples then spent the night in Bethany. The next day Jesus was hungry and saw a fig tree with leaves. When He came to the tree, it had no fruit. Jesus cursed the tree and it withered. The disciples marveled at the quickness of the tree withering. Why did Jesus do this?
The fig tree symbolized the nation of Israel (Jeremiah 8:13; Hosea 9:10,16; Luke 13:6-9). Just as this tree had leaves but no fruit, so Israel had a show of religion but no true experience of faith resulting in accepting Jesus as Messiah. Jesus was not angry at the tree. Rather, He used this tree to teach several lessons to His disciples.
1. God wants to produce fruit in the lives of His people
2. Honoring Jesus with our lips but not by our lives of obedience is hypocrisy.
3. Inward corruption and outward fruitlessness are evidences of hypocrisy.
4. God is not fooled by hypocrisy and will bring judgment.
5. Israel would be judged as a nation for their lack of genuine faith.
Let us be diligent to make sure we have a genuine relationship with God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ!
Walk with the Lord and be fruitful for HIS GLORY!!!
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