The Fig Tree

Matthew 21

Jesus came upon a fig tree that produced beautiful leaves. At a distance the fig tree looked appealing but upon a closer examination its foliage proved deceiving; it was fruitless. Of course Jesus was addressing the issue of fruitless religious pity of His time.

It was not the season for figs; but the fig tree has this peculiarity, that the fruit comes before the leaves; if leaves are fully developed, you naturally look for fig fit to be eaten. This tree had put forth leaves out of season, when other figs trees were bare, and had not produced their early figs. It, so to speak, overleaped the needful first stage of putting forth green figs. 

In this it sadly resembles many Christians today, who are destitute of repentance, faith, and holiness; who have rushed forward into Christian service or ministry before bearing fruit?  Jesus quoted Isaiah 29:13 when he referred to their spiritual condition, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teaching are but rules taught by men.” (Matthew 15:8 & 9)

The moral of this story is that in the presence of a powerful and living faith; barren and fruitless systems of religion will wither away and the mountains that obstruct a great spiritual awakening shall be removed and cast into the sea. If we have faith and doubt not, we shall know the truth of this promise: it shall be done. (Charles H. Spurgeon, The King Has Come)

Today we are going to look at another similar tree metaphor. The difference is that one tree is fruitless and the other is fruit bearing. Jesus’ reference to the fruit trees underscores a deep spiritual concern. One is a concern of “fruitlessness” and the later is a concern for “fruitfulness”.

Luke 6: 43-45

A Tree and Its Fruit

⁴³ “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁴⁴ Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. ⁴⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

In this case the tree does bear fruit and it’s an overflow but sad to say it’s bad fruit. Fruit bearing isn’t enough; it must be good fruit. The test of goodness is fruit, and the purpose of goodness is fruit.

Only he who himself is reformed is able to reform others. It is impossible for one who himself is still bad to attempt to improve others. First his own life should be reshaped to real righteousness and holiness.

Jesus gave His disciples a solemn warning, why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

He is speaking to everyone who hears his voice. To us he declares the condition of relationship with Himself. “Every one that comes to me and hears my words must live by them.”

There was plenty of religious outward pomp and glory in Jesus day but speech and action gave it all away.

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him unclean, (Kosher: clean and unclean foods) but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him unclean... ¹²

Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

¹³ He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. ¹⁴ Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

¹⁵ Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”

¹⁶ “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. ¹⁷ “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. ²⁰ These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

 But wait a minute isn’t this encouraging believers to have a judgmental spirit and doesn’t this contradict what Jesus taught in a previous teaching when he said, “Do not judge, or you will be judged. For in the same way you judge others you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1 & 2)

The passages of scripture we are dealing with have nothing to do with judgement or judgemental attitude; it has everything to do with knowing. It’s about knowing what good and acceptable Christian behaviour is. The Bible is clear about this. But many have broadened the scope of making what the Bible considers to be “unacceptable behavior” acceptable behavior and its happening at rate that Christians overflow with bad fruit. Many Christians have lost their moral compass and is morally adrift.

Adultery and fornication is at an all-time high among Christians. The rate of divorce and remarriage in the church is the same as it is among unbelievers.

A recent poll revealed an alarming trend: Fifty percent of Christian men and twenty percent of Christian women report being “addicted” to pornography.

What are we to make of these staggering numbers?

Christiannet.com reported that people who struggle with the repeated pursuit of sexual gratification include church members, deacons, staff, and yes, even clergy. And, to the surprise of many, a large number of women in the church have become victim to this widespread problem. Recently, the world's most visited Christian website, ChristiaNet.com, conducted a survey asking site visitors eleven questions about their personal sexual conduct.

Amazingly, there were one thousand responses to the poll conducted by ChristiaNet.com. ChristiaNet.com partnered with Second Glance Ministries in evaluating the poll responses and it seems the Christian community is struggling with many of the same "temptations" that the secular society is faced with.

"The poll results indicate that 50% of all Christian men and 20% of all Christian women are addicted to pornography," said Clay Jones, founder and President of Second Glance Ministries whose ministry objectives include providing people with information which will enable them to fully understand the impact of today's societal issues. 60% of the women who answered the survey admitted to having significant struggles with lust; 40% admitted to being involved in sexual sin in the past year; and 20% of the church-going female participants struggle with looking at pornography on an ongoing basis.

"There have been dynamic paradigm shifts in the behavior of Christians over the last four years," explained Jones. "Technology [the Internet] has allowed pornography to flood the market place beyond a controllable level. (http://www.christianet.com)

Galatians 5:16-21  (NIV)

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

A Little Wine for the Soul?

The Bible says drunkenness is a sin (Galatians 5:21). But is occasional social drinking OK for Christians? By J. Lawrence Burkholde

 The Bible clearly says drunkenness is sin. But is occasional social drinking OK for Christians?

It is fair to say that both total abstinence and moderate use were acceptable to Jesus. Following the parable of the children at play (Matthew 11:16-19, NRS ), Jesus added these words: "For John [the Baptist] came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon'; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' "

Clearly, Jesus intended the parable to show what he thought of debates about eating and drinking. They were petty and distracting. They drew attention from the real issues facing the nation.

The apostle Paul warns repeatedly against drunkenness. A candidate for the office of deacon must not be addicted to much wine. (1 Timothy 3:8)

 He admonished members of the church at Corinth not to keep fellowship with a member who is a drunkard (1 Corinthians 5:11). But Paul was prepared to accept as brothers and sisters those who drink and those who do not drink. He also spoke favorably of using wine for medicinal purposes (1 Timothy 5:23).

For one thing, a significant difference between alcoholic drinks of the first century and of today has come with the advent of distilled liquors. In New Testament times the main alcoholic substance was wine (sometimes watered as a substitute for plain drinking water). Today, alcoholic drinks can be much more potent. Very often, such substances are not drunk as a beverage for the sake of taste and refreshment but as a highly concentrated drug taken for "the effect."

Alcohol consumption in North America clearly has reached disastrous proportions. Millions of Americans use alcohol as a drug. It is used by many not to "gladden the heart" (Psalm 104), but to escape reality.

Alcohol is the depressant of choice for millions who find it difficult to cope with life. Increasingly, youth use alcohol as an alternative to illicit drugs. Yet its total effect is possibly more disastrous than that of hard drugs.

Our society has failed to institutionalize drinking in a way that would place it within a healthful setting and define its limits. Many who drink at bars, parties, and even in the home are separated from the positive elements of life. Alcohol has become both a symbol of tragic loneliness and a factor contributing to it.

One's attitudes toward alcohol are seldom objective, even if one tries to be tolerant. One can be sure that a refined, cultured, gentleman from Burgundy is not likely to be an abstainer. And a wife of an alcoholic is not likely to be convinced that any policy of moderation is wise. Christians who do not commit to a principle of total abstinence should follow a guideline that would represent both discernment and Christian freedom by allowing limited use, now and then, within the context of family, friendship, religious celebration, and diplomatic protocol.

These limits need not imply the strictness of an absolute principle. Still, they should be taken seriously. Such a policy offers the practical advantages of sobriety, the personal advantages of responsible maturity, and the theological advantages of biblical wisdom.

J. Lawrence Burkholder is president emeritus of Goshen College in Indiana.

Luke 6:46-49

Build your house on the rock
Jesus said, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words...” Hearing the Jesus’ words isn’t everything; an appropriate response is of paramount importance. A profession of faith is meaningless unless our lives are governed by kingdom values and principles.

An authentic Christian is one who does not ignore the doctrines and teachings of Christ. Pleading ignorance is totally unacceptable. It’s plain; you can’t do it your way. It’s His way not your own.  You can’t build a strong house without the foundation of repentance, faith and holiness.