Bible Study on Matthew 21, verses 18 to 27, the fig tree

 

Matthew 21:18 ¶  Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. 19  And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. 20  And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! 21  Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. 22  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

 

Notice that the fig tree that Christ curses represents the fallen state of Israel in their failure to live up to God’s laws but creating their own rules to go by and claiming piety and righteousness by following their man-made rules and not God’s. They bore no fruit acceptable to God. This is made clear in a number of contexts.

 

Notice the comparison made in the Old Testament with Israel;

 

Hosea 9:10  I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.

 

Jesus then uses a figure of speech that hyper literalists and skeptics stumble over that basically all things are possible with sincere prayer. However, you might be considered foolish if you knelt before a mountain and prayed that it fall into the sea after telling people to watch the power of prayer. This hyperbole, much like the one about the eye of a needle, underscores the power of sincere faith and prayer in our lives and God’s response to it. It is not a call to rearrange geographical features.

 

Of all the fig trees Jesus must have seen He chose this one to make His point. This fig tree represented the entire nation of Israel in its history and at this point in time when the Messiah came and was not believed by the religious elite of God’s people.

 

While a Christian is not cursed by God for not producing fruit the evidence we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us is the fruit we produce.

 

Galatians 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26  Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

 

We are promised that things asked according to His will He will grant it;

 

1John 5:14 ¶  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

 

Matthew 21:23 ¶  And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? 24  And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25  The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? Andthey reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? 26  But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. 27  And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

 

Here the very political religious elite are stumped by Christ as they dare not answer His question. They fear the people but wanted to respond to Jesus teaching in the temple. He was not part of the religious elite accepted by the Jewish authorities. He knew their weakness and their wickedness. Like Pilate, as revealed later, they are political creatures not so much as concerned about truth as about their position.