I love it when the House Church that meets in our home comes together and we get immersed in the reading, dissecting, and understanding of the Word! Biblical concepts that we have heard countless times from the pulpit suddenly come alive with new meaning as we study the historical, social, and faith contexts that point us to the promises of God's Kingdom on earth. This past gathering of the faithful was no different.
We are studying the Book of Mark and this week we tackled the enigmatic parable of the Fig Tree and whether we can [or should] identify as "the Fig Tree Generation" that Jesus mentions in Matthew 24, Mark 11, and Luke 21. Before I try to answer that dilemma, let's consider the significant symbolism of the fig tree throughout the Bible. We often find it to be a symbol of the nation of Israel and the promise of abundance, blessings and favor from God. In the Old Testament, [specifically in 1 Kings 4:25] we see fulfillment of those promises in "the days of Solomon": And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan to Beersheba, every man under his own vine and his own fig tree.
Whether Israel lived in that blessing and favor, OR in judgment or desolation, was evidenced by the fig tree's fruitfulness. In the Book of Jeremiah, in Chapter 6:16-18, we see that the symbolism of the fig tree mirrors God's judgment, when He castigates Israel: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, "We will not walk in it." I appointed watchmen over you and said, "Listen to the sound of the trumpet!" But you said, "We will not listen." Therefore hear, you nations; you who are witnesses, observe what will happen to them...
As a consequence, we then see God's judgment play out in Jeremiah 8:13 ... I will take away their harvest, declares the Lord. There will be no grapes on the vine. There will be no figs on the tree, and their leaves will wither. What I have given them will be taken from them. You may think that was over 2600 years ago and it really doesn't pertain to us Christians in the 21st Century. But the same complaints that God had against the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, we see that Jesus had in the New Testament, and I now see in today's Churches. The root of God's judgment is pictured in the parable of the fig tree ... and it's all about spiritual barrenness in the form of False Religion!
Let's take a good, hard look at what Jesus reveals to His disciples in Mark 11 regarding the condition of the fig tree they found on their way from Bethany to Jerusalem. Remember, this is during the Passover Week leading to Jesus's Crucifixion. After His triumphant Entry into Jerusalem for the Holy Week, Jesus is greeted with resounding shouts of praise: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest! [By the way, this reception is highlighting the crowd's recognition that Jesus is, indeed, the Messiah].
After entering Jerusalem, he went to the Temple where He had a good look around, assessing and inspecting the "standing" of the people. This fulfills the prophecy of Malachi, in Chapter 3:1-3, which states that God would send His messenger to prepare the way for Him. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, He is coming ... But who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap [which cleaned, and whitened, and purified cloth]. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.
After His inspection, Jesus returns to Bethany, where He and His disciples are staying the night [just a mere two miles from Jerusalem]. The next morning they head back to Jerusalem and on the way Jesus, being hungry, spies a fig tree full of leaves. This is where we need to come into the full understanding of this passage and what it means for us. Fig trees don't normally have leaves on them unless they have figs on them, too. From Jesus's perspective, the fig tree was displaying false advertising! The tree put forth a pretense of having fruit; it had the outward appearance that would cause someone [in this case, Jesus] to expect He would find fruit to nourish Him. But the tree was barren and had not produced any fruit!
Here's where I think some of our Bible translations have caused confusion about the full context of the lesson from the fig tree. For example, how many of us heard in our churches that Jesus cursed the fig tree? Read Mark 11:13-14 again. My Bible doesn't say that. In fact, the Word simply says, And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if He could find anything on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And He said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again. That was actually a prayer that Jesus spoke over the tree, which most certainly resulted in a negative outcome, but I do not believe it was spoken as a curse; in malice or spitefulness; but rather as a warning and prophecy of what happens when you falsely represent yourself as being righteous and bearing fruit. Remember -- after inspecting the fig tree and prophesying that it would never bear fruit, the Bible makes sure we know this fact: And His disciples heard it. The disciples must have been thoroughly confused [just as we have been 2000+ years later when we read those verses]!
The prophecy of Malachi says that the Lord will inspect the standing [the status and reputation] of the "sons of Levi" [the priests] to see if they have fulfilled their role as intermediaries between God and the people, facilitating worship and maintaining the sanctity [sacredness] of the Temple. We all remember the stories from Sunday School of Jesus overturning the tables of the money-changers whom the priests had allowed to defile and dishonor the Temple, making it a marketplace and a den of thieves, rather than a House of Prayer, for which God had designed it. This passage is what immediately follows the short passage about the fruitless fig tree. Starting to get the picture?
If not, read Matthew 24:32-35. Here we get more information about the lesson we are to learn from the fig tree... From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So, also, when you see all these things, you know that He is near, at the very gates. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. This is a very explicit prophecy for "the fig tree generation".
Let's break it down. When a fig tree buds, there is an inevitable result ... summer is near and that means fruit is coming. In other words, there is an expectation. In the lexicon of parables, He is pointing to the fruitfulness of the Kingdom of God. In this passage in Matthew, Jesus has just foretold the signs of the End of the Age, which also forecasts the Coming of the Son of Man. What are the signs? Matthew 24 spells it out ... many coming in His Name, leading people astray; wars and rumors of wars; nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom; famines, earthquakes, persecution; false prophets and lawlessness; the abomination of a false god standing in the Temple in Jerusalem, declaring Himself the Most High... and finally great tribulation. So when He says to look at the fig tree and understand, and then follows that up with So, also, when you see all these things, you know that He is near... this generation (the one that sees these destructive signs) will not pass pass away until [ultimately] they see His return! That generation will be known as The Fig Tree Generation!
So when you connect the dots of the picture Jesus is trying to present to His disciples you get this understanding: Jesus is chastising the religious leaders in Jerusalem because [like the fig tree], they have been giving a false pretense of bearing fruit for God's Kingdom on earth. They have done a disservice to the flock by not leading them, or teaching them, that they should be bearing fruit for the Kingdom! Jesus even asks [in Matthew 24:45-46], Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his Master has set over His household, to give them food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his Master will find so doing when He comes.
As an addendum to this exegesis on the Fig Tree Generation, I present my personal opinion... We are certainly seeing the signs of the End of the Age, and now that the Jewish people are back in their Homeland, is Jesus ready to return? And if so, will He find fruit among His followers on the earth? Have our churches borne fruit for His Kingdom? Or, like the Pharisees at His First Coming, will He find lots of leaves [a false pretense of fruit], but no actual fruit? Have the religious leaders of our day taught and encouraged their flocks to make disciples of Christ, teaching them to observe all that He commanded us to do -- heal the sick, cast out demons, cleanse the lepers [of their spiritual corruption, degradation, and defilement], raise the dead, and spread the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 10:7-8 and 28:16-20)?
That's a very serious question we should be asking ourselves! Jesus made it very clear what He expects. If you are going to proclaim that you are fruitful [by broadcasting to the world with a grandiose show of worldly leaves], then when He comes, He expects to find fruit from your endeavors! I don't know if we are the destined Fig Tree Generation. We are certainly close to fitting the criteria more than any previous generation. All we need is the Anti-Christ to declare himself the Most High God. And if we are truly that close, I would hope we are all examining ourselves. Have we borne fruit for our Master? Or have we just clothed ourselves in a false image as fruit-bearers? I know what the Lord says to the Churches in Revelation 1-3, and it is sobering.
In conclusion, the fig tree has proven to be abundant in its symbolism. It represents Israel [in both ancient and modern times]; their prosperity, judgment and hope. And its lessons for Israel give us great insight for our own relationship with God, and of our future. The image of the fig tree represents our faithfulness, our fruitfulness, our readiness for the return of Jesus, and the consequences should we be found spiritually barren. But it also offers us the promises of God and His blessings of inheritance if we show ourselves faithful to do all the things that bear fruit for His Kingdom. May you receive the promises of God's abundance, blessings and favor, as you sit under your own fruitful fig tree.
Joel 2:22 Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the trees bear their fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield.
