Matthew 21:11-32
In the morning as Jesus returned into the city (Jerusalem), He hungered. 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 grown on thee hencorward forever,’ And presently the fig tree, withered away.
“And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, ‘How soon is the fig tree withered away!’”
Perhaps you have never seen fig trees and they are different from most trees, as they grow only in some warm lands, and you may not know, the fruit begins to grow on the branches before the leaves. The figs are first tiny round green bunches, and as the big glossy leaves grow, are often hidden. On a good fig tree, more figs grow later, so there is a second crop of figs.
If the fig tree Jesus came to, had been good tree, there would have been fruit on it when the leaves were out. But there was no fruit, just leaves.
Jesus was Creator of all things, and it was sad, that when He was hungry that morning, there was no fruit for Him. Because of that, He said the tree should never have fruit, and at once it withered and died. The men with. Jesus were surprised; but He bad power over the tree, as over all things.
The people of that land should have gladly cared for the needs of the Lord Jesus, that He should not have been hury, and should have honored Him as their Creator and Lord. Because they did not, they have, as a nation, “withered,” with nothing for God.
And if we have nothing for the Lord Jesus in our lives, we too, will be useless to Him as the fig tree.
Jesus told this story about two young men:
“A certain man had two sons: he said to the first, ‘Son, go work in my vinyeard.’ The son answered, ‘I will not”: but afterward he repented and went.”
The man spoke the same to his other son, who answered “I go, sir”: but went not.
It was not right for the son to say he would not work in his father’s vineyard. But, because afterward he was sorry and went he was better to his father than the other, who said he would go and work, but did not do so at all.
Jesus told the men of Jerusalem these stories that they should think about their wrong ways, and do God’s way, and they teach us the same.
The Lord Jesus says to us now:
“Come unto Me, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28.
“Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37.
“He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life,” John 6:47.
ML 08/22/1943