Mark 11:12-14 "The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then He said to the tree, 'May no one ever eat fruit from you again.' And his disciples heard him say it."
I love the fact that over and over in Scripture, we see Jesus personifying God and man. He was hungry. He was tired. He went through temptation. He lived life fully as man and God at the same time. In Mark 11, we see Jesus leaving Bethany. He was hungry, and ahead of Him, He saw a fig tree. As Jesus approached, it had a lot of leaves, it appeared to be in bloom, but there was no fruit inside.
Fig trees were common in the area. They were an inexpensive source of food, and besides that, I'll bet people didn't have to invest in any laxatives at the neighborhood drug store, either. I can't honestly say I would choose to eat a fig if I were hungry, but that was the common fruit in the day. From what I understand, fig trees bloom twice a year, in late Spring and early Fall. Scholars believe this incident occrurrred in early Spring, when the leaves were beginning to bud. The figs normally grow on the tree as the leaves grow full. When Jesus came up to this tree, it had the appearance of being fully in season. It was full of leaves, yet it had no fruit inside. Finally, He said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again."
Think about it. Do we not live in the most prosperous (yet barren) fig tree in the world? The world has long believed that United States of America is a Christian nation. Those from remote areas who have heard only stories of America truly believed we conduct ourselves as Christians. When they arrive, they quickly realize their fallacies. We are now the kind of country that we used to send missionaries to. In fact, the number of missionaries from other countries coming here to the USA is quickly on the rise. We have all the outward signs, yet, like the nation of Israel at the time, but we (as a nation) are Spiritually barren.
I can't help but ask myself. What if Jesus approached me, hungry, wanting to use what I had to offer. What would He find? Would it be the looks of a Christian on the outside, but nothing of substance on the inside? That's what the fig tree had, right? It looked in bloom, yet it had no fruit on the inside. Even worse, would the results of what Jesus would find cause Him such sadness that He would tell me I'll never bear fruit again?
This recurring question seems to be my marching orders from the Lord this year. At least once a week, I read something in the Bible that makes me ask myself this question. I may ask it a lot, but I don't think I could ever ask it too much. It is so easy to be complacent. Just hit the snooze one more time. I'll read my Bible tomorrow. Our churches are filled with Christians who act differently Monday - Saturday compared to how they conduct themselves on Sunday.
Christian, literally meaning a follower of Christ. If you ask the average person, "Are you a Christian?" Most would say yes. Sadly, they believe it, too. Yet Jesus teaches that we will know a Christian by their fruit. I know plenty of people who say they are Christians, yet I see no fruit. (Of course, just because I don't see it, doesn't mean they are not. It's not my place to judge.) But our churches are filled with individuals who fly by the seat of their own pants all week and show up in church on Sunday to talk a good talk. Remember that old Amy Grant song Fat Baby? We have a lot of "Fat Babies" in our churches today, and it's time we grow up. The United States of America, founded on Christian principles, is now nothing more than a barren fig tree for the Lord.
Please know -- a doom and gloom person I am not! I am so excited to be living this Christian life, and I want desperately for Christians to wake up to the call that God has on their own life. We need to have eyes, hands, and a heart like the Lord. The time has come for us to no longer sit around and watch this great country turn completely away from God. All hope is not lost, and one by one, we can make a difference. We must do what God has called us to do, without embarrassment. No, we can no longer afford to sit back in silence, lest we as a nation become just like the fig tree Jesus cursed.
Give Me Your Eyes
Brandon Heath
Give me Your eyes for just one second.
Give me Your eyes so I can see.
Everything that I keep missing.
Give me Your love for humanity.
Give me Your arms for the broken hearted.
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see.
---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com