Daily Devotions
April 3rd, 2012 by Pastor SolleyMark 11:10-14
10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. 11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. 12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: 13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
The day after He presented Himself to the people, on Monday, Jesus returning to Jerusalem was hungry. Finding a fig tree Jesus looked for fruit but found none. The fig tree here is a type of Israel and just as Jesus looked for fruit on that tree and found none so had He looked for fruit in Israel and found none. The fig tree was then cursed by the Lord and by that night had withered away. Why would Jesus do this when the time of the figs was not yet? (Verse 13) The time of the national conversion of Israel was not yet but the Lord still expected to see fruit in His children. They should have been serving the Lord, bearing fruit for the Lord. In truth they never should have turned away from the Lord hundreds of years before. Jesus expected to see fruit. So does Jesus expect to see fruit in the Christian today. The time of our redemption from this world is not yet, the time of the rapture is not yet, the time of rewards in heaven is not yet. But the time to bear fruit for Him is now. Jesus expects to find fruit in us, in the redeemed. And why should we think it would be any different in us when He finds none? Many wonder why they seem to be lacking the blessings of God in their individual lives and all the while they have no interest in bearing fruit for Him. They are more interested in the world, in making money, in family or friends, in sports or whatever than they are in the Lord. They miss church for any reason, never witness or hand out tracts, seldom pray or read their Bible as they should. And then they wonder why they seem to be in trouble all the time. Physical trouble, financial trouble, under stress and so on. I wonder what would happen if we concentrated on bearing fruit instead of just hanging around until Jesus comes again?