Beware False Advertising
The false advertising of the fig tree led to its demise. We are told that it was not the season for figs. This should let the tree off the hook, but it didn’t. Jesus was hungry. He saw the fig tree a bit off the path that had leaves – an advertisement of fruit. You see, the fig tree grows leaves and fruit at the same time. Normally, you would not see a fig tree with leaves that did not also have figs – unless the fruit had all been picked. This was not the case. We know the tree had not been harvested because we are told that it was not the season for figs. For some reason, this tree flaunted what it did not have. Though it was too early in the season for the tree to have leaves and fruit, it proudly displayed lush leaves with not a fig in sight.
We are told that Jesus cursed the fig tree. I always thought that was a silly thing for him to do until I realized that the lesson wasn’t for the tree but for the men who walked beside him. The message and the warning were meant for you and me. False advertising leads to damnation. Put yourself in the tree’s shoes, so to speak. No one forces us to be Christians. God will never trick us into following Him. He will never strong-arm us into making a declaration of faith. It is our choice. However, the choice will have eternal and immediate consequences. There are those who simply want to fit in with the church crowd. They ‘sprout leaves’ without ever intending on bearing fruit. Perhaps, they do not want to give up their lifestyle. Maybe they are even fooling themselves. They may look the part, but their lives and their heart look like the world instead of their Savior.
Perhaps the most terrifying verses in all of scripture are those contained in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.’” These that Jesus talks about are the trees that boast leaves but no fruit. They looked the part. They even acted the part, but they lacked the fruit. They lacked the relationship and the obedience. Their lives mimicked the world instead of their Savior. Their obedience was to their own desires and not to the will of the Lord. This is not a crowd we want to be part of.
Jesus gave us a great physical example when he cursed the fig tree. Had it been a pear tree or an olive tree, the lesson would not have made such an impact. There are many seasons of our lives. The fig tree’s sin was not that it was found in a dormant season of its life. Its crime was that it advertised what it did not possess. We need to be careful we are not fooled by those who advertise a relationship with God but have none. We need to be on guard against believing those who claim to have a revelation but possess no prayer life. We cannot trust those who teach without first learning the lesson. Jesus’ curse of the fig tree may feel unfair to the plant, but – as a message to his followers – the curse of one who seeks to deceive is better than allowing it to condemn any who would believe it. Jesus’ message truly had nothing to do with the tree. We have already seen that he could feed thousands with a prayer and fill boats with a look. Had Jesus wanted to, he could have caused the tree to produce fruit in abundance for all to eat. The message was for you and me. Live with a sincerity of faith and beware of those who promote what they do not have.
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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