Leaves & Fruit

Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

Matthew 21:18-19

Jesus' is acting symbolically in this passage. He's acting out a parable, a warning for those who look like they are producing fruit but in fact are not. You see, many of the religious leaders of Jesus' day were all leaves and no fruit. They fasted twice a week. They prayed three times a day. They gave to the poor. But they did all of this to be seen and honored by men (Matthew 6:1-18). None of it was for God. As Isaiah prophesied about them. "These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me" (Isaiah 29:13 & Matthew 15:8). Such "religion" brings God's judgment.

This kind of religion is just as common today as it was then, though. There are Christians today who go to church every week and who can answer all the questions in Sunday School but whose hearts are far from God. They have no fruit! They haven't lead anyone to the Lord. They don't have any good deeds for the Lord to rejoice over. Their lives are full of secret sin. The only righteousness they care about is the kind that other men can see. They are not peacemakers or reconcilers but slanderers and gossips. When Jesus comes by looking for fruit in their lives, He will be disappointed. 

Don't let that be true of you. Inspect your tree now. Make certain you aren't all show and no fruit. Because there will come a day when our Lord will come inspect you and look for fruit. You may be able to trick people now with a lot of leaves but your false religion won't trick Him! Don't get caught up in the leaves of the faith. Focus on the fruit.