God Expects Us to Bear Fruit — Don’t Be Fruitless! (Mark 11:12-14, 20)
We read in our passage today (Mark 11:12-14, 20) a rather bizarre story but one with a lesson, nonetheless. The lesson is meant to warn us against fruitlessness and challenge us to bear fruit. From the Old Testament laws, the ministry of the prophets, the doctrine of Christ, and the teachings of His Apostles, we can draw one important truth – God does not reward fruitless people; in fact, He curses them in the end. Jesus comes out of Bethany hungry from the long walk. He sees a fig tree green and looking flourishing. He rejoices as He says, “Finally, something to keep this growl in my stomach at bay. I know my disciples must be hungry as well.” He then walks up to the fig tree, probably in the opposite direction to where He initially intended to go. On reaching the fig tree, He discovers that it was a cruel joke, to begin with — this fig tree has beautifully and brightly coloured leaves, but with no fruit hanging from its branches. Annoyed at the deceit plus His wasted time and energy, Jesus curses the fig tree to its root.
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