On Monday Jesus went back to the temple to drive out those who were buying and selling. On His way there He passed by a fig tree who did not have any fruit. Fig trees grow fruit twice a year in Israel. Once in June and then again in September. The plant grows their fruit first and then leaves second, which seems backwards to me! Jesus was in the area for Passover, which is in April, so the tree should not have had fruit as it was not in season. He cursed it, but did you ever wonder why?
The tree had leaves and by having leaves it gave the appearance of having fruit even though it was empty. I believe this is an important warning for us today. Jesus isn’t looking for people who put on a show and pretend to be something they aren’t, He is looking for genuine followers. Like a tree that naturally produces fruit, when you spend time with the Lord your life will produce spiritual fruits, which are things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
I encourage you to read about this day of Holy Week. It can be found in Mark 11:12-24.
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