Matthew 21:19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, ”May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

So, the Creator of the Universe approaches this tree and finds it fruitless. If ever there had been fruit on the tree would it have not been fitting for it to have been at that moment? Yet, perhaps the tree did not realize that it’s Creator would be coming that day to inspect it’s fruit. From a parallel passage in Mark 11, we know that it was not the season for figs … so, how could Jesus have expected there to be figs on the tree?

You know, the gospel is a very simple thing and living it out isn’t complicated, either. It’s as natural for good works to be expressed in the life of a Christian as it is for an apple tree to produce apples. But there are those who want to complicate it and turn it into something else and when they do so, they horde fruit to themselves and present a barren tree for everyone else. The fruit on your tree is not about you, but about those who may receive from the fruit. (And we never know Who is going to evaluate the state in which we have left our tree.)

Should not the Creator of the tree expect the creation to serve Him … even when it’s not convenient or easy?

In Mark 11, Jesus says, “May no one eat …” and that’s truly the sad thing and something we should consider. It emphasizes the purpose of the tree. That purpose was not to make fruit for itself, but to bless others with fruit. In Matthew 7, Jesus spoke of the revelation of a man’s intentions by reading the fruit of their lives.

Matthew 7:18–20 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

It could be said that God created that fig tree from Matthew 21 to bless His children with it’s sweet nutrients, but the tree had not done so. We should consider our roles, my friends. Some feel that being a Christian is about filling pews (or seats). Others feel that being a Christian is about social clubs and prominence. What does it get me?

“We do not have friends; we have interests,” said General Charles De Gaulle while President of France. What did he mean? Simply that France’s relationships with other nations could only be decided around her “interests”commercial advantage or disadvantage. This is the underlying common denominator which determines most national relationships and decisions in Commerce.

We can sometimes act like we are NATIONS rather than Christians. Jesus is the One Who defined for us what a Christian is and never was Jesus concerned with social clubs or prominence. Jesus had friends and disciples … not INTERESTS. Something we do see Him doing is going out of His way to serve and love others.