Stress Test Devotional May 4
May 04, 2024
MATTHEW 21:18-22 | 18 In the morning, when he returned to the city, he was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the side of the road, he went to it and found nothing at all on it but leaves. Then he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. 20 When the disciples saw it, they were amazed, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.”
During Holy Week, Jesus is judged—judged by the Jewish crowd, judged by the religious leaders, judged by the political authorities. But in a subtle reversal, they are judged as they judge Him. We all have an opportunity to judge Jesus, but this judgement will be the basis of our own evaluation.
The strange incident of the fig tree illustrates this. After the incidents in the temple, Jesus spends the night camped on the outskirts of Jerusalem. In the morning, He sought “taksh” or early season figs for a breakfast snack. Finding none, He used the barren tree as a prop for an “enacted parable.” Like the entry into Jerusalem and the overturning of the tables, this action was an embodied sermon, a sort of children’s message for all time. He cursed the tree and it withered immediately.
The fig tree was a classic symbol of Israel—Jesus is communicating a sober truth—God longs for fruitful followers. When Israel refused Jesus’ teaching and rejected His offer of life in the Kingdom, they were choosing an unfruitful action that led away from God’s gift of righteousness. Soon this unfruitfulness would lead to Rome’s fierce attack and the destruction that took place in 66-70AD.
When God offers us life and we refuse Him, our judgement on Him rebounds upon us—we wither.
How can you tell a Christian life is fruitful?
Is your life fruitful? Think about your prayer life, your worship life, your relationships, your evangelism, your service, and your
generosity.
