Holy week day 1

JESUS CURSES THE FIG TREE 

“In the morning, as he (Jesus) was returning to the city, he became hungry. 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. When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, ‘How did the fig tree wither at once?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea,” it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith’” (Matthew 21:18-22).In this Holy week God expects you and me to be fruitful and also have faith. Like a mirage in the distance, Jesus demonstrated to His disciples a simplistic lesson that fruit is evidence of a blossom, both practically and spiritually. The fig tree bore the appearance of abundance but in actuality did not even have the most simple and miniscule evidence of fruit on it. How prophetic when compared to our own spiritual health!

Jesus taught a piercing lesson on hypocrisy and authenticity that echoes that of the prophet Ezekiel: "And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the LORD; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it" (Ezekiel 17:24). Or stated more plainly, "Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12). 

Those who present themselves publicly as Christians must bear the fruit of God's Word in their lives, otherwise they are a greater detriment to the cause of Christ due to their unrighteous behavior. Perhaps that is why Simon Peter declared, "For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them" (2 Peter 2:21). Rev Samuel Muwonge.