Darlene Rose

The Cursed Fig Tree

12-14As they left Bethany the next day, he was hungry. Off in the distance he saw a fig tree in full leaf. He came up to it expecting to find something for breakfast, but found nothing but fig leaves. (It wasn’t yet the season for figs.) He addressed the tree: “No one is going to eat fruit from you again—ever!” And his disciples overheard him.

15-17They arrived at Jerusalem. Immediately on entering the Temple Jesus started throwing out everyone who had set up shop there, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of the bankers and the stalls of the pigeon merchants. He didn’t let anyone even carry a basket through the Temple. And then he taught them, quoting this text:

My house was designated a house of prayer for the nations;

You’ve turned it into a hangout for thieves.

It wasn’t yet the season for figs.  Doesn’t Jesus’ cursing the tree sound unreasonable?  Even that he expected fruit when it wasn’t ready to produce fruit?   Wasn’t it just doing what it was supposed to do? I mean it appeared to have a full head of leaves!

2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.”

Be prepared in season and out of season.  The Church model, or the Temple model, will cause us to be a marketplace instead of a place where prayer is offered.  But a gathering of believers who assemble together to seek the Lord, to pray, to worship all through the week is a house of prayer for all nations and prepares the church, the Bride, to be ready in season and out of season.

The fruit of abiding in Him is being ready when the hungry come.

I really feel a stirring in my heart on this.  One day, I was picking up my husband from work.  It was 5:30 on a Monday and a man of the street asked us to “get him outta here.”   I asked him “where is here?”  and he said “Alcohol! Get me outta here”

My husband and I stayed with him, prayed with him and brought him to a church around the corner (VCA) where Kim Hager from the House of Prayer was leading worship, and Abner Suarez was preaching.   We were ready.  They were ready. That night.

That man is still free of alcohol two years later.

Matthew 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?

38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?

39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

People will be hungry at all hours – probably not on Sunday morning, or Wednesday night.   But at 5:30 on a Monday night.

Or 3 a.m. on a cold, rainy Thursday morning.

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The above was written in 2011 but last night I saw something else.

Mark 11:11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

15-17They arrived at Jerusalem. Immediately on entering the Temple Jesus started throwing out everyone who had set up shop there, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of the bankers and the stalls of the pigeon merchants. He didn’t let anyone even carry a basket through the Temple. And then he taught them, quoting this text:

My house was designated a house of prayer for the nations;

You’ve turned it into a hangout for thieves.

Vs 12-14 about the fig tree not producing fruit is sandwiched between Jesus going into the temple and looking around.  He went in, looked around then came out and told his disciples he was hungry and the tree did not produce any fruit although it appeared to have a full head of leaves.

Figs are powerful cleansers.  Eat enough and they will purge you with diarrhea.  That Jesus came in and purged the temple after he cursed the fig tree is indicative of many of our churches today that are dying.  One of my customers called a church she grew up in in Arizona to ask them to look after her mother occasionally, for she was frail.   (My customer is from WV and cannot look in).   The churches response was “We are dying, we cannot help”.