For example:
-We can travel by car, boat, airplane, or bus. One of the most exciting and fastest ways of travel is by airplane. We can be here today and be literally thousands of miles away in only a matter of a few short hours.
It may be a different matter when it comes to our luggage.
Illus: One businessman said, “In my work last year, I traveled over 50,000 air miles--which really is not so much when you consider that my luggage traveled over 100,000.”
Illus: Thinking of traveling by air reminds us of the story of the dirt farmer whose travel time had been zero hours. Then he went on a trip on a four prop plane. His wife, who was hard of hearing, was with him.
-As they were traveling, the pilot announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, if you will notice, one of our engines on the left side is no longer running. That means we will be thirty minutes late.”
-In a few minutes, the pilot came on the intercom again, saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, if you will notice, one of our engines on the left side is no longer running. That means we will be an hour late.”
-Soon the inevitable happened. The third engine went out. As before, the pilot came on the intercom. He announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, if you will notice, a third engine, on the left side, is no longer running. That means we will be an hour and a half late.”
The old dirt farmer’s wife asked, “What is that pilot talking about?” He told her, “Ma, don’t worry. We have four engines on the plane. He was just telling us three out of four have quit running and that is going to make us an hour and a half late.” She said, “Oh no! I hope the fourth one does not go out. We will be up here all day!”
Since we have become more and more mobile, there are MOTELS spaced out along the highways so we can find a place of lodging and get a good night’s sleep.
We have RESTAURANTS spaced along the highways so we can stop and have three meals a day.
We have SERVICE STATIONS spaced along the highways so we can gas and maintain our cars.
We have ROAD-SIDE PARKS spaced along the highways so we can stop and have a picnic if we so choose.
We have INFORMATION CENTERS spaced along the highways so we can obtain pertinent information we may need for our trip.
Yes, we live in an age when we can travel as no generation before us has been able to travel!
As we read our text we can imagine Jesus, walking along with His disciples, on their way from Bethany to Jerusalem.
When we travel today and get hungry we stop at a road-side restaurant. Well, in Jesus’ day they did not have all these cafeterias and fast-food restaurants. Instead they stopped and ate berries, or fruit, along the way.
Illus: Only one who has experienced being a HUNGRY TRAVELER could begin to imagine what the scene in our text may have been like. Jesus spotted a large, beautiful fig tree ahead. The tree caught His attention. Verse 12 says, “And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, HE WAS HUNGRY.” The tree had a fine covering of leaves.
When they got to the tree they could not have been any more disappointed than we would be if we had been traveling all day and got to a McDonalds only to find no food there.
Christ and the disciples were disappointed because no fruit was on that tree.
We have no record of any conversation when they arrived at that tree, but I believe we can rest assured that something took place because Christ cursed that fig tree. Look at verse 14, “...No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever.”
Why did Jesus curse the tree? He cursed it because that fig tree had DECEIVED the hungry travelers as they passed that way. To enable us to see what the Lord is trying to teach us, let us look at TWO things.
I. THE FOLIAGE.
Look at verse 13. We read, “And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.”
Jesus knew it was not time for the fig tree to be bearing figs. Verse 13, “...for the time of figs was not yet.” The fig tree is supposed to have fruit when it has leaves.
Illus: The teaching of the tree was emblematic of the Jewish people. They were hypocrites. They claimed to have God’s love, but did not display it, nor would they produce it. Like many Christians today, they were ALL FOLIAGE, BUT NO FRUIT.
Jesus and the disciples were hungry. The tree, created by God to serve to satisfy hunger, did not fulfill its purpose.
In many countries people die daily of hunger. It is a heart-breaking experience to see reports of these people. Those still alive are like living skeletons. They will eat insects, leaves, grass, etc. They eat anything they can get their hands on.
Illus: If you will notice, usually when you see reports of starving people, you see no dogs, cats, or greenery. Why? Because, when people are hungry, they will eat anything in an effort to keep from starving to death.
As bad as that is, there is something that is worse. There is the WORLDWIDE SPIRITUAL HUNGER. People are dying for want of SPIRITUAL TRUTH, SPIRITUAL FOOD. People do all kinds of things to try to satisfy the gnawing hunger within them.
-Some turn to alcohol.
-Some turn to drugs.
-Some turn to material things.
-Some turn to sexual sins.
BUT SIN DOES NOT SATISFY! It never has and never will. Partaking of sin is like drinking salty water from the ocean.
All sin has ever done is ENSLAVE PEOPLE. It eventually DESTROYS THEM.
Illus: Remember the story of how years ago the herdsmen in the cold country used to take care of the troublesome coyotes? The local farmers kept losing their animals to the coyotes. Finally they would put bait out that had razors in it. The coyotes, in the freezing cold weather, would come to eat the bait. As they ate their tongues became so numb they were unable to feel the razors. As they ate, they licked their own blood and died a cruel death.
SATAN KNOWS THE WORLD IS HUNGRY for something. He is offering JUNK FOOD that will eventually destroy them. He knows as the sinner seeks to find SATISFACTION in the things he offers, they are destroying themselves spiritually as the coyotes destroyed themselves physically.
When the Lord saw the fig tree and it had foliage on it, He knew it was supposed to also have figs. Verse 13 tells us, “And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found NOTHING BUT LEAVES; for the time of figs was not yet.” What looked to be true from a distance may not be the case upon close examination. The Lord found it was not the case.
What a perfect picture of sin. Sin always looks good from a distance, but when you really examine it you find only disappointment after disappointment.
II. THE FRUIT.
Christians are to be like the normal fig tree in that they are supposed to bear FRUIT. As a lost man looks at a Christian’s life, he should see more than just FOLIAGE. He should be able to see some FRUIT.
Illus: Notice, when the Lord was looking for fruit He did not look for an oak, or a pine tree. He went to the fruit tree.
God is not concerned that lost people are not “bearing fruit.” His concerned if you profess to be a Christian and you are not bearing any fruit.
Some have criticized the Lord for getting angry and cursing the fig tree the way He did, but those who criticize Him do not understand that He had a purpose for everything He did.
Everything He did was to:
-Save mankind.
-Help mankind.
-Teach mankind.
In the destruction of the fig tree He was TEACHING Christians a very important lesson--a lesson in what He expects from us if we call ourselves Christians.
If a Christian is not going to bear fruit, he really does not have any PURPOSE OF EXISTING. This is why He cursed the tree. If it was not bearing fruit it served no purpose.
So we see, the lesson of the fig tree is that there is no purpose for our existing if we are not winning souls.
Illus: Let me ask you this: If God took you, being a Christian, on to your eternal home, would it affect the kingdom of God here on earth?
As we look around, often it seems that God could take many Christians on to their eternal home and it would not affect the kingdom of God on earth one way or another. The reason this is true is because they are bearing no FRUIT!
Conclusion:
Again, the purpose for that fig tree’s existence was to bear fruit. That tree failed in THREE WAYS:
(1) IT HAD AN EMPTY PROFESSION.
By the fact the tree had foliage let it be known that it was a fig tree and that it was the season for figs to be present on the tree. However, there were no figs!
Many people say they are Christians, but you can examine their lives the same way the Lord and the disciples examined that tree for fruit, but you will not find any evidence that they are Christians.
Illus: Someone has said that if it was illegal to be a Christian and some were arrested it would be hard to find enough evidence to convict them.
The Lord was teaching that the tree, like so many Christians, had an EMPTY PROFESSION. Also...
(2) IT HAD AN UNFULFILLED PURPOSE.
God had placed that tree there for the specific PURPOSE of bearing figs, but it did not fulfill the purpose God had created it for.
If we, as Christians, are not bearing fruit, we ARE NOT FULFILLING THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH GOD HAS CREATED US AND PLACED US HERE.
(3) IT DECEIVED INSTEAD OF SERVING.
The tree was there to SERVE those who were hungry, but instead all it did was DECEIVE THEM! Likewise, God has placed us here to PRODUCE FRUIT.
If the lost world can not see FRUIT in your life you need to take heed to the lesson of the fig tree. God is very displeased with your life and we can see that displeasure as He dealt with the fig tree that had no fruit.
Jesus cursed the tree. He said that no more would any man eat any fruit from it. He would not allow it to remain and fool people. The Lord is displeased when no fruit is produced.
Illus: When we get to heaven, there will be many Christians who may be surprised to find the Lord was greatly displeased with the way they lived their lives revealing FOLIAGE, but NO FRUIT!
Consider...
I. THE FOLIAGE
II. THE FRUIT
