Last week, we studied about faith and belief. We examined what faith and belief are, and how they work together for tangible results; the kind of results that you can see, feel, experience and enjoy now on this earth. That’s what people need and want, and that’s what Jesus gave during His ministry.
Today, we will continue along this theme, by exploring more about how faith works, by looking at the example of the fig tree, and how Jesus taught us to move our mountains.
As I mentioned, there are a great number of people today who need real help— meaningful tangible results. It’s not wrong to want that kind of result. Many people came to Jesus needing earthly help, whether provision, healing, or deliverance and He never reproached any person who came to Him for such help.
I believe that the scriptures instruct us on how to receive help, and how to get results.
Since we have a lot to cover today, let’s not waste any time and get right into the scripture, starting with Matthew 21:17-22:
“And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.
Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he was hungry.
And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said to it, ‘Let no fruit grow on you henceforward for ever.’ And presently the fig tree withered away.
And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!
Jesus answered and said to them, Truly I say to you, If you have faith, and doubt not, you shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if you shall say to this mountain, Be you removed, and be you cast into the sea; it shall be done.
And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.”
The Fig Tree— a Fruitless Endeavor
This is a fairly famous account, that many are familiar with, and we are going to examine it closely to see the details here. You have heard me say it before, that nothing is in the Bible by accident, and nothing is filler; every single detail and every word ha a purpose. This is why I always prefer to read slowly and to study with purpose. It does no good to read 20 chapters per day but not learn anything.
We see in verse 17, that Jesus having left the temple and the city and stayed in at Bethany, which is a village at the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem, on the road to Jericho. The name Bethany in Hebrew means “house of dates” (the food, not the calendar term) understanding that the date was a staple and principal food in Arabia, northern Africa, and several other places in Jesus’ time. Now, knowing that there is no insignificant detail in the Bible, what can we learn from these facts? Jesus is about to demonstrate for us is a principal and necessary lesson that is going to feed our spirit tremendously. Look at what He does next in verse 18:
The next morning, Jesus gets up and He is hungry. Yes, while Jesus walked on the earth He experienced everything that you and I experience. No one can ever accuse Jesus of not understanding what we go through here on this earth, even so He was perfectly without sin. (Hebrews 4:15) Aren’t you glad that we have a perfect High Priest and a perfect sacrificial substitute who took our place? Aren’t you glad that today even when we fail, we know that Jesus absorbed all of the wrath and judgment that was due to us and stands righteously before God as us today? As He is today, in all glory and righteousness, so are we in this world. (1st John 4:17)
Verse 19 continues that Jesus being hungry, saw a fig tree standing in the way. The Greek text here denotes a singular fig tree. This was not a row or a forest of fig trees, but a single tree standing alone, almost out of place. Here stands this tree for all to see, with leaves on it, beckoning all who notice it to come and eat, but what is found on it instead was emptiness. It was an empty promise; leaves but no real fruit.
We see here in verse 19 that a sentence is pronounced upon this false tree, and I find it very interesting what Jesus says here: Let no fruit grow on you henceforward for ever.
Now, He could have easily said “tree, die.”, it would have been simpler and more efficient. Remember though that nothing is in the Bible by accident, and Jesus never speaks idle words. So let’s examine what Jesus was saying here.
In the Greek text it is literally translated as: “No longer nor hereafter shall any fruit come out of you forever”.
The significance of this rendition would be more apparent to the people of that day than to us. We must understand that the fig tree is often symbolic of Israel; a fruit-bearing tree is representative of life and blessings, while a barren tree without fruit is representative of death and judgment. The Israelites, while outwardly very religious and seemingly “alive” like the tree, were actually spiritually dead because of their sin and their rejection of Jesus. Therefore, Jesus here was teaching that to reject Him would ultimately lead to fruitlessness and death for all eternity, and this lesson is just as much for us today as for Israel then.
The Faith of Christ Moves Mountains
Verses 20, 21, and 22 carry the main lesson for us. Jesus also uses this opportunity to teach believers a wonderful truth of how to accomplish great things in faith. As we studied last week, faith is information of God. Knowing this definition of faith, we can properly discern what Jesus states in these verses here.
In verse 21, Jesus makes a conditional statement that many people have failed to comprehend: Truly I say to you, if you have faith and doubt not, you can do not only this which was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain “Be you removed and cast into the sea.”, it shall be done.
The confusion happens because most people think of faith as if it were belief. They think that when Jesus says to have faith that means that they need to focus and believe harder. But now that we know that faith is information, we understand that when Jesus says “have faith” He is instructing us to have information of God. In other words, Pay attention to the scriptures, see what God is saying and act accordingly. Look at Jesus and be rooted in Him. That simplifies things. Faith is not some mystical commodity that you magically receive; faith is the information that is revealed by God, and about Him.
Jesus’ Words Have Power
Jesus never frivolously chose to speak anything. Every single word that He spoke was first given to Him by the Father in Heaven. Consider John 7:16-18:
“Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
He that speaks of himself seeks his own glory: but he that seeks his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.”
Jesus never spoke of Himself (that is, He never spoke His own words), but He only spoke the words of His Father in Heaven. Likewise, we can not arbitrarily speak words and expect perfect results if our words and will do not line up with the scriptures. We then would be speaking of ourselves for our own glory, and it will fail.
The principle is this: Step one, is to always study the scriptures, look directly at Jesus and find out what God is saying on the matter, whatever it is. His judgment is the only one that matters. If He says you are healed because of Jesus Christ, then you are healed and you should always be speaking in-line with that truth. If He says that your enemies are defeated right in-front of your face, then so be it and you should always be speaking accordingly. Whatever the scripture speaks to you guided by the Holy Spirit, that is what you should agree with and speak with. Remember, as we studied last week, our primary action of believing is to speak the truth of God in Christ Jesus. When it comes to your personal faith and belief between you and God, you don’t need to do all kinds of complicated and convoluted things… speak! Just as Jesus did with the fig tree, and said to do with the mountain. Jesus didn’t do a bunch of wild actions, or “faith proofs” to cause the fig tree to wither, nor did He instruct us to do many things to move mountains; simply speak to them; but do not speak of yourself… speak what God tells you.
This is the proper order of glory. Notice that in verse 18, we see that this gives glory to God and testifies that in Christ we are righteous, so it ends-up giving us true glory. Not the false self-seeking glory of the one who speaks of himself, but the true glory of being in Christ with no unrighteousness in Him— and when you are in Christ, there is no unrighteousness in you, either, because He has made you a completely righteous new creation in Him.