Matthew 21:18-22; Cursing the Fig Tree

“Even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen.”  Jesus in Matthew 21:21

“Little faith will save a man, but little faith cannot do great things for God…if you love darkness and are satisfied to dwell in gloom and misery, then be content with little faith; but if you love the sunshine, and would sing songs of great rejoicing, covet earnestly this best gift, ‘great faith.’”  (Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, March 7)

 It is early during Holy Week.  Jesus is in Jerusalem, very well aware of what waits for Him at the end of the week (Matthew 20:18-19).  Having spent the night outside of Jerusalem in Bethany with his friend Lazarus, (John 11:1) or perhaps Simon the leper (Matthew 26:6), He returned to the city and He is hungry (v.18). 

He sees a fig tree.   He notices that there is nothing on it except leaves.  And He says to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.”  And at once the fig tree withered (v.19).  This miracle has understandably troubled people.    When His other miracles involve healings, provision or protection, here the tree dies.   Why does Jesus curse the fig tree for not being fruitful, when it is not even the season for figs (see Mark 11:13)? 

Jesus is a Master Teacher.   He regularly employs word pictures in His teaching.   The fig tree is a metaphor for unbelieving Jerusalem.    The Jewish people rejected their Messiah and embraced other gods.   The need to cleanse the temple illustrates this.    The teaching of the parable of the fig tree in Luke 13:6-9 is an illustration of the Lord’s patience with Israel; the Old Testament chronicles the Lord’s faithfulness to Israel in spite of her faithlessness.   Yet the Lord’s patience has limits and the cursing of the fig tree is a metaphor of that limit.   

A careful student of the Bible will notice there seems to be a discrepancy in the timeline between Mark’s version of the cursing of the fig tree (Mark 11:20) and Matthew’s version.   Matthew puts the cleansing of the temple first with the cursing of the fig tree following, while Mark has the order reversed.   Gleason Archer, in his book, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, provides this explanation: 

“Matthew’s tendency to group his material in themes [while Mark groups according to chronology]…is quite clearly exhibited in the series of eight parables of the kingdom of heaven that make up chapter 13.  Once a theme has been broached, Matthew prefers to carry it through to its completion, as a general rule.”

Jesus then moves from the visual metaphor to the spoken metaphor and repeats the same metaphor He used in Matthew 17:20, “even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen.”  Jesus emphasizes the theme of faith and the need to believe because He is surrounded by a lack of faith.   His disciples are often confused by His teaching (19:25) and make astounding, selfish requests (20:21).  The temple, which was built so that the Lord could commune with His people (2 Chronicles 5-7), has been turned into a robber’s den (21:13).   The Son of Man is not finding faith on the earth (Luke 18:8).

Yet Jesus emphasizes the value of belief in Him by saying, “All things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (v.22).   Good Biblical interpretation interprets one verse not in isolation but in view of the rest of Scripture. When taken together with other verses on prayer (i.e., John 14:14; James 4:3, 1 Peter 3:7) we learn the promise of answered prayer is not a “blank check” for the comfort of the believer.  Rather prayer is a war-time walkie-talkie so those who labor “in His name” as His ambassadors can strengthen weak faith and bring saving faith to those who do not know Him.     
 
May we rejoice that the great God of the Universe has reached out to us and made Himself known.   Praise Him that the conduit of knowing God is not our own efforts but simply believing in Him.    For God affirms that “without faith, it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Matthew 21:12-17; “Zeal for Your house has consumed Me.”

“My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you are making it a robber’s den.”  Jesus in Matthew 21:13

It is true that our country has many problems; however the greatest problem we have is that God does not live in our land any longer.  Seventy years ago we closed Him out of our country, and it has caused so many problems in our society we cannot count them.  We must put God back into our country.  And we must begin with our children.  (Evgeniy Kurkin, Deputy Minister of Education in the Republic of Russia)

God is infinite and God is gracious.   We experience the grace of an infinite God but grace is not infinite.  God sets limits to His patience and forbearance.   He warns us over and over again that someday the axe will fall and His judgment will be poured out.    (R.C. Sproul, Holy Justice, p. 198)

Upon being lavished with praise when entering Jerusalem, Jesus chooses to not relish in that.  Instead Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves (v. 12).   Instead of serving the needs of worshipers and helping people draw near to God, the temple became a place to make a quick buck.  The “almighty dollar” had taken the place of Almighty God. Instead of money being used to draw near to God, drawing near to God was used to make money.   

Israel’s history is pock marked with the worship of other gods rather than the Lord.   One of the more well-known examples is when Israel created a golden calf and worshiped it (Exodus 32:1-10).   Idol worship was such a problem that the first of the Ten Commandments reads, “You shall have no other gods before Me,” (Exodus 20:3).  And here in Matthew 21, Israel has rejected Yahweh right in His very temple and has set up altars to earthly treasure.   

As John Piper reminds us, God has a passion for His glory. His glory He will share with no other (Isaiah 42:8).   What the Jews did to God in the temple, Europe has done to God in His church.   And the American church is on the same path; for we pursue the god of comfort and ease and not the God whose name is to be proclaimed all over the world.   

The very first miracle Jesus did was at the wedding in Cana.   As He turned water to wine, He told Mary His mother, “My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4).   Even when Peter told Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16), Jesus told His disciples to tell no one that He is the Christ (Matthew 16:20).   

But here in the temple Jesus’ hour has come; His Messiah-hood is in full flower.   Yet this is not Jesus “meek and mild.”  This is not the Jesus of flannel boards with lambs and bunnies pasted at His feet.  This is Jesus, with a passion for His glory, flipping tables and throwing chairs.   Our first reaction is to shrink back.   But our God is holy.  As we embrace His grace, may we revere His holiness.  “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).  

Yet even in the midst of His righteous anger, Jesus is desirable and approachable.  For the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple and He healed them (v.14).  They were not intimidated by Him; He did wonderful things and healed them.  Even the children continued to praise Him with “Hosanna to the Son of David!” (v.15).    

The chief priests and the scribes, probably profiting from the temple abuse of business, became indignant (v.15).   Yet our Lord reminded them that God will receive the praise that He is due.    He quotes Psalm 8:2 to them, “Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babes Thou hast prepared praise for Thyself.”  This is very similar to when the Pharisees just hours before told Jesus to rebuke the crowd for worshiping Him as God.   Jesus response: “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”  (Luke 19:40).

Who is this God that is simultaneously holy and terrible yet approachable and healing?  The Creator God, our Redeemer, the Lover of our Souls, the Almighty, is worthy of our worship.  The more we are honest and weak, the more attractive He becomes.  Likewise, the more we merely play the religious game, the more distant and alien He becomes.   

Matthew 20:17-19; Marching to Jerusalem

“the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes...”  Jesus in Matthew 20:18-19

God planned the death of Jesus not to disown him or dishonor him or reject him, but to glorify him as the perfect, flawless Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.  (John Piper in his sermon, “Did You Kill the Lord of Glory?”)

The cross was not plan B but plan A.   (David Platt from his book, Radical)

Jesus resumes his journey now to Jerusalem.   Jerusalem is a city on a hill with an elevation of approximately 2500 feet (760 meters) above sea level and is surrounded by valleys.   Any journey to Jerusalem requires one to be going up (v.18).  Along the way Jesus takes the twelve disciples aside by themselves and tells them what will happen in Jerusalem:  the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up (vv. 18-19).  

As tragic as these details are, Jesus relates with stunning accuracy what will happen to Him.   The Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes is fulfilled in Matthew 26:57.  Condemn Him to death: Matthew 26:66; 27:23, 26.  Will hand Him over to the Gentiles: Matthew 27:2.  Mock: Matthew 26:67-68.  Scourge: Matthew 27:26.  Crucify: Matthew 27:35.  He will be raised up: Matthew 28:6.  Only the omniscient God can make these kinds of predictions with this kind of accuracy. 

 Mark provides some interesting detail here.  Mark records that “Jesus was walking on ahead of them.  And they [the disciples] were amazed, and those who followed were fearful” (Mark 10:32).   Jesus marched to Jerusalem as a man on a mission.  The trial, crucifixion and death of Jesus were not accidents; it was not a series of unfortunate events that He haphazardly stumbled into.  This was planned.   Jesus’ came to earth to give his life as a ransom for many (v. 28). 

There is a brief but powerful moment in the movie, “The Passion” when Jesus arrives at the crucifixion site unable to walk from the torture that He has endured.   Yet instead of being passively nailed to the cross, He crawls deliberately yet trembling on all fours to the cross so that He may be nailed to it.   Although that action is not recorded in Scripture, it illustrates the same determination Jesus had as He marched toward Jerusalem.  

From the first breath of creation (Genesis 1), to the casting out of the garden (Genesis 3), to the Passover in Egypt (Exodus 12), to the crossing of the Jordan River (Joshua 3), to the birth of Jesus (Luke 2), to the final battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19), to the restoration of Jerusalem, heaven and earth (Revelation 21), the cross stands central.   Even though His enemies consider the cross to be foolish (1 Corinthians 1:18), the world will not be allowed to forget Jesus’ death on the cross.   Even before the throne of God the Father, Jesus stands glorified as the Lamb who was slain (Revelation 5:6).    The cross is the pivot point around which all of history revolves.  

The Cross is the triumphant moment of history when the judgment of God and the love of God intersect.  His rising on the third day, His resurrection, is when the power of God embraces the judgment of God and the love of God to present to all of creation, the Greatest Conceivable Being, the great glory of God Almighty.   No wonder Paul said he would never “boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14).

Jesus knew exactly what would happen to Him in Jerusalem.    It would be a time of great suffering and at least once He needed to be strengthened to accomplish this great task (Luke 22:43).  Yet “for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2).   “For this reason, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow…and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).   What an awesome God we serve!