The Gospel According to Matthew
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree
18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!”Immediately the tree withered.
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
When you read this what are your first thoughts?
Are you like me and you start thinking of a list of things that you could make happen if you only had enough faith?
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." That is a strong statement. So does every person who asks and doesn't receive, is it because they didn't have enough faith? Does this give meat to all those who say, "You don't need doctors, just enough faith." or "You just need enough faith and you marriage will be fine."
I think it is important for us to remember that this is at the end of Jesus' time on earth. In Mark when you read this story it is right before Jesus goes into the temple and turns the tables upside down, etc. and then when they leave they see the fig tree all withered and so the disciples ask about it. That is when it talks about faith.
Jesus is on his way to the cross. He is getting ready to leave the disciples. He is trying to get them to understand and grasp the work, and the place that he has for them. They are to continue the work. They, with the Holy Spirit, and the power that God provides, heal the sick, and bring souls to Christ. They were still wanting and hoping for that Kingdom where Jesus was King and where they would be part of his government, and what he needed them to do was to continue with the service, the unglamorous. He needed them to know that they were fully equipped to do the work He was calling them to. It is also important for us to know that we are also fully equipped to do whatever God has called us to do. He will move mountains, and perform miracles if we believe. There is nothing He asks of us that He will not provide all that is needed. But we must believe in Him.
We will revisit this at the end of the lesson too.
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
Jesus used their own trap that was intended for Him to trap them. They were in front of the public seen as weak and lacked the knowledge needed to answer the question. These men were the authority and this was humiliating.
Do we ever try to trap God?
Have we ever let our questions, our doubts, our unbelief, get in the way of seeing Him. Is our will, our glory, our desires, our hurts, our wants, more important that Jesus.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
Jesus is has called all of us to work for Him.
What has been your answer?
Are you really doing as He has asked?
Which son are you?
I will tell you that if I had to pick one I would say I am the first son. I at a very young age accepted Jesus as my personal Savior and accepted His call to serve him. So I accepted the call... am I following through on my answer of Yes?
The following quote is from Christ Object Lessons, written by Ellen White.
"If you cultivate faithfully the vineyard of your soul, God is making you a laborer together with Himself. And you will have a work to do not only for yourself, but for others. In representing the church as the vineyard, Christ does not teach that we are to restrict our sympathies and labors to our own numbers. The Lord's vineyard is to be enlarged. In all parts of the earth He desires it to be extended. As we receive the instruction and grace of God, we should impart to others a knowledge of how to care for the precious plants. Thus we may extend the vineyard of the Lord. God is watching for evidence of our faith, love, and patience. He looks to see if we are using every spiritual advantage to become skillful workers in His vineyard on earth, that we may enter the Paradise of God, that Eden home from which Adam and Eve were excluded by transgression."
This passage challenges us.
1. We are not only to work on ourselves, but for others!
When Christ calls us to work for him, it includes looking outside of ourselves. Yes we need to ask him to change us, but we are also asked to serve those around us, to enlarge His family! The personal work we do with Christ on our hearts and minds is just to prepare us to do the work he has called us to do for others.
This past week would you say that you focused more on personal heart work with Christ or working for others?
I am in no way saying that your job is to change the hearts, but our hearts changed by Christ should then be open to serve those around us. We are not to be judge and jury but servant. We are to wash their feet, do our best to share Christ's love in practical and tangible ways. When people see you do they see Christ. When people are around you to the feel the love of Christ because of your service to them?
2. If we accept His invitation, but then don't use it for others, we have turned our back on His invitation. We are then the second son!
For self is not enough. For me is not enough.
In this passage Jesus is asking us to obedience. He does ask us to obedience.
Ellen also writes, "God's great object in the working out of His providences is to try men, to give them opportunity to develop character. Thus He proves whether they are obedient or disobedient to His commands. Good works do not purchase the love of God, but they reveal that we possess that love. If we surrender the will to God, we shall not work in order to earn God's love. His love as a free gift will be received into the soul, and from love to Him we shall delight to obey His commandments."
When Jesus told the fig tree that it would not bear anymore fruit was also speaking to the importance of us bearing fruit. We can't just grow and grow and bear beautiful leaves because of what Jesus is doing in our lives, we must also bear fruit to share with those who so desperately need the fruit!
Jesus calls us to have faith, to accept his invitation, to stop trying to trap Him in questions that make us feel better based on our own understanding, and follow him. He wants us to invite him in, be transformed and then accept his invite, do as He has asked and serve the word. He wants us to spread him to the world.
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