Fig Tree, Money Changers and Faith

Today's reading is from Mark 11:12-26. We start out as Jesus and his disciples are walking and Jesus was hungry. Wow, what a word. Jesus was hungry. Just a quick search, not an exhaustive search, I only found two times that Jesus was hungry. The first was Mark 11:12. Jesus and his disciples were leaving Bethany and the scripture said He was hungry. Let's back up and see what had Jesus been doing? One he had been in Jericho teaching and then walked to Jerusalem, which was not a short walk. It is about 17 miles from Jericho to Jerusalem. They would have arrived in the later afternoon. Jesus sent the disciples to get a donkey for Him to ride into Jerusalem on. So in one day Jesus walked 17 miles, then rode a donkey into Jerusalem, then after all that went into the temple complex, looked around to see what was going on, then He and the disciples walked to Bethany (bible says it was late) which is about two miles. So Jesus had a physically tiring day, He also had an emotionally tiring day.. Yet the scripture waits and says at the beginning of the day the next day, He was hungry. We know Jesus ate, but we don't really know the details. I do like that the times that the Bible talks about Jesus eating it says He was hungry. Gives us true direction on how to eat. Plus what to eat, He was going to eat a fig. Not ice cream, not chocolate, but a fig.


So it is the next morning and Jesus and the disciples are heading back into Jerusalem from Bethany. He walks past the fig tree, He was hungry, and there were no figs on the fig tree. This is from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary: 

THE BARREN FIG-TREE CURSED, THE TEMPLE CLEANSED. (11:12-18)

Christ looked to find some fruit, for the time of gathering figs, though it was near, was not yet come; but he found none. He made this fig-tree an example, not to the trees, but to the men of that generation. It was a figure of the doom upon the Jewish church, to which he came seeking fruit, but found none. Christ went to the temple, and began to reform the abuses in its courts, to show that when the Redeemer came to Zion, it was to turn away ungodliness from Jacob. The scribes and the chief priests sought, not how they might make their peace with him, but how they might destroy him. A desperate attempt, which they could not but fear was fighting against God.


So is Christ making an example of the tree and what will happen to us all who don't produce fruit? I'll have to let you decide that. We know Jesus was without sin, I had read a comment in YouVersion that lpakele had said that Jesus was upset one because of no figs, but  he also made the comment that Jesus had fasted for 40 days and nights and could  handle no food. Then he goes to the Temple expecting to see fruit from His people and found none.  So I just threw that in as food for thought.


Then we go to the last point. Jesus said, "Have faith in God". So simple, so true. I grew up with Kenneth Hagin talking about Mark 11:23.   I assure you: If anyone says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.


So faith is having total trust in God. To know that if we do not doubt in our heart and believe that what God says he will perform it. It goes back to the word I felt God speak to me at the beginning of the year. Expect....Expect me to perform my Word. 


Are we expecting from God, are we being fruitful...let us not be like the fig tree, as Christ followers we are to have a fruit producing life, all the time! Go ye and produce!