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Matthew 21:18-22 (Jesus curses the fig tree)

INTRODUCTION: This is the third message in our new series called Jesus in Jerusalem where we are looking at the final week of Jesus’ life before he went to the cross. So far, we have looked at Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the cleansing of the temple. Today we look at a third incident that took place that week – the cursing of the fig tree. (Read Matthew 21:18-22 and pray.)

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Our message today is called Fig Trees, Faith and Fruit – try saying that fast three times! (I can’t, I already tried.) The cursing of the fig tree that takes place in today’s passage is closely tied to the cleansing of the temple that we looked at last week. It’s an unusual incident, and, similar to the cleansing of the temple, one that seems uncharacteristic of Jesus at first. We don’t normally think of Jesus cursing fig trees or driving people out of temples.

But Jesus never does anything without a purpose, and his purpose here is to teach. Our passage breaks down into two parts. First, Jesus gives us a word of warning about fruit. Then he gives us a word of assurance about faith. We will look at both of these this morning and then we will take look at the relationship between fruit and faith at the end of the message.

I. A word of warning about fruit (18-19)

So first, Jesus gives us a word of warning about fruit. Look at verses 18-19 with me:

Early in the morning, as he 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. (Matthew 21:18-19)

It’s early in the morning. Jesus is on his way back to Jerusalem after staying the night in Bethany. He sees the fig tree up ahead, but when he goes up to it, he doesn’t find any figs on it, just leaves. Now leaves on a fig tree without any fruit is very unusual. Usually, the leaves and the fruit develop together. So, there is definitely something wrong with this tree.

But then Jesus does something even more unusual. He curses the fig tree: “May you never bear fruit again!” Now remember, when you’re Jesus, you’ve got options. Jesus could just as easily have told the fig tree, “May you bear fruit right now!” and the tree would have been filled with figs. But Jesus curses the fig tree instead, and immediately the tree withers.

This is not only a demonstration of Jesus’ power but also a warning about the necessity to bear fruit in our lives for God. As we said earlier, this incident is tied closely to the cleansing of the temple. Jesus went to the temple looking for spiritual fruit but didn’t find it there. And when he didn’t find it, he drove the people out. In the same way, God looks for fruit in our lives. And when he does not find it, his judgment is swift and severe.

   A. God looks for fruit in our lives
      – Isaiah 5:1-2

So, this is a warning passage, and it’s a warning specifically about fruit. The first part of the warning is this: God looks for fruit in our lives.

Now on one level, the fig tree represents the people of Israel. The fig tree is a common image for Israel in the Bible. (Jeremiah 8:13; Hosea 9:10,16; Luke 13:6-9) Jesus came to his own people looking for fruit, but they did not receive him, especially the religious leaders of the time.

So, on one level it’s a story about Israel, but it is also a story about us. It is an acted parable with an intended meaning. Just as Jesus went to the fig tree looking for fruit, God comes looking for fruit in our lives.

The prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament shared a parable in song about fruit. We read in Isaiah 5: “I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. 2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.” (Isaiah 5:1-2) God looks for fruit in our lives, and not just fruit – he is looking for good fruit, not bad fruit.

Now, we’ve been talking a lot about fruit this morning, and you may be wondering, what does the Bible mean by good fruit in our lives? When God comes looking for fruit, what exactly is he looking for? Well, there are at least four kinds of fruit the Bible speaks about in our lives.

      1) the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

First there is the fruit of the Spirit. We read about this in Galatians 5: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) God looks for the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

      2) the fruit of good works (Colossians 1:10)

Next, there is the fruit of good works. Paul writes in Colossians 1:10: “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work.” (Colossians 1:10) As believers in Jesus Christ we should always be bearing the fruit of good works in our lives.

      3) the fruit of witnessing (1 Corinthians 3:5-6)

Then there is the fruit of witnessing. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3: “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe…. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:5-6) The Corinthians were arguing about who was more important, Paul or Apollos. Paul reminds them that God used both of them to bring the Corinthians to faith. They both had a part in sharing the gospel with the Corinthians. They both bore the fruit of witnessing as demonstrated by the Corinthians coming to faith in Christ and growing in their faith.

      4) the fruit of praise (Hebrews 13:15)

And then fourthly, there is the fruit of praise. We read in Hebrews 13:15: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name.” (Hebrews 13:15) So, there’s the fruit of praise where we lift up and praise the name of Jesus.

When God comes looking for fruit in your life, what will he find? Will he find the fruit of the Spirit? Will he find the fruit of good works? Will he find the fruit of witnessing as you share with others about Jesus and the gospel? Will he find the fruit of praise upon your lips?

   B. God’s judgment is swift and severe
      – Isaiah 5:3-5

Remember, this is a warning passage. God comes looking for fruit, and when he does not find it, his judgment is swift and severe.

We started looking at Isaiah’s song parable in Isaiah 5. Let’s look at the rest of it now: “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? 5 Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled.” (Isaiah 5:3-5)

Back to the New Testament, Jesus cursed the fig tree, and Matthew tells us it immediately withered. Now, God is patient with us. He is more patient with us than we are with each other. He gives us time to come to faith in Christ. He gives us time to bear fruit for him. But when the time of judgment comes, it comes quickly. God comes looking for fruit, and when he doesn’t find it, his judgment is swift and severe.

II. A word of assurance about faith (20-22)

But this passage is not just a word of warning about fruit. It is also a word of assurance about faith. Look at verses 20-22 with me next:

When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. 21 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, 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.” (Matthew 21:20-22)

The disciples missed the whole fruit aspect of this passage, and they focused on Jesus’ amazing power in withering the fruit tree instead. I’m sure they would figure out the fruit part later, but for right now they are just focused on the miracle itself. And so, Jesus uses this incident as an opportunity to teach them about faith and prayer. And there are two lessons for us here.

   A. Faith lays hold of God’s power
      – Matthew 17:20; John 14:12

First of all, faith lays hold of God’s power. Jesus told the disciples something similar back in Matthew 17:20 when he said: “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20) Jesus says if you have faith, nothing will be impossible for you. Why is that? Because nothing is impossible with God. And faith lays hold of God’s power.

Jesus said in John 14:12: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12) Notice in this verse Jesus says, “Anyone who has faith in me.” It’s not enough just to have faith in God. You must have faith in Jesus as the Son of God as well.

Jesus is teaching us how faith lays hold of God’s power. We can’t make fig trees wither or cause mountains to throw themselves into the sea. But nothing is impossible for God. Faith lays hold of God’s power to do things that are impossible for us to do.

So, don’t be afraid to ask big things from God. I like the way missionary William Carey put it: “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.” But know that faith is the key. Faith lays hold of God’s power.

   B. God answers the prayer of faith

And then Jesus goes on to tell us that God answers the prayer of faith. He says, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:22) That is an amazing verse. It is a breath-taking promise that God will answer your prayers when you pray in faith believing.

So, what does it mean to pray in faith believing? What is this prayer of faith that God promises to answer? When you compare Scripture to Scripture, you will find four characteristics of believing prayer. Let’s look at each of them briefly.

      1) You must believe and not doubt (James 1:6-7)
The first characteristic of believing prayer is you must believe and not doubt. That’s what Jesus says in verse 21, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt,” and then he gives the promise of answered prayer.

We find a similar teaching in James 1 where James writes: “But when [you ask,] [you] must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord.” (James 1:6-7) So, that’s the first characteristic of believing prayer: you must believe and not doubt.

      2) You must ask in Jesus’ name (John 14:13-14)
And then secondly, you must ask in Jesus’ name. Remember what Jesus said earlier in John 14:12: “Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.” (John 14:12) In other words, you can’t leave Jesus out of the equation. Now Jesus goes on to say in John 14:13-14: “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:13-14)

And so, it’s not enough simply to believe and not doubt. You must also believe in God, and you must believe in Jesus as God’s Son. You must ask in Jesus’ name, trusting that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and going through him as your Mediator.

      3) You must ask with right motives (James 4:2-3)
A third characteristic of believing prayer is you must ask with right motives. We read in James 4: “You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:2-3) God promises to answer the prayer of faith, not the prayer of selfish motives. You can’t pray in faith when you are praying selfishly to spend what you get on yourself.

      4) You must ask according to God’s will (1 John 5:14-15)
And then finally to pray in faith believing you must ask according to God’s will. We read in 1 John 5: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.” (1 John 5:14-15)

Faith means trust, and so you cannot pray in faith without trusting God and asking for his perfect will to be done. The prayer of faith trusts God and submits itself to the will of God. Even Jesus prayed, “Not my will but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) So, that’s the fourth characteristic of believing prayer: you must ask according to God’s will.

Once again, this is a simply stunning promise from Jesus. What a good and generous God we serve! He invites us. He involves us. He asks us to pray. And he promises to answer the prayer of faith. This is a wonderful word of assurance from Jesus about faith.

III. The relationship between fruit and faith

So, we have looked at Jesus’ word of warning about fruit. We have looked at Jesus’ word of assurance about faith. Finally, I would like us to look at the relationship between fruit and faith. And there are three things in particular you should know about the relationship between fruit and faith: 1) There’s no faith without fruit. 2) There’s no fruit without faith. And 3) A fruitful life leads to faith-filled prayer. Let’s look at all three of these now in closing.

   A. There’s no faith without fruit
      – John 15:1-2,8

First of all, there is no faith without fruit. Jesus said this in John 15: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful…. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:1-2,8)

God comes looking for fruit, and if he doesn’t find any, he cuts the branch off. Why? Because there’s no faith without fruit. Fruit is the evidence of faith. When you bear fruit in your life for God, you show yourself to be one of Jesus’ disciples.

When a person prays to become a Christian, how do you know if they truly put their faith in Christ? How do you know if they truly received Jesus as their Savior? One of the first things I always do is I look for fruit. Do they begin to show the fruit of the Spirit in their life? Do they do good works for Christ? Do they share their faith with others? Do they praise God for what he has done in their lives, offering up the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess his name?

How do you know if someone is truly a Christian? You look for fruit. That’s the first thing you need to know about the relationship between fruit and faith. Faith and fruit go together. There’s no faith without fruit.

   B. There’s no fruit without faith
      – John 15:4

And then secondly, there’s no fruit without faith. Jesus goes on to say in John 15:4: “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4)

We don’t bear fruit by our own effort or works. We bear fruit by trusting in Jesus, by remaining in Jesus, by staying close to Jesus. An apple tree doesn’t bear fruit by trying really hard to bear apples: “Gotta bear an apple, gotta bear an apple!” No, the branch simply stays connected to the trunk and the fruit grows naturally.

And it’s the same way with the Christian life. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself – it must remain in the vine, or in the case of the apple tree, it must remain connected to the trunk – neither can you and I bear fruit unless we remain in Christ. Just as there’s no faith without fruit, there’s no fruit without faith.

   C. A fruitful life leads to faith-filled prayer
      – John 15:16

And then the final thing you need to know about the relationship between fruit and faith is this: a fruitful life leads to faith-filled prayer. Jesus said in John 15:16: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” (John 15:16)

That one verse brings it all together, doesn’t it? Jesus chose you to go and bear fruit, and when your life is full of fruit, your prayers will be full of faith. And that means you will know the joy of answered prayer. A fruitful life leads to faith-filled prayer.

CONCLUSION: Let me close now with three words of application.

First of all, a word of warning. If there is no fruit in your life, then you are not truly saved. True faith always results in fruit, so if there’s no fruit in your life you need to reexamine your life in light of God’s word. 2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5) God comes looking for fruit. What will he find in your life?

Secondly, a word of instruction. You can’t bear fruit on your own. You can only bear fruit by abiding in Jesus. Now, if you’re truly saved, there’s going to be some fruit in your life, not matter how small. But don’t you want to be full of fruit? Don’t you want to be full of the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of good works, the fruit of witnessing and the fruit of praise? The answer is to stay close to Jesus. Remain in him. Abide in him. Jesus chose you to bear fruit, fruit that will last. But you can’t produce fruit on your own. Only Jesus can produce fruit in you.

And then finally a word of assurance. When your life is full of fruit, your prayers will be filled with faith, and God will accomplish his purposes through your life. Isn’t that beautiful? Isn’t that what we all want in the long run? A fruitful life leads to faith-filled prayer. That’s the goal of every believer.

There’s no faith without fruit, and no fruit without faith. I encourage you to put your faith in Jesus today and abide in him that you may live a fruitful and faith-filled life to the glory of God.

© Ray Fowler

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