Mark 11:12-24
12 On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13 Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening. 15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple area and began to drive out those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves; 16 and He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple grounds. 17 And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard this, and they began seeking how to put Him to death; for they were afraid of Him, because all the crowd was astonished at His teaching.
19 And whenever evening came, they would leave the city.
20 As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 And being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree that You cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted to him. 24 Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you.
When we believe the lies of false doctrines that lead to condemnation, we end up doing dead works. This is what happened in the Garden with Adam and Eve believing the Serpent. You know they story, he handed them a bunch of lies about how they could be like God when they already were, then they turned around and covered themselves with leaves from a nearby tree thereby engaging in their own works.
Likewise, the Pharisees and those involved in the Mosaic economy in Jesus day, were involved with their own leaf covering. They were looking as good as that fig tree with leaves, but no good fruit. Of course, Jesus saw right through their dead works, and cursed the tree as we saw above in the passage from Mark.
Like Adam and Eve, the Pharisees pretended to have fruit, but did not. They were naked and had no fruit to show. They brought shame on themselves in their nakedness. They were pretending just like the fig tree.
So Jesus came along and cursed the fig tree and it withered and died even down to the root. But noticed what it says about that kind of curse in Galatians:
Galatians 3:10
10 For all who are of works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the Law, to do them.”
Galatians 3:13-14
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”-- 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Not only did Jesus kill down to the root the false works of the Mosaic economy and the Pharisees, He gave the power to those who have faith to cast false condemnation and doubt into the sea. That word "doubt" that is in Mark 11:23 has to do with self condemnation. You see God has made it possible for us not to have that doubt and self condemnation through faith in Jesus and what he has done. And when we do believe Him, we have the power to resist the corrupt systems of this world.
Believe you are made right with God. If you turn to God in faith, the vail is lifted and you can have that revelation of knowledge that comes and destroys condemnation in your heart.
Grace restores hearts so that we can believe we are who he says we are. Don't cover yourself in leaves, cover yourself with His grace.
12 On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13 Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening. 15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple area and began to drive out those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves; 16 and He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple grounds. 17 And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard this, and they began seeking how to put Him to death; for they were afraid of Him, because all the crowd was astonished at His teaching.
19 And whenever evening came, they would leave the city.
20 As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 And being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree that You cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted to him. 24 Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you.
When we believe the lies of false doctrines that lead to condemnation, we end up doing dead works. This is what happened in the Garden with Adam and Eve believing the Serpent. You know they story, he handed them a bunch of lies about how they could be like God when they already were, then they turned around and covered themselves with leaves from a nearby tree thereby engaging in their own works.
Likewise, the Pharisees and those involved in the Mosaic economy in Jesus day, were involved with their own leaf covering. They were looking as good as that fig tree with leaves, but no good fruit. Of course, Jesus saw right through their dead works, and cursed the tree as we saw above in the passage from Mark.
Like Adam and Eve, the Pharisees pretended to have fruit, but did not. They were naked and had no fruit to show. They brought shame on themselves in their nakedness. They were pretending just like the fig tree.
So Jesus came along and cursed the fig tree and it withered and died even down to the root. But noticed what it says about that kind of curse in Galatians:
Galatians 3:10
10 For all who are of works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the Law, to do them.”
Galatians 3:13-14
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”-- 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Not only did Jesus kill down to the root the false works of the Mosaic economy and the Pharisees, He gave the power to those who have faith to cast false condemnation and doubt into the sea. That word "doubt" that is in Mark 11:23 has to do with self condemnation. You see God has made it possible for us not to have that doubt and self condemnation through faith in Jesus and what he has done. And when we do believe Him, we have the power to resist the corrupt systems of this world.
Believe you are made right with God. If you turn to God in faith, the vail is lifted and you can have that revelation of knowledge that comes and destroys condemnation in your heart.
Grace restores hearts so that we can believe we are who he says we are. Don't cover yourself in leaves, cover yourself with His grace.