Jesus Devotional - Day 2
Day Two
Jesus: Real, Relevant, and Radical!
What Am I Producing? - Part 1
Mark 11:12-25(NLT) “The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!’ And the disciples heard him say it. 15When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. 17He said to them, 'The Scriptures declare, "My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,” but you have turned it into a den of thieves.’ 18When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching. 19That evening Jesus and the disciples left the city. 20 The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. 21Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, ‘Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!’ 22Then Jesus said to the disciples, 'Have faith in God. 23I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, "May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea," and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 25But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.’”
Jesus was not just disliked; Jesus was hated! Do those words shock you? I challenge you to read the Gospels and see the level of conflict that surrounds Jesus. You might be surprised. If you grew up in church, you might have been introduced to the “meek and mild” version of Jesus. They do not crucify the meek and mild; they crucify radicals. To say that Jesus was “radical” is a huge understatement. Why was Jesus so hated? How can the same people who shout “Hosanna” on Sunday shout “Crucify” on Friday? Jesus, the Healer, the One who raised the dead, the multiplier of food, the “blesser” of children, the Teacher of God’s Kingdom—why would He be so hated?
Jesus is (pardon the expression) the divine “Messer,” the divine “Interferer.” Jesus will mess with you before He blesses you. You see, He will confront you with truth at the deepest core of who you are. When we are confronted on that level, we can only respond in one of two ways: Repentance or Rejection! Sadly, most choose the latter. We see this in the actions of Jesus, the surprise of the disciples, and the anger of the Pharisees.
Mark 11:12-14(NLT) ”The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14 Then Jesus said to the tree, 'May no one ever eat your fruit again!’ and the disciples heard him say it.”
If you read it casually, it might seem unfair to the tree. Notice what it says: that it was too early in the season for fruit. If that is true and Jesus curses the tree, then it appears Jesus is simply in a bad mood because He is hungry and His blood sugar is low, so He gets annoyed at the fig tree and curses it to death.
Initially, it might seem that Jesus is simply having a bad morning and, because He can’t find any fruit, He decides to curse the poor tree. However, this is the week of Passover, so it's safe to say it’s around the first week of April. Why is that important? Because around the end of March, the leaves start to appear on these fig trees, and within about a week, the leaf cover is complete. Sometimes, even earlier, a crop of small knobs—not real figs but an early indicator, appears. They grow to the size of green almonds and are eaten by travelers when hungry. When they mature, they drop off. These early figs are called “taqsh” in Palestinian Arabic. Their appearance signals that the true figs will show up in about six weeks. As Mark says, “it was too early in the season for fruit.” But if the leaves appear without any of these small “taqsh,” it indicates there will be no figs. The small buds and initial fruit are signs of the real fruit to come; no buds, no fruit! Since Jesus found "nothing but leaves"—leaves without any taqsh—He knew it was an utterly hopeless, fruitless fig tree that only had the appearance of fruit but none to enjoy.
Jesus neither threw a temper tantrum nor cursed the fig tree, even though it couldn’t produce fruit. He cursed the tree because it should have been bearing fruit, as it showed signs of productivity. He curses a non-bearing fig tree on the way to the temple, and the disciples overhear it. As always, when it comes to Jesus, He isn't interested in appearances; He wants us to understand how things really are. He is teaching a lesson not by speaking directly to the disciples but by actually speaking to a fruitless fig tree.
If the Master were hungry and needed to eat the fruit that your life produces, would He find what He needs? You might think, “Wait a minute. God does not have a need.” You are right, but the fruit He desires from us is always for others. We see this when Jesus ministers to the woman at the well, and His disciples return after they go to buy food. He says this to them in John 4:31-34 (NLT): “ Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, 'Rabbi, eat something.’ 32But Jesus replied, 'I have a kind of food you know nothing about.’ 33 'Did someone bring him food while we were gone?’ the disciples asked each other. 34 Then Jesus explained: 'My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.”
Jesus says His food is doing the Father’s will, and the Father’s will is to serve others. You might be a beautiful-looking tree, but appearances can be deceiving, according to Jesus. Jesus wants us to know that He needs to trust us to produce fruit that others can enjoy. This radical Messiah isn’t just interested in us appearing to be good followers; He wants us to be producing followers. What kind of fruit are you producing? This Easter season, with all its new challenges, let’s focus on how we can serve like Jesus and feed others. You might be surprised that doing the will of God will feed you more than any other kind of food ever will.
Prayer Focus:
“Hard Sayings of the Bible” (Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Peter H. Davids, F. F. Bruce, Manfred Brauch)
Jesus: Real, Relevant, and Radical!
What Am I Producing? - Part 1
Mark 11:12-25(NLT) “The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!’ And the disciples heard him say it. 15When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. 17He said to them, 'The Scriptures declare, "My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,” but you have turned it into a den of thieves.’ 18When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching. 19That evening Jesus and the disciples left the city. 20 The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. 21Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, ‘Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!’ 22Then Jesus said to the disciples, 'Have faith in God. 23I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, "May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea," and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 25But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.’”
Jesus was not just disliked; Jesus was hated! Do those words shock you? I challenge you to read the Gospels and see the level of conflict that surrounds Jesus. You might be surprised. If you grew up in church, you might have been introduced to the “meek and mild” version of Jesus. They do not crucify the meek and mild; they crucify radicals. To say that Jesus was “radical” is a huge understatement. Why was Jesus so hated? How can the same people who shout “Hosanna” on Sunday shout “Crucify” on Friday? Jesus, the Healer, the One who raised the dead, the multiplier of food, the “blesser” of children, the Teacher of God’s Kingdom—why would He be so hated?
Jesus is (pardon the expression) the divine “Messer,” the divine “Interferer.” Jesus will mess with you before He blesses you. You see, He will confront you with truth at the deepest core of who you are. When we are confronted on that level, we can only respond in one of two ways: Repentance or Rejection! Sadly, most choose the latter. We see this in the actions of Jesus, the surprise of the disciples, and the anger of the Pharisees.
Mark 11:12-14(NLT) ”The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14 Then Jesus said to the tree, 'May no one ever eat your fruit again!’ and the disciples heard him say it.”
If you read it casually, it might seem unfair to the tree. Notice what it says: that it was too early in the season for fruit. If that is true and Jesus curses the tree, then it appears Jesus is simply in a bad mood because He is hungry and His blood sugar is low, so He gets annoyed at the fig tree and curses it to death.
Initially, it might seem that Jesus is simply having a bad morning and, because He can’t find any fruit, He decides to curse the poor tree. However, this is the week of Passover, so it's safe to say it’s around the first week of April. Why is that important? Because around the end of March, the leaves start to appear on these fig trees, and within about a week, the leaf cover is complete. Sometimes, even earlier, a crop of small knobs—not real figs but an early indicator, appears. They grow to the size of green almonds and are eaten by travelers when hungry. When they mature, they drop off. These early figs are called “taqsh” in Palestinian Arabic. Their appearance signals that the true figs will show up in about six weeks. As Mark says, “it was too early in the season for fruit.” But if the leaves appear without any of these small “taqsh,” it indicates there will be no figs. The small buds and initial fruit are signs of the real fruit to come; no buds, no fruit! Since Jesus found "nothing but leaves"—leaves without any taqsh—He knew it was an utterly hopeless, fruitless fig tree that only had the appearance of fruit but none to enjoy.
Jesus neither threw a temper tantrum nor cursed the fig tree, even though it couldn’t produce fruit. He cursed the tree because it should have been bearing fruit, as it showed signs of productivity. He curses a non-bearing fig tree on the way to the temple, and the disciples overhear it. As always, when it comes to Jesus, He isn't interested in appearances; He wants us to understand how things really are. He is teaching a lesson not by speaking directly to the disciples but by actually speaking to a fruitless fig tree.
If the Master were hungry and needed to eat the fruit that your life produces, would He find what He needs? You might think, “Wait a minute. God does not have a need.” You are right, but the fruit He desires from us is always for others. We see this when Jesus ministers to the woman at the well, and His disciples return after they go to buy food. He says this to them in John 4:31-34 (NLT): “ Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, 'Rabbi, eat something.’ 32But Jesus replied, 'I have a kind of food you know nothing about.’ 33 'Did someone bring him food while we were gone?’ the disciples asked each other. 34 Then Jesus explained: 'My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.”
Jesus says His food is doing the Father’s will, and the Father’s will is to serve others. You might be a beautiful-looking tree, but appearances can be deceiving, according to Jesus. Jesus wants us to know that He needs to trust us to produce fruit that others can enjoy. This radical Messiah isn’t just interested in us appearing to be good followers; He wants us to be producing followers. What kind of fruit are you producing? This Easter season, with all its new challenges, let’s focus on how we can serve like Jesus and feed others. You might be surprised that doing the will of God will feed you more than any other kind of food ever will.
Prayer Focus:
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to you, even if it's difficult.
- Pray that you will be a fruit-bearing follower of Jesus.
- Release all fear and failure to your Father, and ask the Holy Spirit to empower you to serve others.
- This week, feed on your Father’s will by helping others. Let the Lord guide you in whom to minister to.
“Hard Sayings of the Bible” (Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Peter H. Davids, F. F. Bruce, Manfred Brauch)
Posted in Jesus Devotional