Day 9 – Fig tree

(Ficus carica)

“In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up.” Matthew 18-19 NLT

The most popular mention of the fig is when Jesus gave the command for the fig to never bear fruit again – and it obeyed! There are multiple commentaries and sermons about these few verses, which all carry truth. As a little girl, I always thought Jesus wasn’t very nice with the tree…

The fig tree is symbolic of our souls, and we find it frequently in scripture. When Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. In the Gospels of Matthew (24:32) and Luke (21:29) Jesus mentions the tree parable found in Judges 9 and the importance thereof in the end times. See, Jesus used the fig tree as an example for us to evaluate our souls. A tree with no spiritual fruit is a soul not bearing witness to the Holy Spirit. Adam and Eve tried to hide the nakedness of their sinful souls with the fig leaves, and Jesus mentioned the tree parable so we could study it and understand the eternal value of our souls.

Read today’s verses again and put your soul in the place of the fig. Would you wither up too or will there be fruit?

Prayer: Father, thank You for using to fig tree to teach us valuable lessons on how we should view our souls and our eternity. May what I do today bear fruit pleasing to Jesus that when He comes to look for fruit, He will not find nothing. Amen.

Love, Pastor Iriza