Ep. 237. Matthew 21 | The Withered Fig Tree

EPISODE 237

THE WITHERED FIG TREE: MATTHEW 21, MARK 11

I can't overstate the importance of thinking about Jesus's Jewishness and his initial ministry to his fellow Jews. We tend to read the Gospels as though Jesus were interacting with twenty-first-century believers, but the reality is that the prophecies of the Old Testament were written by Jews for Jews so that they might see and recognize the coming of the Messiah (who was also going to be Jewish).

Jesus came to the Jews to fulfill the Scripture in the same way that he was born in Bethlehem, fled to Egypt, was raised in Nazareth, healed the sick, died on the cross, and was raised from the dead. Everything he did was to reveal himself as the promised Messiah. Should we be surprised that when Jesus sent out the 12 in Matthew 10, he instructed them to go ONLY to the lost sheep of Israel? Are we shocked that he told the Greek woman, "I came only for the lost sheep of Israel?" Is it a wonder to us that his ministry was the fulfillment of the Scripture or that he had to be forsaken by the Jews and crucified to accomplish the full work of God?

We understand then that Jesus had to come to the Jews, had to proclaim the truth to them, had to be rejected by them, and had to be put to death to fulfill everything the prophets of old had written. The Jews had to be hardened, had to disbelieve, and had to rebel against the God of heaven so that salvation could come to the world. They never would have crucified him if they had believed in the Lord of Glory.

Jesus had to come to Jerusalem, but it was not the season for fruit nor the time for them to believe so salvation would be offered to the Gentiles. The withering of the fig tree is a timely illustration of what God had done and was doing in the hearts of the people of Israel. But we ought not believe that God has abandoned Israel to be destroyed in the last days for, "The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable." This quote from Romans relates directly to the hardness of hearts among the people of Israel and speaks to the day in the future when God awakens the hearts of Israel to put their faith in Jesus.

ADDITIONAL READING: Genesis 49:11; Zechariah 9:9; Malachi 4:5-6; Deuteronomy 18: 18-20; Deuteronomy 14:24-26; Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11; Psalm 8:2; Mark 11:12-14; Romans 11:25,29; Psalm 118:22; 1 Corinthians 2:8-9