Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Matthew 21:18-22 

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree 

18 Early in the morning, as Jesus 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. 

20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. 

21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, 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.”  

This passage makes more sense when we read it in the larger context of Matthew 21. This is the chapter we often hear on Palm Sunday, when Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey. He goes straight into the heart of the city, all the way to the temple, where he drives out the money changers. 

The encounter with the fig tree happens as Jesus is on his way back to the city after yet another disappointing interaction with the temple leadership. So this is not just a strange gardening miracle. The fig tree represents a temple system that appears alive on the outside but is not bearing fruit. 

One of the central themes in the Gospel stories is that Jesus comes to judge the temple system and to reorganize worship around himself as the new temple. Then, at Pentecost, there is an even more surprising turn: through the Holy Spirit, God’s presence dwells in the people of Jesus. In that sense, we become living temples—walking, talking witnesses to God’s presence in the world. 

From that vantage point, we are invited to “check our branches” and ask whether there is fruit in our lives. As you reflect on your own life, do you see the fruit of the Spirit? Paul names this fruit in Galatians: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). Producing fruit is not what saves us; Jesus does that. But fruit is evidence that our lives are being aligned with God’s heart for the world. And God’s heart is that all people would know they are loved, welcomed, and included. Why wouldn’t we want to pursue that? 

– Pr. Jason  

Jesus, help me to bear the fruit of your spirit in my life so that all might know that they are loved by you. Amen.