the fig tree... {D}

the pumpkins vines...

zinnia seeds...

*Edit...after reading this over, I kinda feel like it came out of left field. Sometimes I forget that I have had time to think over what I share with you and you haven't. So let me start again...In my quiet time this morning, my devotional had me in Mark 11. After reading the scripture, I pulled out a couple of commentaries to see what the scholars had to say. I started to think about my longed for pumpkin patch...I started the seeds in plenty of time, the sun was good, the water was adequate but no fruit...sigh. Sometimes our spiritual life can be the same. We do what we are supposed to do but somehow our life doesn't appear to bare much fruit. Appearances can be deceiving. Now...

I show you these two pictures to make a point...the seeds were both planted at the same time, both showed signs of promise, both germinated and produced leaves, same sunshine, same amount of water but one flourished and one never made it past the show of leaves...the promise of potential...it literally died on the vine.

My post will be short because I believe it provides plenty of food for thought, (I know it has for me) it will take a moment to ponder.

Mark 11:12-14, 20-21 "The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 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. Then Jesus said, "May no one ever eat of your fruit again."...the next morning... the fig tree had withered and died."

This is one of those portions of scripture that I never understood. At first read it seems that Jesus is acting out of anger and has cursed the fig tree. But his cursing of the fig tree was to provide a teachable moment to his disciples who were with him. To put this into context, this is Jesus last week walking the earth in human form. His disciples have now been with him for two years, they have seen him perform countless miracles, they know his teachings and they know him intimately as a friend. Their faith should be huge, their fruit should be abundant.

He is not making this point to new believers but to well seasoned followers. The fig tree was not cursed because it bore no fruit, it was cursed because it was not what it appeared to be. This teachable moment was a warning about spiritual hypocrisy. He was saying that the Jewish people appeared to be religious but they were merely hypocrites.

If we claim a desire to be authentic, then this is one scripture we don't want to ignore or take lightly. Think this one over and let me know what you think. Leave a comment or send me an email at inthegardenpm1@aol.com. I would love to here from you.

Blessings,

Patty