Mark 11:12-14

[BrotherBill]

12And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:

13And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.

14And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

The moral of the story is: all living things be they humans, animals, or fig trees, should be as Jesus desires. The fig tree may not have been in season, but it still made the choice not to bear figs.

[Pastor Billy-Reuben]

Re: Mark 11:12-14

Mark must not have been paying as much attention as Matthew, because Matthew saw this:

Matt 21:19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
Matt 21:20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!

I guess not all the disciples saw it, because Mark didn't seem to notice the fig tree withering away before his eyes.

But the point is, don't be like that fig tree. Always bear good fruit for the Lord, whether you feel like it or not.

Pastor Billy-Reuben

[Brother V]

Re: Mark 11:12-14

I'm reminded of 2 Timothy 4:2

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

It doesn't matter that it's not the right time of the year, one should always bear fruit!

It's especially noticeable in this current season, when there's all kinds of C&E "christians" who make their final church pilgrimage for the year.

Matthew 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

Do you bear good fruit? Do you bear good fruit out of season?

YIC
V

[Pastor Rune Enoe]

Re: Mark 11:12-14

I have often debated this very pericope with unbeliever, who delight in calling Jesus a fool and an idiot (forgive me, Lord) for trying to pick figs when "the time of figs was not yet".

I always have to point out to these sinners that Jesus was perfectly knowledgeable in the ways of figs:

Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

In this verse Jesus tells us that fig trees don't put forth leaves before summer, so naturally He knew that the tree wouldn't bear any figs as He approached the tree before Easter.

One more:

Luke 6:44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.

You don't gather figs of thorns. And it goes without saying that you don't gather figs of fig trees when "the time of figs was not yet".

Once again Jesus has proved that when Bible-scoffers think they've found a contradiction in the Bible, they are actually proving the intrinsic wisdom of the Word of God (1611).

[Ezekiel Bathfire]

Re: Mark 11:12-14

As a matter of historical fact, the fig tree, that well-known speaking tree, was given the opportunity to be king of all trees and turned the job down:

J'g:9:10: And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
J'g:9:11: But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?

Looking at that verse, we see what an arrogant, selfish, uncaring and self-obsessed tree the fig is, no wonder it was regularly cursed.