Growth, Bearing Fruit, Cross Pollinating, Fertilizing, Pruning.

Hello Everyone! I know that we have been going through Exodus together for quite some time. HOWEVER… Through a series of events, conversations and sitting in the word, the Lord has put in on my heart to talk about the Fig tree with you. One thing that I have recently picked up from another writer, who I encourage you to check out ( Lindsay Dryer), is the request that before you read the rest of the blog you read the scripture that it is pertaining to. I know that we do this on Sunday mornings, so why not here?

            Matthew 21:18-22, Mark 11:12-25, Luke 13:6-9

As always, there is a lot to unpack here. I am not going to unpack it all. I am also going to try to not follow the rabbit. Know that if I followed the rabbit we would also end up in Hosea 9 and Micah 6&7. That would lead us to so much more. So, I do encourage you to seek for yourself.

In Matthew 21:18-22, we read about Jesus being on his way back to the city of Jerusalem. On his way he found himself hungry. When he got to the tree he found only leaves. So, he curses the tree to never bear fruit again. It withers immediately.

In Mark 11:12-25, we read that Jesus was leaving Bethany on his way to Jerusalem. He was Hungry and saw a fig tree in leaf. When he got to the tree he found no figs because it was not in season. Then he cursed the fig tree to never bear fruit again. The story picks back up after Jesus clears out the temple that has become a den of robbers. The disciples and Jesus then see that the tree has withered.

( I am not concerned about the variation in the text because there are different writers form different perspectives. We all see things first from our view and include what we find relevant)

In Luke 13:6-9, we read a parable about a fig tree. A man had a fig tree in a vineyard, that had not bore fruit for the past three years. He has a conversation with his worker to tear it down. The worker tells the man that he would like to dig around the base and fertilize it. If it then bears fruit, fine. If it still does not, he will cut it down.

To explain any of this I want to first explain figs, trees, leaves, and seasons. A fig is considered a syconium. A syconium is a fleshy hollow receptacle that develops into a “multiple fruit”, as in a fig. Cultivated fig trees have two seasons. A Breba season and a New wood season. The Breba season is when the tree produces leaves and produces fruit on the previous years shoot. This season is around the beginning of June. Many people remove this fruit because it encourages the growth of the fruit for the next season (New wood season). Leaving this fruit would use up water and energy needed for the New wood season. This fruit is easily destroyed by frost and is not lasting. It often goes bad quickly. Many people refer to this fruit as the poor man’s fruit. The Next season is the New wood season. This season runs from August to October. The fruit ripens on the current year’s new growth. This fruit is larger and superior in quality. Some people hold the belief that there are three seasons to figs. This third “season” is actually just a growth stage that figs go through. This is not a season of fruit, just something that happens to the fruit. This stage is the caprification. There are three parts of the caprification. There is the male fig,(Capri fig) that is filled with pollen bearing flowers. There is the female fig,(Smyrna fig) that will only ripen when it has been pollinated. Finally, there is the Fig wasp. The fig wasp is adapted to living with and in figs. This wasp carries pollen from male figs to female figs. These wasps are usually only about 1.5mm in size. More often than not the wasp will die inside the female fig. The wasp will die pollinating the fig, not because it wants to, but because this is it’s life by design. There are common figs that do not require this stage. Common figs are still edible, they just lack the quality and flavor of one that has been pollinated.

Everything that is in the word is by design. All of it. When Jesus walked up, the season would have been during Passover. If the tree were full of leaves, it would mean that it was going through seasons earlier than it should. It made the appearance to others from afar that it had something that it did not. It was not until one was up close that they were able to see that there was no real fruit. There were leaves, sure. The leaves are very crucial to the life of the tree. The leaves produce energy for the tree. The leaves use parts of water and carbon dioxide to make sugar. The water gets to the leaf through a set of pipes inside the tree, which go all the way down to the roots. The base. The foundation. Having leaves did show that the tree was getting water from its foundation. However, this tree made itself look like it had growth that it did not. This tree made it look like it had matured to a season that it was not ready for. For this deception, the Lord cursed this tree. The other tree, however, has no mention of leaves. Only a lack of fruit is mentioned. The owner is ready to cut it down. The worker, however, wants to dig at the foundation and feed the tree.

My questions for you…

Are you a tree that shows itself to have growth that is does not?

Are you trying to do things out of the Lord’s timing?

Are you a tree that never produces fruit for its master?

Specifically, for Disciple Makers:

Are you a worker that is willing to dig into the foundation and fertilize others? Keep in mind, that not all fertilizer smells good and not every tree will grow when fertilized.

Are you willing to prune those who produce no fruit?