JESUS once cursed a fig tree.Yep, the Jesus who healed the sick, fed the hungry, and wept with the broken…cursed a tree.
The story unfolds during Jesus’ final week before the cross, a time when every word, every action, every miracle carried weight.
He’s on His way to Jerusalem, probably tired, definitely hungry (which makes this all even more relatable).
He sees a fig tree full of leaves, which is usually a good sign for life!
But this tree? All leaves, no figs. False advertising: “Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to find out if it had any fruit. When He reached it, He found nothing but leaves…
Then He said to the tree, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again.’ (Mark 11:13–14) Now here’s the part that always made me pause, it wasn’t even fig season! So why would Jesus expect fruit?
Because the tree gave all the signs that it had something to offer. Just like we sometimes do. You know…worship hands raised, “bless you sister,” church check-ins, the occasional Bible verse on our Insta & FB stories…leaves. But where’s the fruit?
“These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.” (Isa 29:13 & Mat 15:8).
That one stings, doesn’t it? It’s not about having a Christian playlist on Spotify or a Jesus fish on your bumper. It’s about whether there’s actual fruit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…the kind of fruit that grows when we’re rooted in Him, not just trying to look the part.
In Scripture, fig trees often simbolised Israel (see Jeremiah 8:13, Hosea 9:10).
Jesus wasn’t just hungry. He was heartbroken. This tree represented a nation, a people who had the appearance of devotion, but no real spiritual substance.
They were “leafy” with religion but barren of repentance.
And isn’t that what He’s still looking for today? Not perfect people. Not religious performances.
But desperate obedience. The kind that says: “God, I’m done pretending. I don’t want to just look alive, I want to be alive in You.” “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal 2:20). He wants real fruit. Eternal fruit.
He doesn’t want us to impress Him with appearances. He wants our yes in the hidden places. The fig tree had a flashy front, but no substance.
And Jesus showed us that barrenness in the face of opportunity invites judgment. And yet, even in this moment of holy anger, He turns to His disciples and teaches something wild: “If you have faith and do not doubt… you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.” (Mat 21:21).
Faith moves things. And obedience waters that faith.
But here’s the thing, fruit doesn’t grow overnight. It grows in the soil of surrender. And that takes daily choices, sometimes dramatic, sometimes quiet, that says: “I want to bear fruit that lasts.” Even when it’s not “fig season.”
Not performance. Not perfection.
But a heart that’s done playing church and ready to be the Church. A heart that says, “Lord, I don’t want to honor You with my lips and deny You with my life.”“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10).
Let’s be the kind of disciples that don’t just sprout leafy branches, but carry the weight of heaven’s harvest.
Because this world doesn’t need more noise. It needs fruit-bearers who walk in desperate obedience to the One who gave it all. (VICKY LUDICK)
“Christian” bullies
I’VE had my fair share of experience with being bul- lied by my fellow Christian brothers & sisters. What does Christian bullying look like?
How does Christian bullying affect The Body of Christ?
Christian bullies are always looking for a good fight. They tend to be in your face and intimidating, all in the name of taking a stand for the truth of God. Jesus Christ was anything but a bully. He knew who were for Him and who were against Him. Do you?
The Bible commands us to love our neighbour as ourselves (Mark 12:31) and to treat others the way we would like to be treated (Luke 6:31). There is no room in the Christian faith for belittling or abusing someone. Every person, regardless of what he or she looks or acts like, is created in the image of God. (Galatians 5:14,15).
“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.”
Paul informs us that bullying in the body of Christ is nothing new. Note that the opposite of walking in love towards one another is biting and devouring one another. Isn’t it ironic that Peter would say that our adversary the devil goes around, seeking whom he may devour. Thus, Christian bullies are assisting the devil in devouring their brothers and sisters whenever they launch out with unkind or unloving words or actions.
We see this when Christian bullies refers to someone, who rejoices in their salvation as a “baby Christian”. Also when Christians point out other people’s sin to elevate their own “holiness”.
I often hear: “If you are really a Christian you will…or will not…” (this is not just bullying, but also spiritual blackmail). Did you know that getting other people to ‘not like someone’, or to dislike someone that you have a issue with is a form of Christian witchcraft?
How often do we see videos on social media of self-proclaimed “Christians” trashing other believers, and then using the word “discernment” to justify their hate? If it was truly about discernment you would not have to “warn” other believers about a person by their name. When (and IF) we truly have / or are under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we should be able to discern ourselves whether a person is a false teacher or not.
Using the Bible (or God’s word) against a fellow believer, or when arguing with another Christian we are no longer operating as a child of God; I can assure you doing that is from the devil.
Such behaviour (and all forms of Christian bullying) may stem from insecurity, jealousy, a need for control, a sense of powerlessness and often because the bully struggles with their own faith, or his/her own relationship with God. We need to do better. We need to be better Christians. Start with your identity in Christ. God bless you. Know your identity in Christ! (Riaan Swiegelaar)