Randy Suits

The Unusual Palestinian Fig

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Dear Ewa,

The fig tree is one of the oldest known fruit tree species cultivated by man. It is astonishing that the Palestinian Fig Tree first opens its buds and then its leaves. The fruits of the fig tree develop before the leaves and the leaves develop together with the ripening fruit. When a fig tree is covered with leaves, one can expect the fruit to be fully developed and ripe enough to eat. If one sees a mature fig tree fully covered with leaves in late March or early April, one would expect premature and early fruit. The early fig was often ripe for Passover and Jesus entered Jerusalem a few days before the holy celebration. It was considered a great delicacy by the Hebrews. Occasionally figs from the fall harvest remain on the old branches of the tree and can be eaten in the spring as well. But the first fruits are usually ripe in early June. The second crop of figs ripen in mid to late August. This fact provides a basis of understanding for why our Lord Jesus Christ cursed the fig tree. Two scriptural references in Mathew 21 and Mark 11 report the day Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the fig tree. Mark says, “seeing from a distance that the tree had leaves,” Jesus quite naturally expected to find figs to satisfy his hunger. Our Lord saw that for all the splendid foliage it was a hopeless and fruitless tree which would not provide food. It could only provide false hope and disappointment to anyone who saw it and expected to eat of the fruit. Jesus told a parable about a a man who planted a fig tree but found no fruit for three consecutive years. He commanded his gardener (Luke 13: 6-9) to cut it down! “Why should it use up the soil”? The gardener replied, “let it alone and I will dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year it will remain. If not, then cut it down.” Servants of God are to be fruitful for the Kingdom of Heaven. We are the early fruit that develops before the second (fully leaved) coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. When God looks upon our tree (soul) may He see the early fruit of our works (faith without works is dead {James 2:14-17 } “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one says to them, “Go in peace and be filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”) Unlike the unusual Palestinian Fig, it is both usual and expected that we, as children of the King be fruitful all our days in service of the King of Kings.

We serve a mighty God and Savior, Kochany