SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 11
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
The LORD called you a thriving olive tree with fruit beautiful in form. But with the roar of a mighty storm he will set it on fire, and its branches will be broken. [Jeremiah 11:16]
There are some important parallels between Jeremiah 11 and Mark 11.
In Jeremiah 11, the prophet curses the olive tree, and the leaders of Anathoth determine to kill him [Jeremiah 11:21-23].
In Mark 11 Jesus curses the fig tree, and the leaders of Jerusalem plot to kill Him [Mark 11:18].
In between these fig tree and the leaders plot, Jesus enters the temple and clears it out – quoting Jeremiah 7, Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD. [Jeremiah 7:11]
The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 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, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. [Mark 11:12-14]
God frequently compares His people to a fruit-bearing plant, lamenting how often they fail to produce good fruit.
Whenever this analogy is used, it either refers to God’s desire for the fruit of good lives (the fruit of the Spirit) or God’s frustration at the bad fruit that is being produced.
From the account in Mark, we need to see the cursing of the fig as a dramatic parable designed to impress on the disciples the seriousness of living God-honouring lives.

God has given us everything we need to produce good fruit, ie the Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. [Galatians 5:22-23]
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. [2 Peter 1:3]
This doesn’t mean that it will be easy (we will still struggle against the old nature), but it is not impossible -in fact it is very much possible, with His help!
God expects good fruit, and God is frustrated when we do not produce it.
God is tending and pruning us, doing His part to help us produce good fruit.
But eventually if we do not cooperate and produce, He will turn over the tables in our lives, He will execute judgment like He did in Jeremiah’s day.
Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” [Luke 13:6-9]

PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for tending and pruning me, and for helping me to produce good fruit. Help me to increase my productivity!