Matthew 21:18-22 - Judgement and Deliverance

Together and we're entering into oh I'm sorry, I did this.

I promised myself I wouldn't do this, but I did this.

And they're leaving me this time.

Eager I yeah.

I sat there, the last thing I said to myself was, Don't forget the song.

Let's do it.

Let's we can do it.

Jinn hasn't left me.

The Jinns haven't left me.

Uh-oh.

I don't know who the fool was who trying to make you forget to sing that song.

Anyway, let's go to Matthew chapter 21.

Matthew 21 · chapter mention

Matthew 21.

We're working ourselves deeper into the final week of Jesus Christ here on earth in his ministry.

As we come into this a little more deeply, we come to a passage of Scripture that just seems a little, well, strange on the surface.

Begins in verse 18 of Matthew 21.

Early in the morning, as he was returning to the city, he was hungry.

Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves, and he said to it, May no fruit ever come from you again.

At once the fig tree withered.

When the disciples saw it, they were amazed and said, How did the fig tree wither so quickly?

Jesus answered them, Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you tell this mountain, be lifted up and thrown into the sea, it will be done.

And if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

So Jesus has come to Jerusalem, and we saw his grand entry a couple weeks ago.

We saw him in the temple last week.

And here we have him coming back into Jerusalem.

The verse before that we looked at in verse 17 says he went out of the city to Bethany.

So he's coming from Bethany back to Jerusalem and probably would have passed through the little village of Bethphage, which he would have done as we looked at a couple weeks ago.

Verse 1 mentions him coming through there as he embarked on that day to Jerusalem riding on the full of a donkey.

You might remember a couple weeks ago that I mentioned that the little village of Bethphage is a Greek transliteration of an Aramaic name for the place of unripe figs, right?

So it's not just a little ironic that here, early morning, Jesus is hungry and comes across a lone fig tree.

The appearance of the leaves on that fig tree brings some hope that it's carrying some sweet early figs.

But as promising as it looks, the leaves are un the tree's unproductive, there's no figs on it at all.

And Jesus makes this pronouncement may no fruit ever come from you again, and immediately it withers.

You know, we read this passage of scripture and we're kind of jolted by this raw display of power.

And what appears to be a display of power simply for destructive purposes.

It seems completely out of character of Jesus.

We read of his power a lot in the Gospel of Matthew, but it's his power to heal, his power to save, his power to deliver.

We have people who are deaf who can hear, blind who can see, who are lame who can walk.

We don't see him sort of cursing whole things and making them wither away.

Jesus uses his power to heal, not to destroy, but here he does.

And it appears to be almost like a sullen, vindictive response to, you know, not getting some food from a tree expected to have for breakfast.

And that puzzlement is compounded when we, like the disciples, are sort of curious as to what's going on, and Jesus makes a more, even more mysterious statement about God affirming the disciples' faith-filled prayer that even if they ask for a mountain to be thrown into the sea, it will be.

What is all of this about?

What is this passage teaching us?

What can we learn from it?

Well, this is one of those passages in Scripture that's easy to look at on the surface and misunderstand and misconstrue and misappropriate and can take you into all kinds of bizarre places.

A lot of people will take this passage and tell you that you know it's all about the amount of faith that you have and that you need to sort of cast out of your soul any kind of doubting whatsoever.

And then you can have pretty much anything you want.

Just name it and believe, and it's yours.

This is not a recipe for us walking around like Bruce Nolan, Jim Carey's uh character, and Bruce Almighty, and just kind of going zap, zap, zap, zap.

That's what I want.

Zap.

It's not that.

There's something very significant being said here in the last week of Jesus' earthly ministry that we need to take note of.

And it's hard for us to catch it if we don't understand what's going on in this passage of Scripture.

So this morning I want to unpack it and then apply it.

And we're going to look in two major headings.

We're going to look at some preliminary things that we have to look at, give us some insight in these preliminary details.

And then we're going to look at its prophetic intent.

What is it actually saying to us?

Well, first of all, some preliminary insight.

The first thing we run across here are figs.

A lot of discussion about figs here.

The lone fig tree, Jesus wants to eat some figs.

There's no figs on the tree, even though there's leaves.

What he wants, he thought he could get some food there, but he can't.

What's going on here?

Well, there's a couple things we need to know about fig trees.

First of all, the season of figs.

This is Passover time in Jerusalem.

So we're talking, you know, March, April time.

And fig trees in that climate are just beginning to come into leaf.

They're not yet a full leaving.

It's early spring still.

But once the leaves are fully developed, then people would be used to seeing fruit on them.

And normally figs can be picked from about mid-May onward.

But it's not unheard of for a fig tree to sort of produce fruit early.

In fact, one early authority on the life in Palestine by the name of Bishop took a photograph on April 16th, 1936, with a tree of figs, full enough for people to gather and to eat.

So it's not unheard of that it's it's possible for a tree to bear edible figs at this time.

But look at verse 19.

Matthew draws our attention to the leaves.

Found nothing on it except leaves.

The reason he does this is because most fig trees begin to produce their fruit before they begin to produce their leaves.

And so you could expect if there's leaves, there's likely to be fruit, especially if the leaves are fully developed, like this tree is.

So this tree stands out as one that looks like it's going to be productive.

When you look at it at first glance, with its fullness of leaves, you think there's gotta be some fruit on there.

But as they look closer, they realize that it's barren.

One person said that because fig trees develop their fruit first and then their leaves, you see a tree with just leaves, it's never going to bear fruit for the rest of the season.

So here's the takeaway from just understanding this little detail about figs.

This tree offers the promise of satisfaction without the fulfillment.

From first glance, it looks great, but upon closer inspection, it's completely barren.

That's the first thing we notice here.

But there's something else to know about figs.

A lot of us grew up like I did, and the only thing I knew about figs was uh getting a fig newton out of the out of the cupboard and and having one.

I didn't know what a fig tree looked like, I didn't know what a fig looked like, I just knew what a fig newton looked like.

And I began to be acquainted with figs as I got older, and there's a fig tree actually on our property right in front of the white building.

And just a few months ago I went looking for the rest of the figs that were still there and ate a few of them.

So if you were hoping to get some, I got there first.

Figs were one of the one of the most popular domesticated plants in the land of Israel, grown for its fruit, but also grown because it's got large leaves for its shade.

And because it was fruitful and it could give you some respite from the heat of the sun, it becomes a symbol in the scriptures of God's covenant relationship with his people.

God is portrayed in Hosea chapter 9 and verse 10 as looking on the ancestors of Israel, and he says this: he said, I looked upon them as seeing the early fruit on the fig tree.

Hosea 9 · chapter mention

He looked at Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and he saw in them a development of a nation, the development of a nation whose name would have the name of God upon it, the development of a people who would glorify him from whom all the nations would come.

And as covenant beneficiaries, the nation of Israel is also enjoying the prosperity of God giving him them their pro his promises and living a life of security.

And during a high time of the history of Israel, during the Solomon's reign, in 1 Kings 4, it says, throughout Solomon's reign, Judah and Israel lived in safety from Dan to Beathsheba, from north to south, each person under his own vine and under his own fig tree.

What does that tell us?

It tells us that at the most basic level, this fig tree is viewed as a wonderful part of a settled life.

And to live your life under your fig tree, well, that means you get to live your life in joy and peace and safety and security.

You're not you're not in the armory putting on your armament, you're not grabbing your weapons, you're sitting happily under your fig tree and enjoying a peaceful life.

Moses told the people about to enter the promised land.

He said, I'm bringing you to a good land, a land with streams, springs, and deep water sources flowing with valleys and hills, a land of wheat, barley, vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey, a land where you'll eat food without shortage, where you'll lack nothing.

So this imagery of prosperity, this imagery of peace, this imagery of subtleness and satisfaction, Jesus comes upon a fig tree.

Now we need to turn to what the passage is driving at.

It's prophetic intent.

Because as strange as this account seems, Jesus is aligning his behavior with some of the actions of Old Testament prophets.

The Old Testament prophets often did things that were very, very strange and odd in order to bring a more vivid focus upon what they were saying.

And Jesus, out of the ordinary behavior here, is really sort of suggestive of those bizarre acts of the Old Testament prophets that were doing things also out of character to draw attention to their message.

Ezekiel.

So I opened my mouth and he fed me the scroll.

I don't know, God ever tell you to eat your Bible?

He's never told me to eat it.

Ezekiel's told to eat his Bible.

Or Hosea.

When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, he said to them this go and marry a woman of promiscuity and have children of promiscuity.

Why?

Because there was a message in the marriage.

So there's a prophetic symbolic action happening here.

And in this symbolic act, there's there's several different focal points that's meant to communicate here.

And the first of all is the sign about Israel itself.

The overtones of this fig tree that at first glance looks like it's going to be fruitful, but upon closer inspection is barren, is certainly indicative of the unfruitful nation of Israel.

And its instant withering away is foreboding of its coming judgment.

As I said a moment ago, Israel is a symbol, or the fig tree is a symbol of this covenant relationship of God with the people of Israel.

God saw the ancestors of Israel and said they have a promise like the early figs.

But Hosea 9:10 goes on.

Hosea 9:10

But they went to Baal Peor.

They consecrated themselves to shame and became aborant like the thing they loved.

Micah, another prophet, uses the fig tree as an emblem of the discouragement and disappointment of a nation turned to disobedience.

Micah 7.

How sad for me.

I'm like one who, when the summer fruit has been gathered after the gleaning of the grape harvest, finds no grape cluster to eat, no early fig which I crave.

Faithful people have vanished from the land.

There's no one upright among the people.

All of them wait in ambush to shed blood.

They hunt each other with a net.

The Lord feels the refusal of the nation of Israel just like a farmer who's invested all of his resources.

He's taken his land, his money, his time, his energy in cultivating a harvest and gathering in that harvest, only to open up the store cupboards where that harvest ought to be, and seeing it completely empty.

He said, This is what it's like to be with you, Israel.

That kind of rebellion will bring judgment upon itself.

And the prophets again look to the fig tree to talk about the impending judgment upon the people.

Jeremiah chapter 8, verse 10.

Jeremiah 8:10

From the prophets to the priest, everyone deals falsely.

They've treated the brokenness of my people superficially, claiming peace, peace when there is no peace.

Were they ashamed when they acted so detestably?

They weren't ashamed at all.

They can no longer feel humiliation.

Therefore they will fall among the fallen, and when I punish them, they will collapse, says the Lord.

I will gather them and bring them to an end.

This is the Lord's declaration.

There will be no grapes on the vine, no figs on the fig tree, and even the leaf will wither.

And whatever I've given them will be lost.

So here we have a prophetic, symbolic action of Jesus out of the ordinary, because it's got a message to say about Israel.

At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, John the Baptist, in introducing him, spoke to the Pharisees and spoke to the Sadducees, and he said, Bring forth fruit consistent with repentance.

And he warned them that if they didn't do this, that the axe was already at the root of the tree.

And every tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Jesus brings this emblem forward in Luke chapter 13.

Luke 13 · chapter mention

And he talks about a man that has a fig tree planted in his vineyard.

And he came to look for fruit on that fig tree, but didn't find any.

And he told his vineyard worker, Listen, for three years I've come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any.

Cut it down.

Why should it even waste the soil?

And the vineyard worker said, Sir, leave it here this year also.

Until I dig around it and I fertilize it, perhaps it'll produce fruit next year.

But if not, you can cut it down.

That little parable, the landowner in has exhausted his patience, his generosity.

The time has come when he comes to deservedly get the figs he should have off of his tree on his land.

But that fig tree is going to be cut down and burnt.

All of this is a warning, a warning of judgment that would come upon the hard-hearted if they refuse to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

And here at the very end of Jesus' ministry, there there comes this crucial moment in the divine timetable when Israel is again likened to a fig tree that is bearing no fruit.

Fruit that should be expected of it.

The leaves are full.

But it faces judgment.

Well, that sermon in Jeremiah 7 goes on to speak of the impending judgment upon the people.

And it says this in verse 20 The Lord will pour out his unburning his burning and unquenchable wrath on this place, on the people and animals, on the trees of the field, and on the produce of the land.

And now here we are with Jesus presenting an image of impending destruction through the cursing of this fig tree.

A fig tree that by every look of it ought to be bearing good fruit, ought to be a place of nourishment, ought to be a place of satisfaction, ought to be, but isn't.

We'll come back to that in just a moment.

But something else we learn here is not just a prophetic sign about Israel, but a prophetic sign about Jesus himself.

As we've been going through the Gospel of Matthew together, Matthew has been helping us to understand who Jesus is: the son of Abraham, the son of David, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies, fulfilling Old Testament expectations of great Old Testament roles and offices, prophet and priest and king.

We've seen that all over the place.

In fact, all the Gospels do that.

They talk about Jesus as our teacher, prophet, as our sin bearer, priest, as our ruler, king.

And all of these offices come together here in this one chapter.

We've had Jesus riding on the full of a donkey, offering himself as the king.

We see him in the temple, declaring people clean and making them clean so they can worship, just like a priest.

And now we have him here making a pronouncement against the nation of Israel, just like a prophet.

Here in one quick swoop of a chapter, prophet, priest, and king are given to us immediately in three rapid succession stories.

The entry.

The cleansing, the cursing, king, priest, and prophet, Jesus.

But he does so in such a strange way.

He enters Jerusalem, yes, as a king, but he doesn't establish a monarchy.

He goes to Jerusalem to bring peace between God and humanity.

He comes into the temple to cleanse the temple, not to restore the institution of the priesthood, but to announce himself that he is the priest and he is the sacrifice who will bring everyone to God.

And here he is pronouncing judgment on Israel.

But he's also making a comment about restoration and hope.

You see, Jesus is more than just a warrior king to us.

He's more than just a minister priest for us.

He's more than just a spokesman of God for us.

He's all of it and more.

And this passage of scripture is giving us a sign of who Jesus is.

J.

Packer put it this way: it is his glory given him by the Father to be in this way the all-sufficient Savior.

We who believe are called to understand this and to show ourselves as people by obeying him as king and trusting him as our priest and learning from him as our prophet and teacher.

To center on Jesus Christ in this way is the hallmark of authentic Christianity.

There's another prophetic sign here, not just a sign about Israel and a sign about Jesus, but there's a prophetic statement here being made to the disciples themselves.

Take a look at the passage again and just catch some of the feel of it.

Early in the morning, returning to the city, hungry, seeing a lone fig tree.

And then in verse 20, the disciples saw it and were amazed.

We don't hear words of crowds, we don't hear statements about chief priests and Pharisees and Sadducees.

We just have an intimate conversation going on here.

Jesus' last entry into Jerusalem was full of fanfare, people lining the streets and throwing their clothes down on the ground and waving tree branches and crying out, Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna, the son of David.

This isn't like that.

This is very quiet.

This is in the company of just a few people.

It's a conversation, not a coronation.

And Jesus is speaking with just his disciples.

And they see what's going on and they're amazed and they're like, What's going on here?

What happened?

And they're asking more the why question than the what happened question.

And Jesus stuns them with these words.

But you'll also be able to do this.

And look what he says.

He talks about moving a mountain.

Well, I mean, that's a general term, right?

Move mountains, you know, be able to perform the impossible.

Jesus uses it that way back in chapter 17, but there's something different here.

Take a look again.

Even if you tell this mountain be lifted up and thrown into the sea, it will be done.

Jesus is not talking about metaphorically just moving mountains, accomplishing the impossible.

He's pointing to one mountain.

He's pointing to a specific mountain.

If you say to this mountain, is there something he's pointing to that means something here?

I think so.

Coming from Bethany, Jesus would have gone over the Mount of Olives.

He would have come across it as he approached Jerusalem.

And so it's natural to assume that this mountain that he's talking about is the Mount of Olives.

And he's talking about the removal of the Mount of Olives.

There's only one reference in the Old Testament to the Mount of Olives.

Only one.

And it's in Zechariah chapter 14.

Zechariah 14 · chapter mention

And in Zechariah 14 it says, On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east.

The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half of the mountain will move to the north and half to the south.

And you will flee by my mountain valley, for the valley of the mountains will extend to the Azalv, and you will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah.

Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with him.

On that day, the Lord will become king over the whole earth, the Lord alone, and his name alone.

Zechariah also talks about the Mount of Olives being split from east to west.

Well, if you go too far west, you're going into the sea.

If you go too far east, you're going into the sea.

And the reason for that removal is to open up an escape route.

And the reason for that removal of the Mount of Olives is a sign of God's coming to deliver his people.

And if this is at all a connection to Zechariah chapter 14, which I think it is, but I'll leave room for doubt there, we're reading something prophetic about the nature and role of the apostles as they carry on the message of the kingdom of heaven after Jesus goes to heaven.

Zechariah 14 · chapter mention

So we have to ask ourselves, is this removal of the mountain meaning that they pray for the end time coming of the Son of Man?

Possibly.

Does it the removal of the mountain speak more metaphorically of the message of deliverance, the gospel that they're to preach?

And open it up for the people a place of escape to achieve God's intended purposes before the end comes?

Possibly.

But what it is definitely telling these disciples is that as they align themselves with God's purposes, be they purposes of judgment or salvation, the key point is to make sure you are a praying community and that you are a community zeroed in on the will of God and the program that God designs for this world.

This is not God saying, or Jesus saying, look, if you just have enough faith, you can have what you want.

You want three Cadillacs in your garage, just pray over it.

It's not saying that at all.

What it's talking about is the importance of the coming kingdom of heaven that will be a savor of life to some and a savor of death to others.

And he's saying, your role is significantly placed.

Because when you pray, our Lord, hallowed be thy name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

When you're praying that God will act according to his good will and purposes through you, through you.

And just as an aside, one of the images that talks about that reign of messianic rule is restored fig trees in Micah chapter 4.

Micah 4 · chapter mention

In the last days, the mountain of the Lord's house will be established at the top of the mountains, will be raised above the hills.

People will stream to it.

Many nations will come and say, Come, let us go to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us his way so that we may walk in his paths.

And then it says, Each person will sit under his grape tree and under his fig tree, and there will be no one to frighten them.

For the mouth of the Lord of armies is spoken.

There's two major lessons here for us.

The first lesson is the lesson that Israel needed to hear this prophetic statement.

That question posed in the symbol, coming up to a fig tree.

It's got leaves, full leaves.

First glance, you think, I'm going to walk over there, I'm going to find some lunch, I'm going to find some breakfast, I'm going to find a snack, I'm going to find some satisfaction.

There's going to be fruit there to enjoy.

But upon closer examination, you realize it's all show and no go.

It all looks good, but there's no substantive nourishment, no fruit about it at all.

And the first question is this do we look like Christians but aren't?

Do we have the show of substantive spirituality without the actual substance and fruit of true spirituality?

That's a serious question.

Paul uses this fruit motif when he speaks about the works of the flesh are these and the fruit of the spirit is this.

And he says you need to sort of do an evaluation of your life.

He said, You know what the works of the flesh are.

And you know what the fruit of the spirit is?

The works of the flesh, sexual impurity, immorality, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery.

And there'd be some folks going, well, not me.

Not me.

Well, he's not done with the list yet, is he?

Hatred, strife, jealousy, outburst of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy.

It gets a little closer to home, doesn't it?

Those are the works of the flesh.

Not not episodes of your life, but characteristic of your life.

Paul is saying you need to know that people that do such things will never inherit the kingdom of heaven.

He said rather the fruit of the Spirit.

This is what should be characteristic, and is characteristic of a true believer.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Paul is saying, Hey fig tree, any fruit there?

Are you all leaf?

All show, no go.

But there's another lesson here.

A lesson for us, just as I said, it's not about how much the disciples have to believe and how they have to sort of stifle the niggling thoughts of doubt in their head, and then they can get whatever they'd like.

Jesus is making allusions to major epical events, the judgment of a nation, the protection of people at the coming of the Son of Man.

And he's saying, This applies to you, disciples.

Remember your mission.

Remember your focus.

Remember your message.

And don't try to accomplish it by your own abilities.

Don't sort of gather your own inner resources and say, How can we make this happen?

Go to prayer.

Go to the Lord with your knees bent and your head down and your eyes closed and pray for God to accomplish his purposes as you pray.

This is something our generation has lost.

I go to pastors' conferences and you hear discussion about programs and methods, you get discussions about marketing techniques, you get ideas about how to have better lighting in your church and better sound in your church and better music that you got niche marketing concepts.

And it just makes me want to wretch.

Why?

Because our Lord is saying here, don't accomplish my purposes with your power.

Accomplish my purposes with my power.

And when you align yourself with me, then you've aligned yourself to the greatest resources the universe has ever known.

The God of heaven will hear and answer and work through you.

Even if it's a message of judgment or a message of deliverance, go prayerfully.

Go focused on the priority of God, but go.

This is why we talk about our prayer meetings on Wednesday nights.

Come pray with us.

No.

How vital is our prayer?

How vital is our corporate gatherings where we do nothing but pray.

Someone asked Charles Spurgeon, what was the reason for all that was happening at the church of the Metropolitan Tabernacle?

And the story goes that he he took the person down to a room and he said, This is where the people pray.

He said, When I'm preaching, there are hundreds of people in here in this room praying while I'm preaching.

This is where it comes from.

The Lord is teaching his disciples in a private conversation that they're going to be instruments of God in the kingdom of heaven, sometimes proclaiming words that will be pronouncements of judgment, and sometimes proclaiming words that will be as cataclysmic as the earth moving away to open up a place of deliverance.

But he said, remember to do it with me in view and pray to the God of heaven that his will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

May we never forget this lesson.

May we live in light of it.

May we be known in our community as a people of prayer, and a people pursuing God, and a people willing to proclaim nothing but Him, just as the Apostle Paul said.

Let's pray.

Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for the Word of God.

We thank you for how it helps us understand it by the revelation given throughout it, the sense of Scripture speaking, its own interpretation.

Lord, we pray that you'd help us to live our lives as believers, as the community of Christ, as his disciples, and wholly dependent upon you.

Lord, you've given us everything that we need that pertains to life and to godliness through the knowledge of Him.

Lord, help us to keep our eyes centered and focused on Him, to be people that show that by how we pray, by people that demonstrate that by how we lean on you and don't lean on our own understanding.

Lord, we pray that you might use us as your instruments to bring the nations into the obedience of Jesus Christ.

Pray that you would help us to bring the message of Christ to others so that the nations might say to one another, let us come up to the place of God and let us learn from Him.

Watch over us, Lord, as we extend the reach of the gospel into places like Indonesia, places like Central Asia, places like Eastern Europe, places like the Middle East, places like Africa, places all around the world where Jesus is not known.

And we, Lord, ask that you would be pleased to work through us.

And may we truly see the mountain split and the place of escape be proclaimed as we wait for the day when the Lord will come and reign.

And we ask this in his name.

Amen.