House of Prayer
Isaiah 56:6-8 / Mark 11:12-21
What a weird story this is … the story of the cursing of the fig tree. Did Jesus lose it? Did He curse the fig tree in a moment of violent anger because He was hungry and the tree had no fruit? No. That’s not the kind of person Jesus is … and it’s also not the kind of story that we have here. To think so simplistically about it is to miss the whole point of the episode.
So how do we understand it then? Firstly we have to know that a fig tree in Biblical Times was a much-used symbol for the people of Israel. That’s why we find Scriptures talking about the people of Israel in these symbolic terms like:
§ Hosea 9:10 “Like grapes in the wilderness I found Israel. Like the first fruit on the fig tree, in its first season, I saw your ancestors.”
§ Jeremiah 8:13 “There are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, even the leaves are withered.”
§ Micah 7:1-2 “Woe is me, I have become like one who finds no cluster to eat; there is no first-ripe fig for which I hunger. The faithful have disappeared from the land.”
Secondly we have to see that the fig tree episode is presented by mark as a bracket around the cleansing of the Temple. The encounter between Jesus and the fig tree is a symbolic / prophetic action by Jesus to drive home to His disciples what happens in the Temple.
Just as Jesus came to the fig tree looking for fruit and found none, He had come to the Temple looking for fruit and found none.
Just as Jesus found only leaves on the fig tree, so He found only outward appearances of worship in the Temple.
Just as Jesus destroyed the fig tree, so the Temple would be destroyed.
And we must remember that the first people to read Matthew had just recently seen the Temple being destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. What Jesus enacted on the fig tree had occurred to the Temple. They would have understood immediately what this prophetic action was about.
So now for the rest of this message, we are going to use the fig tree image to examine the Scripture and to examine ourselves.
The Fig-Tree Temple
Jesus came to the Temple looking for fruit and found only leaves. Lets investigate that statement:
When Jesus came to the Temple that day what FRUIT was He meant to find? Well the priests and the people were going through the outward motions of the sacrifices and worship that Moses had commanded them to do. But this sacrifice and worship was meant to be an outward symbol of an inner connection between people and God. So Jesus was coming to the Temple and wanting to find people genuinely engaging with God … seeking and encounter with God … tearfully and humbly confessing their sins to God … praying to God in the House of Prayer … rejoicing in the Lord with songs and dancing … engaging with the teachers of the Law in deep and sincere discussions about the truth of God and His glory (like Jesus Himself had done as a 12-year-old boy).
When Jesus came to the Temple what LEAVES did He find? All Jesus found in the Temple was people going through dead religious motions … haggling over sacrifices to try to get the cheapest deal so that their worship should not cost them too much .. on the other hand the priest setting up stalls to sell sacrifices at inflated prices to try to make a profit out of worship … people taking shortcuts through the Temple grounds, using the Temple to make their lives easier … He found lots of busy-ness and plenty of outward performance … but He found NO-ONE truly worshipping.
What was Jesus’ reaction? Jesus rages in the Temple. In an outburst of righteous anger and holy indignation he performs a prophetic action. Jesus did not lose it in the Temple that day. In His anger He did not sin. He acted out physically in that Temple that day, an outward display of what He wanted to do in the heart of every human being … He cleansed the worship of all the LEAVES. He shook off the outward trappings of worship and the busy-ness that surrounded it … and He showed that there was nothing beneath them! He raged against the hypocrisy of empty worship. Jesus had found a fig tree Temple with no figs … and only leaves … and His wrath burned against the hypocrisy and falsehood of it all! He shook off the leaves and revealed the lack of fruit!
Your Fig-Tree Life
So now lets come to the fact that Bible says that the believer is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says: “Do you not know that your body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit.” So individually the Christ-believer is a Temple … is a Fig-Tree to which Jesus comes today looking for fruit.
When Jesus comes to the Temple of your life today what FRUIT is He meant to find? Well that could be the subject of a year of sermons, but lets put it in a nutshell. Scripture speaks of certain fruits the Lord is looking for. He’s looking for a life characterised by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control … he’s looking for a life that bears fruit in good deeds of loving-kindness to others (as we saw last week in the parable of the Good Samaritan) … and a life that is bearing the fruit of bringing other people to salvation and adding souls to the Kingdom of God.
When Jesus comes to the Temple of your life today, what LEAVES does He find? I wonder what you answer to that question? Every Christian has leaves. Every Christ-follower has useless habits and most of us have plenty of outward observances that would look good from far away … like leaves look good on a fig tree! We come to worship, we may raise our hands and sing really loudly … but what’s under those leaves? We may be married and have a nice home … but what happens behind closed doors? We may have a good job and be on time every day … but what are you doing that the boss knows nothing about?
Let me phrase this question very simply … and it’s a question only you can answer for yourself … for all the good and religious appearances you present to the world … what is going on under your skin … what is going on behind closed doors … what is going on in your mind ? Is there fruit? Or are there only leaves?
How will Jesus react? When Jesus comes to our lives today and finds leaves but little fruit … what will He do? Will He rage around and beat us … will he pour His wrath out on us as He did in the Temple? Well let me read you a parable that I believe answers those questions: Read Luke 13:6-9. This parable says that you have limited time … Jesus is coming looking for fruit … you may be at a stage where he is giving you more time to bear fruit … being patient with you and allowing the Holy Spirit to help you by digging and fertilizing your life … but that won’t last forever … We have to get serious and start bearing fruit! Because the day of reckoning is coming! Today Jesus is speaking a warning to you and me through this Scripture. He came to the Temple before in His life and did not overturn tables … but this time, time was up! Jesus has come to your life before looking for fruit and has been patient when he found nothing … but one day time will be up! Praise God you still have time to bear fruit … but you don’t know how much time … so you better get bearing!
The Fig-Tree of St. Luke’s
And then there is the verse in 2 Corinthians 6 that says “WE (plural) are the Temple of the Holy Spirit.” Let me be honest … this is where I’ve been aiming all morning. I have just arrived at the section of this sermon that God has drilled into my heart more than any other part of it! This is the part that excites me and scares me and stirs me up all at once.
When Jesus comes to the Fig-Tree of St. Luke’s today, what FRUIT does He want to find? Now here I could give you a very general answer, but I’m not going to. I am going to tell you exactly what fruit Jesus is looking for in this Church today … I’m going to tell you the fruit He told me He is looking for!
§ I could say to you that the BIBLE tells me Jesus is looking for the fruit of heartfelt genuine authentic worship … but He’s looking for that in all churches.
§ I could say to you that the BIBLE tells me Jesus is looking for the fruit of small groups or cell groups where Christians are gathering in meaningful fellowship and ministry to each other … but He’s looking for that in all churches.
§ I could say to you that the BIBLE tells me Jesus is looking for the fruit of sound Biblical teaching that is growing His people into Christ-likeness … but He’s looking for that in all churches.
§ I could say to you that the BIBLE tells me Jesus is looking for the fruit of acts of mercy and love like the Clinic ministry and Caring Hands … but He’s looking for that in all churches.
§ I could say to you that the BIBLE tells me Jesus is looking for the fruit of evangelistic outreach where lost people are getting saved … but He’s looking for that in all churches.
But let me tell you the only fruit I know beyond a shadow of a doubt Jesus told me He’s looking for.
I can’t say to you He’s looking for a Men’s League (‘cause He never told me that), or a WA (‘cause He never told me that), or a Children’s Church (‘cause He never told me that), or a choir (‘cause He never told me that) … they’re all good things and probably he’s looking for them too … but let me tell you the only fruit I know beyond a shadow of a doubt Jesus told me He’s looking for.
Jesus is coming to St. Luke’s tonight at midnight and He’s going to knock on the door of the Tabernacle and see if there’s anyone there praying .. and if there’s no-one He going to the Father to say, “Nope … no fruit yet.” He’s coming at 3pm next Sunday afternoon to the Tabernacle door … he’s coming at 6am tomorrow morning and 3am on Thursday and 11pm on Friday … and he’s testing the fruit to see if its ripe.
You see, Jesus expects many things from every church in Welkom. But from the 950 members of St. Luke’s, and especially the 500 who come to worship fairly regularly, Jesus expects one specific thing, which He began to command us to do in 2005 … and continues to expect us to do … to have a prayer room manned by a pray-er every hour of the week. This is the unique redemptive purpose that Jesus has for St. Luke’s.
So what leaves does Jesus find … good leaves … leaves like worship and service and discipleship and fellowship and evangelism … yes He finds all those things … and I’m afraid He finds some bad leaves too … leaves like immorality and gossip and hypocrisy … but you and I only need to answer one question today … will Jesus find the fig He wants to find in this church … the fig of 24/7 prayer.
When Jesus came to the Jerusalem Temple He was looking for a place that was a House of Prayer for the Nations. When He comes to St. Luke’s He comes looking for a House of Prayer, because that is what He has commanded us to be!
Jesus’ vision for St. Luke’s is that we will be a House of Prayer for the Nations. If we don’t do that we can do a million other things and they’ll just be leaves!
So YOU are St. Luke’s. What are you doing to produce the FIG of 24/7 prayer? Do you have a prayer slot? If not … there will never be the fig Jesus is looking for. Because without YOU it cannot happen. Why not? Because you are St. Luke’s. I’m not … you are!
How do 950 members of a church fill 168 hours worth of prayer slots a week? EASY! An hour, less than once a month. How do our 500 regular worshippers fill the slots? Easy! An hour, every second week. It’s an easy task to fulfil the calling of Jesus for this church. But what makes it difficult is our laziness, apathy and lack of true commitment to the vision of Jesus Christ for this Church. On Thursday during my tabernacle hour I felt the Lord shouting at me. “Give Me a house of prayer.” May you hear Him shouting at you too!
