Jesus was facing tough questions. It was obvious that several of those following Jesus saw the Messiah as a warrior to free Jerusalem and the Jewish nation from Roman rule. Jesus had a much bigger plan. His goal was to free people from the iron grip of sin and death. It had to be difficult to see such limited mindset. As Jesus’s ministry continued, He became more frustrated with the people’s inability to see His attempts to present to the world the real picture of God and His love for people. Instead, they were looking for a magician, a peddler, and a warrior. None the less, He refocused attention on the need to seek and to save that which is lost. That is how Jesus knew the world would be saved and changed. That in mind, it is real when He says there should real fruit.
The change in focus was not the warm and fuzzy moments we like to read about. We love the stories about healing the sick, feeding the hungry and calming storms. But Jesus also wanted people to understand His purpose was and is eternal. He was preparing His apostles thinning the crowd and preparing to finish His mission. For our part, we need to be preparing to share the Gospel, walk by faith and walk in a way that glorifies God. He does not want us to check boxes to think we are earning favor; instead, He simply directs us to trust and follow God’s lead.
As the church does that, Christians will experience a full and meaningful life, His chosen will experience peace, preparation, and provision; no matter what cards the world deals us. In the days ahead, the Church will experience a shaking, in that shaking, we need to trust and allow God to execute His plan. He is large and in charge. We need never doubt His love for us and His desire to prepare us for eternity. Our faith is a faith tested by spiritual war. Allow Him to battle on our behalf.
God Bless You
Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
6 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. 7 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?’
8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
Walking With God 