PODCAST
Figs Trees and the Temple
July 10th, 2020
Mark 11:12-22
Fig trees have one purpose: to produce figs. If a fig tree is not producing figs, it is not doing what it was intended to do.
In Mark 11, the story of the fig tree foreshadows what is about to happen in the temple courts. The temple had one purpose: to be a house of prayer. But just like the fig tree, the temple was not serving its purpose. The temple authorities had figured out how to make money from the offerings and practices that took place in the temple. Rather than a place to worship God, the temple had been turned into a place that hindered people’s relationship with God. The temple had one purpose and just as Jesus curses the fig tree for not producing figs, Jesus also curses the temple.
We, as Christians, have one purpose: to share the good news of Christ Jesus with others. Often, we too, are not serving our purpose. We get distracted by so many things—not all those things are bad—and we can become like the fig tree and the temple.
Author: Georgia Patton
