Leaves Without Fruit

It often happens that looking upon the sorrows of God’s people, ungodly men refuse to take their portion with them. They find that righteous men are frequently sneered at and called by nicknames. Their self-love can hardly run the risk of such inconvenience…. No! Truth is all very well, but gold, they say, can be bought too dearly. Men are so moved by the fear of contempt and poverty, that they turn aside from the narrow, and no reasoning can convince them to follow it, for they are unwilling to encounter the dangers of the heavenly pilgrimage. O that men were wise enough to see that suffering for Christ is honour, that loss for truth is gain, that the truest dignity rests in wearing the chain upon the arm rather than endure the chain upon the soul.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon[i]

For many theologians one of the most perplexing and troublesome stories in the New Testament deals with Jesus’ cursing of the fruitless fig tree. Both Matthew and Mark relate this event, albeit slightly differently. In Matthew, the fig tree withers at once, but in Mark it is found withered the next morning. Matthew 21:18-19 recites the story as follows:

Now in the morning when He [Jesus] was returning to the city, He became hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only, and He said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered. Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?”

Such behavior is uncharacteristic of Jesus and is the only purely retributive or destructive miracle performed by Jesus in the Gospels.[ii] It is seen by some as an act of petulance inflicted upon an innocent tree because Mark informs us that “it was not the season for figs” (Mark 11: 13). However, the fig tree was in leaf and fig leaves normally appear around the time fruit appears, so customarily fig leaves herald the arrival of fruit. Even if it was too early in the season to expect ripe fruit, it was reasonable to expect something edible even if it was only unripe sour figs.[iii] In this case, the leaves were false advertising and misrepresented the actual state of the tree.

It is, therefore, better to look for an explanation for this event, other than ill temper on the part of Jesus, which is more consistent with the Jesus seen elsewhere in the Gospels. In fact, it seems probable that Jesus was performing this act in front of His disciples for the specific purpose of illustrating a parable playing out in Jerusalem.[iv] Jesus had in mind a warning for Israel’s religious leadership for its lack of spiritual fruit and its failure to recognize that their much-prophesied Messiah was standing right in front of them.

The period for this parable was a time of stress for Jesus as he had foreseen and tried to prepare his disciples many times for his rapidly impending mistreatment, death, and resurrection.[v] It was also a time of triumph for Jesus as He had entered Jerusalem to the acclaim of the masses riding upon a donkey as prophesied by the prophet Zechariah of the Messiah.[vi] Jesus cleansed the Temple by driving out the money-changers and other merchants. He healed the lame and the blind, he taught, and even the children were crying out in the Temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” The reaction of the chief priests and scribes to the wondrous things Jesus had accomplished and was still accomplishing was far from positive. They responded with indignation and a demand that Jesus explain by what authority Jesus was doing these things and the source of that authority.

These priests and scribes were some of the best educated and most erudite religious leaders in the land serving in the shadow of the great Temple. However, their eyes and ears were closed, and their hearts hardened to the truth that Jesus represented. They had the outward appearance of faith—leaves—but no fruit. Just as in the case of the fig tree, by their outward appearance, Jesus had a right to expect the fruit of true faith, but He did not find it. Many of these figures were either unfamiliar with important Old Testament Scriptures and prophecies or were in rebellion against them.

When Jesus cursed the fig tree, He was metaphorically cursing the corruption at the heart of the Temple complex, the Sadducee priests, many of the Pharisees, and many of the scribes who had manipulated Judaism for their own profit. The impact of Jesus’ curse was realized in AD 70 when the Romans destroyed the Temple and its priestly cult of blind guides. For Jesus, it is important to find fruit and for that fruit to be good.[vii] He can tell by the fruit of one’s life whether one is good or evil and whether one has the true faith of genuine salvation through belief in His name rather than the mere appearance of faith. Salvation is a free gift through the grace of God when one sincerely accepts that salvation through belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. The stamp or authentication of genuine salvation, however, is the good works that afterward flow from the spiritually reborn “new creature” in Christ.[viii]  Bearing good fruit is an important aspect of living and witnessing a productive Christian life.[ix]

Having already had their salvation secured by God’s merciful grace through a sincere acceptance of Jesus Christ as their savior, all believing Christians will one day stand before the judgement seat of Christ[x] (Romans 14:10) to have the works of their lives examined for potential rewards (2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5). Those who have built their lives upon the foundation of Jesus Christ need not fear losing their salvation, but it is still possible for them to suffer loss:

Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.[xi]

Many have said that they do not care about rewards as long as they make it into heaven. The great pastor and theologian, Charles F. Stanley, cautioned, however, that once one is before the judgement seat of Christ and sees the type of rewards being handed out to the worthy, there will be deep regret if one is found wanting.

Broad swaths of the Judeo-Christian clergy, seminaries, and entire denominations now pridefully proclaim that they no longer believe in the inerrancy of Scripture. They falsely claim that the Holy Spirit has brought them new knowledge that authorizes them to correct God’s mistakes, rewrite Scriptures with which they disagree, and overturn God’s moral law in favor of modern secular ideologies that have little to do with biblical salvation.[xii] These false teachers fail to understand that one of their prime directives is to keep those who trust in them out of hell, not open the gate for them.

 As in the time of the prophet Jeremiah, “[T]heir ears are closed and they cannot listen, Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them; they have no delight in it” (Jeremiah 6:10). Those of the theological deep state have little or no fear of the Lord nor shame for their twisting and manipulation of the Judeo-Christian faith. Speaking of such corruption in Judaism just before the sack of Jerusalem and exile of much of the population to Babylon, Jeremiah states:

An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority; and My people love it so!…. For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain, and from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely…. Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; they did not even know how to blush….[xiii]

Although there are still good and faithful Christian ministers, seminaries, churches, and believers in America and the countries of the West, far too many in each category simply boast an abundance of leaves with little of the good fruit that God expects to see. Why should this alarm us? Because the Judeo-Christian faith and the moral values and sureties it represents form the foundation upon which America and the countries of the West rest.

In the United States approximately seventy percent of the population will admit to being Christian and yet the statistics for negative outcomes such as divorce, sexual sins, and abortion are virtually the same as those for non-believers. We see evidence of a dense foliage of leaves in our culture, but the fruit of faith is often absent from many Christians’ lives. One is often confronted with awkward silence if one asks many Christians about belief in the inerrancy of Scripture, the divinity of Jesus Christ, the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ, whether Christianity is the only path to heaven, or whether God’s moral law still applies today with respect to sexual sin, abortion, workplace honesty, etc. This is probably true since so many people no longer look for truth and wisdom in the Bible. Others are misled by progressive false teaching blatantly contradicting Scripture and condoning many sins in the name of “love.” Notwithstanding the dire warnings of the Apostle Paul, others do not wish to turn from their sins, so they cling to the false hope that belief in the historical Jesus without repentance or being born again to a new life as a Christian is sufficient.[xv] Sadly, we live in a time similar to that described in the Book of Judges wherein “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.”

 Another factor in the prevailing casual approach to the Christian life by so many is the reluctance of much of our clergy to actively and faithfully preach the hard and difficult parts of the Bible. Contemporary sermons rarely deal with the fact that God and His expectations do not change, that God’s moral law is still in effect, that Jesus stressed obedience to His teachings, and the need for genuine repentance and turning from one’s sins.

Curiously enough, progressive false teachers, agnostics, atheists, and pagans are often proudly vocal with respect to their false beliefs and will often blast them publicly, e.g. the case of thousands of Americans protesting in defense of terrorists, torturers, rapists, and mass murderers. The pastors of liberal denominations that have adopted non-biblical heretical agendas will happily preach their false dogma at every opportunity. In response, the supposedly traditional pastors remaining in such denominations often retreat into bland sermonettes that do nothing to educate their congregations as to what the Bible really says about the controversial issues at hand.

Christians on the other hand are often content to be part of the ever-silent majority. It is apparently still okay to admit being Christian in the United States as long as one’s Christianity is not too pronounced. “Christianity-lite” seems to be preferred. Many Christians in today’s cancel culture live in such “fear of contempt and poverty, that they turn aside from the narrow path, and no reasoning can convince them to follow it, for they are unwilling to encounter the dangers of the heavenly pilgrimage.”

They try to keep their emails and texts free of any hint of such supposedly “radical” conventional beliefs because they fear that exposure might cost them a valuable job opportunity or acceptance in circles that might be helpful in their quest to get ahead. They strive to leave no trail in their lives that could enable a hacker or other nefarious character to expose their traditional Judeo-Christian values or their old- fashioned patriotism. This is not how God wants Christians to live.[xvi]

Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God,
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored.
Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.
You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them,
Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.
For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand,
Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’

(Isaiah 41:10-13)

The Christian is a child of light.[xvii] We are to be the light of the world. Our light is not to be hidden under a basket, but placed upon a pedestal that our light might shine forth before all men that they might see our good works and glorify our Father Who is in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16). This is not always easy, but this is what Jesus has asked each of us to do. To do less is likened to salt that has lost its taste and become worthless (Matthew 5:13). Most of us have experienced deep regret when we have had opportunities to defend our Faith or the traditional Judeo-Christian values upon which our country was founded and failed to do so. Through the assistance of the Holy Spirit, we pick ourselves up after such failures, take up our cross, and march on. Over and over the Apostle Paul commanded that each of us stand firm in the Faith.[xviii] What value is one’s life if one glides through the years blindly seeking the things that glitter in this world without ever stepping out from the silent majority and taking a stand for values greater than oneself such as the defense of our Judeo-Christan faith, our Country, or Liberty? “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

In summary, when I was young, the Boy Scouts had a rule that, when hiking or camping, the wilderness was to be left as it was found. Today that rule is called, “Leave No Trace.”  This means that when a Scout leaves a campsite or trail, anyone coming later should not be able to detect that the Scout was ever there.

Can you imagine the tragedy of looking back upon one’s life from one’s deathbed and seeing no footprints or trace that you had ever lived? That sad moment of painful regret is often the result of one’s failure to take a stand for those great issues in life that really matter. Knowing what one believes, that those beliefs are grounded in God’s Word, and then being willing to stand in the gap to defend them transforms ordinary people into powerful instruments of God’s will. Without this awareness as one passes through life, it is possible to earn a fortune and sire a family and still pass from life leaving no trace. Unless Christians dare to take up the gauntlet thrown at their feet by God and use their lives to help make the world a better place, the regret of living a life of “mere leaves without fruit” will be theirs.

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[i] Spurgeon, Charles Haddon, To Those Who are “Almost Persuaded,” a sermon dated May 16, 1869 from Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 15, https://www.spurgeon.org/collection/metropolitan-tabernacle-pulpit-volume-15/ (accessed February19, 2025).

[ii] Carson, D. A. “Mark.” In Matthew and Mark. Vol. 9 of Expositor’s Bible Commentary, rev. ed., edited by Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland, p. 887. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012).

[iii] Carson, D. A. “Matthew.” In Matthew and Mark. Vol. 9 of Expositor’s Bible Commentary, rev. ed., edited by Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland. P.501. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012).

[iv] Ibid., 886.

[v] Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; Mark 8:31-33, 9:30-32; 10:32-34; Luke 9:21-22; 9:43-45; 18:31-33; John 12:20-36.

[vi] Zechariah 9:9.

[vii] Luke 6:43-45; Matthew 7:16-20; 12:33-37.

[viii] James 2:17-26; 2 Corinthians 5:17.

[ix] Colossians 3:23-24; Titus 3:14; John 15:7-8.

[x] The Judgement Seat of Jesus Christ for believers is not to be confused with the Great White Throne of Judgement for unbelievers which will mete out punishment based upon justice, rather than rewards based upon God’s merciful grace through Jesus Christ.

[xi] 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.

[xii] See for example: social justice over biblical justice and the LGBQT agenda over specific and universal biblical prohibitions against all sexual sins.

[xiii] Jeremiah 5:30-31; 6:13,15.

[xiv] Dennis Ayers, The Beginning of Wisdom (Little Elm, TX: eLectio Publishing, LLC, 2022 [2017]), 259.

[xv] 1 Corinthians 6:9; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5: 5; Romans 6:1-2, 11-6; Hebrews 10:26-31.

[xvi] Matthew 6:25-34; Mark4:39-40; Luke 12:22, 12:24-34; John 14:1; 14:27; Romans 8:38-39 ; Philippians 4:5-7; 2 Timothy 1:6-7; Hebrews 13:5-6; 1 Peter 3:14, 5:6-8; 1 John 4:18; Deuteronomy 3:22, 31:6; Joshua 1:9; Psalm 23; Psalm 34:7; Psalm 55:22Psalm 56:3; Psalm 91; Proverbs 29:25; Jeremiah 17:7-8.

[xvii] 1 Thessalonians 5:5-11; Ephesians 5:8.

[xviii] 1 Corinthians 15:2, 16:13; Galatians 5:1; Philippians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 3:8; Titus 1:9.