When I was a child, I always wondered why Christ would curse the fig tree that bore Him no fruit. (Matthew 21:19-20) It did Him no harm, and was a simple plant. Only later, as I learned more of the scriptures (and made it through Jacob in the Book of Mormon) did I understand that He was teaching a parable not with words, but with actions.
Here we are, in the last week of the Savior’s ministry. He is approaching Jerusalem; the atonement and the crucifixion loom in His near future. For the last three years, He has taught all of the Jews who have crossed His path. Some have listened and taken His words into their hearts. Most have not. The leaders of His Father’s church spurn and reject Him, even as do most of the people. In short, the Jewish nation was a tree without fruit.
Says Elder Talmage in his book, Jesus the Christ:
“The leafy, fruitless tree was a symbol of Judaism, which loudly proclaimed itself as the only true religion of the age, and condescendingly invited all the world to come and partake of its rich ripe fruit; when in truth it was but an unnatural growth of leaves, with no fruit of the season, nor even an edible bulb held over from earlier years, for such as it had of former fruitage was dried to worthlessness and made repulsive in its worm-eaten decay. The religion of Israel had degenerated into an artificial religionism, which in pretentious show and empty profession outclassed the abominations of heathendom. As already pointed out in these pages, the fig tree was a favorite type in rabbinical representation of the Jewish race, and the Lord had before adopted the symbolism in the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree, that worthless growth which did but cumber the ground.”
We ourselves are like trees, and the fruit we bear reveals our true selves. When we serve Him, when we do the things He has commanded us to do, when we serve others, we display our plump, delicious figs. When the Master comes to us in the final days and searches for the fruit on our branches, what will we have to offer? Will we display the fruits of love and service, or will we, too, bear only “worm-eaten decay”?
Related Articles:
To read other blogs on this week’s Gospel Doctrine lesson, click on the Gospel Doctrine tab at right.
Gospel Doctrine: “I Am A (Spiritual) Child of God”
General Conference from the Past: “Conversion and Commitment”
RS/EQ: Casually But Not Devoutly