Matthew 21:18-22 – THE END OF A FRUITLESS LIFE 18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the tree withered. 20 When the disciples saw it, they were amazed and said, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” 21 Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 And all things and all things that you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matthew records “Immediately the fig tree withered” and Mark 11:20. “The next morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered down to the roots.” Mark was written earlier so it may be more accurate. (Don’t think the Bible contradicts it.) It is important to understand how the fig tree grows and bears fruit. The fig tree was popular in Palestine. Its trunk was about 1 meter in circumference, 5-7 meters high, and its branches could extend 8-10 meters so people often planted it for shade. The fig tree was a symbol of peace and prosperity. The fig tree usually had leaves, flowers, and fruit at the same time in June. Mark 11:13. “For it was not the season for figs” – So why did Jesus look for figs when it was not the season for figs? He asked for something the fig tree could not do, and then cursed it? Jesus never performed miracles to satisfy his own needs, so why does it seem here that Jesus was offended because he didn’t have figs to eat? So, the problem is: when there are leaves, there is fruit. Even though it is not yet June (it is only April - Passover), the fig tree is already full of leaves, so it may be a sick fig tree or something unusual, so God let it wither to use this image to illustrate spiritual lessons. (1) What is useless will have a bad ending. A fig tree full of leaves must have fruit, without fruit it is useless, useless. What is useless will sooner or later be eliminated. People or things that want to exist must fully perform their function when they were created. (2) Saying without doing will be judged. The image of being full of leaves is like an exaggeration: I am having fruit, but in reality it is empty. Everyone understands: it is easy to say but difficult to do. Most of us have stumbled upon this at some point. Christians must match their words with their actions. (3) Do not use appearances to deceive. Make outsiders think, but in reality there is nothing. People like to live with external glamour, the word “hypocrite” in the Vietnamese Bible is equivalent to the word hypocrisy. Focusing on the outside and neglecting the soul is already a mistake, but creating an appearance to deceive is a crime. In the last part (verses 21 and 22), God talks about the power of prayer. If we do not understand it correctly, we can easily become discouraged when our prayers are not answered. “Move mountains” is an idiom meaning “do the impossible” which is not literal at all, because what is the purpose of moving mountains? Prayer brings us special things. If we understand it correctly, we will pray in a different direction. (1) Prayer helps us to be able to do it. Prayer is not always a way out. It is not pushing difficulties onto God so that He can do it for us. Prayer is power. Prayer is not asking for me to take the easy path, but for me to be strong enough to take the difficult path. (2) Prayer helps us to accept and transform. Prayer is not about changing a situation, but about accepting a situation and transforming it. In II Corinthians 12:1-10, Paul asked God to remove the thorn in his heart but was not given the opportunity, so he had to accept it. Jesus asked God to remove the cup from Him but was not given the opportunity. Therefore, we need to understand that prayer is asking God to give us the ability to accept and use the situation to transform it. (3) Prayer helps us to endure. In most trials, we feel that we are beyond our ability. God knows the endurance of each person. God's promise in I Corinthians 10:13. No temptation has come upon you that is not common to man. And God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability; but with the temptation he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to endure it. Prayer does not help us escape, but helps us face it, and God will give us more strength to win. So prayer is not only to move God but also to move ourselves.