Regret to Redemption--The Fig Tree

 

I have a love/hate relationship with conjecture.  A personal, recent example--

"Where is Kate Middleton??" was a question sweeping the headlines in recent weeks (March 2024 for future readers 👸) Kate Middleton, aka Princess Catherine of Great Britain (I thought I'd better explain before all the snarky people piped up with "Kate Who?") had not been seen in weeks.   I 100% got caught up in all of the speculation.  I listened to podcasts, read articles, watched reels, and even TikToks, which I don't normally dabble in.  The official word from the palace was that Princess Kate was recovering from surgery and would return to royal duties in a few months.  But rumors of an affair, a love child, a divorce soon swirled.  And then the theories got even darker--domestic abuse, suicide, murder.  There were a few sightings of Kate, but they were quickly debunked as photoshopped pictures or body doubles.  My girls and I--all 3 avid royal watchers--texted our opinions with each breaking news alert.  When the video proof  was released that Princess Kate had indeed had surgery and was starting treatment for cancer, the people sharing the rumors mostly apologized.  They, and I, felt ashamed to have picked apart the royal family, looking for answers but letting our imaginations run wild! In so many ways, the truth was undermined by the lies and half-truths reported because now we were suspicious and skeptical.    

I have a love/hate relationship with conjecture in Bible study, too.  I listen to a lot of podcasts and sermons of people whose teachings and opinions I value.  They have put the time and effort into true study of God's Word, so their opinions are not based on incomplete information.  However, I am not a fan of speculation from other "teachers"--those who have pulled incomplete thoughts out of God's completed word, formed uninformed opinions, and then shared them as truth.  We saw a lot of this a few days ago with the eclipse.  (April 2024)  Speculation into what all the different "signs" pointed to led to opinions about the end of the world, "backed up" by cherry-picked verses.  But when these conjectures don't come true, it undermines....not the truth of God's Word but the world's willingness to believe it.  People become suspicious and skeptical.  

All of this rambling introduction to say--I have some conjecture to offer on a story involving Jesus. In Matthew 21 and Mark 11, Jesus is coming into Jerusalem for Holy Week.  He was welcomed with shouts of Hosanna.  He flipped the tables in the temple.  As He was entering Jerusalem, He saw what looked like a perfectly healthy, leafy fig tree.  Since He was hungry, He approached it but found the tree fruitless.  He cursed the fig tree, saying "May you never produce fruit again!"  The disciples were like 😕 When asked for an explanation, Jesus said "Have faith in God..."  

I have studied a lot about the fig tree in recent weeks.  Most scholars agree that the fig tree is symbolic of Israel, backed up by sooo many scriptures in the Old and New Testament.  As we learned in our "Like Sands Through An Hourglass" study, Israel is a nation chosen by God as a canvas on which to display His steadfast love, kindness, and loyal promises.  Jesus proves that His mind is on Israel--specifically Jerusalem, the city of God--in Matthew 23, when He laments that He would've drawn Jerusalem like a hen gathers her chicks, but they would not.  These scholars are trustworthy sources, they have put in the time and effort to understand and explain.  I am not here to debunk their teaching at all.  It is the truth.  But I also wonder....

Jesus is walking into the culmination of His mission on earth.  He came to seek and to save the lost.  (Luke 19:10) Jesus came, sent by the Father, so that whoever believes in Him would be saved and have eternal life.  (John 3:16)    Adam and Eve, when they sinned, sewed fig leaves together to cover their nakedness. (Genesis 3:6-7) And we have been doing the same thing since.  Taking what we can find, stringing it together, and hoping it's enough to cover our lack.  But it never, ever is. Even covered with their fig leaves, Adam and Eve were STILL ashamed and hiding.  What if Jesus looked at that fig tree and saw  us?  What if He saw humanity-past, present, and future--trying and failing to make ourselves right on our own merit?  So busy covering ourselves in leaves, but never producing any fruit?  He is walking to His crucifixion--Plan A from the beginning of time with no need for a Plan B--to redeem us.  He is going to pay for us to be perfectly covered forever.  The cost is His life, and He considered it JOY so that we could be covered.  Without hiding, without shame.  He has taken our collective regret--our endless attempt at sewing fig leaves together-- and turned it into redemption.  "For you say, 'I'm rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,' and you don't realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.  I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see."  (Revelation 3:18)  

Jesus loves you.  He knows you have regret.  He knows you have tried and failed to make it right.  He knows you have sewn your own coverings and you still feel exposed, naked, ashamed.  Come to Him.  He has paid for your regret with His life, to redeem you.  Because He loves you.  Oh how He loves us.