"And seeing a lone fig tree by the road He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only." (Matt 21:19) I've been struggling with this word for awhile, couldn't seem to get the heart of what the Spirit was saying. It is important that the watchman make sure that their hearts are right before they call out to a nation. This scripture always puzzled me and the same account is in Mark 11:13 which says,
He was hungry and found on this fig tree nothing except leaves. Not just leaves but
big green ones. At first glance reading it would seem that because this tree didn't provide for His hunger Jesus cursed it. We need to understand that Jesus wasn't just tootling down the road, became hungry and because this one tree not having any delicious rip figs to stop His hunger, cursed it from ever being able to produce again. No, it is bigger than that. It was because
"it had leaves but no fruit." Jesus often used parables when speaking and what He said and did many times had a prophetic meaning, speaking of future events. I believe this account also speaks of future events. Before the encounter with the fig tree Jesus road into Jerusalem that day on a donkey and went into the temple and the scripture says
"after looking all around" He departed for Bethany with the twelve. You wouldn't think that these two events, the fig tree and the temple were related in any way but they do immensely. What did Jesus see looking around the temple and why didn't He stay and do some teaching? What Jesus saw in the temple may seem to the church today as obscure, or out dated and not worth being concerned about, because those things don't happen today, or do they? (verse 15-16). This wasn't the first time Jesus entered the temple. In Johns account He came to Jerusalem during passover and went into the temple. In this account Jesus cleansed the temple.
This is the second visit to the temple after His triumphal entry. Apparently Jesus choose another day instead of this day being perhaps Sunday. On the next day as verse 12 says which was perhaps Monday, Jesus and the disciples came to Jerusalem and He entered the temple. You would think that the ones in charge when seeing Jesus again would have remembered the first time He came and followed Him and His disciples out of the temple and had a total encounter with the Messiah. What was so disturbing to Jesus that He had to come back another day to deal with this situation in the temple? What happened on His first visit, was happening again.
It was time again to make a stand for His Fathers house! Uncovering the spiritual orgy! A system had been established that wasn't pleasing to God. A system that wasn't created overnight, but one that was formed and controlled by a religious spirit. A whole lot of money was being exchanged, bartering with God, convenience. merchandising and people going in and out through the temple just to get to their destination quicker. This excessive indulgence of one stop, easy listening, all you need church, was drawing the crowds yearly on their pilgrimage to Passover.
This temple where God showed up, which was designated to be a holy place, a place where all could come and pray was changed into a business, a place where as Jesus described it as "a den of thieves, a house of merchandise"(John 2:16). Let me insert this again.
Israel like the fig tree had early opportunities to accept Christ but rejected Him thus had no fruit. The chief priests and scribes made everything so convenient that the people need only to show up during passover and buy their doves for sacrifice in the temple. The priest took away the importance of the personal sacrifice, giving the people convenience at a high price and filling the priest's pockets at the same time. The people became accustom to it and after all "why use our doves and lambs when we can get them at the temple". This scripture came into play as Jesus began to cleanse the temple. " Zeal for Thine house will consume Me."
All that the religious system had was big leaves (outward appearance,) but no fruit. It was obvious that Jesus didn't speak the same language as the chief priests and scribes. He didn't fit into their culture or network, so anything He said or did came across as negative, not on the same page as they, of course sacrileges and against their interpretation of the Law. His approach and delivery was offensive and would never be asked to come back again. But Jesus did came back to the temple to upset the cart, the big business of the money changers, to again cleanse the temple and reminding them that this was the Fathers house. Jesus didn't win any awards for His delivery and the way He handled the situation.
Jesus was making a stand for His Fathers house! It wasn't just this temple that Jesus came to cleanse, but the house of Israel. He was also speaking prophetically to the early and latter days church.
There will be a shaking prior to an awakening! The reasons why Jesus cursed the fig tree, was like the fig tree that looked healthy with all its green leaves it was unable to bring forth good fruit. The religious leaders were only concerned with the outward appearance. They were only concerned with what they could profit, keeping everything under their control. Because of their blindness they were unable to bare fruit, and recognize Christ the sacrificial Lamb standing before them in the temple. The church is being judged of its religious spirit! Many local church's have become so convenient, all we need to do is show up. The place of worship has taken on a different DNA than the early church and their places of worship. Everything that we need can most likely be found or purchased at what has been termed
the mega church, or the greater body of Christ. We the church have in many ways become so dependent on the church structure that we have lost our dependency on Christ. Then, like now it was the numbers that created an illusion that there was much fruit, God was in the house. Not only were the chief priest and scribes setting up an enterprising business, but also a monopoly of sort.
Is not Jesus asking us this day to provide the sacrifice and He will provide the fire? Has the church brought wood hay and stubble as the sacrifice and not the best for our King? Have the tables of the money changers become the church structure of today? A place of entrepreneur's, investors in the next great move of God and preachers or worship leaders. Christ died and ascended into heaven and He sent the Spirit into the believers heart and we became the temple of God. It was never intended for the local church to take the place of Christ in us.
There is nothing a local church small or big can do that can take the place of the very presence of Christ. It is the presence of the Spirit that will bring life to the church not the church structure. Has the four walls become a god to the church that only through the church can one be used and do the works of Jesus. I believe there are times in the life of the Church that God through the power of the Spirit comes and begins to shake things up in our own lives that have become more important than the presence of Christ.
There is a paradigm shift in the present functioning of the local church. Christ through the Spirit
many times will come and look around the temple, surveying the condition of the heart and come back another time to bring a cleansing. This can include the structure or system of any church. There are no limitations as Christ walks among the lamp stands.
There is a vast community of believers with a feeling of not belonging, not a part, not fitting into the normal church structure, leaving many wondering if there is something wrong with them. A migration of believers is leaving the church structure for something real. This is the beginning of a dismantling so that a newness can be birthed in. Matt 24:1-2 Jesus was telling the disciples that the very temple they were admiring was going to be destroyed with not one stone left upon another. What did the people do when the temple was destroyed?
What is the church going to do when the whole landscape of the local church is changed. Hebrews 12: 25-28 says "Yet once more I will shake the heavens and the earth" This "yet once more" denotes the removing of things that can be shaken in order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. There is much that can be removed in the church and our lives, such as pride, fear, self sufficiency, independence, structures and formats that can keep us from growing.
There will be a dismantling of the institutional, traditional church! A shaking is occurring and a transforming of hearts is leading many to return to the Fathers house. An atmosphere of prayer being the main focus in the church. Setting the body free from the tentacles of the religious spirit and positioning the saints for an awakening. It is the fruit of the Spirit that will remain. Hebrews 4:12 says that the word is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit of both joints and morrow and is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. In short it is Gods word and the Rhema that is the main tool that shakes and shapes our lives transforming us into His image. It is also the circumstances of this life that are used to shake and shape us for His glory(James 1:2-3). The shaking, the trials, causes the hardness of the heart to be broken up, to be tilled up, like hard soil of a field being plowed up and cultivated, preparing for seed to be planted. Hosea 10:12 Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord. A total dismantle of the mega, self motivating, easy listening gospel, positive mental attitude churches, is coming and anyone in the wake of that cleansing wave will feel the conviction to surrender all that has led them away from true wholehearted devotion.
Jesus is adorning His bride, not the church structure. Isaiah 66:1-2 speaks loud concerning Gods attitude towards Israel's pride and arrogance placing to much importance on the temple. Israel believed it was impregnable and could never be destroyed.
God's answer to their sin of putting the temple as greater than His presence and making it a den of robbers came through Jeremiah 7:11-12 saying "go to Shiloh and see what I did to the place where I made My name dwell at first and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people. There is nothing that we could build for God that can take the place of His divine presence in our lives." Jesus also dealt with the same issues concerning the temple in Jerusalem and all the activity taking place in His Fathers house (Mark 11:1-18) Today we have the same challenges just wrapped in different packages. You can always tell when a church is motivated by a religious and elitist spirit when the church becomes the vocal point and closed to the moving of the Spirit. The church has become so sophisticated that everything and everyone must proceed from the local church in order to be recognized, accepted or used. Just because you are a born again christian doesn't mean you are going to be embraced right away. You will need to be acclimated, become part of their culture and speak their language. If you have a gift and want to be used you'll need to purchase your sacrifice at their tables through their network so everything and everyone will be on the same page,
what convenience. The church has gone from a place of worship and prayer to a sophisticated network of departments, that for the one who desires simple devotion to Christ on a Sunday morning with like minded brothers and sisters feels like being sucked into a vacuum that unless you are like us you won't grow or be used. It is interesting that most all of Jesus's ministry took place outside the four walls of the local church.
Church has become convenient, but at a cost. Has the church drifted away from what Christ had intended? Paul spoke of having simple devotion to Christ, not going beyond the scriptures, trying to produce something that isn't godly or demonstrating Christianity in our own strength. It may be a regular Sunday morning at church, but just like Jesus walked into the temple back than, He is about to come overturn the tables in our lives and the church structure. It may not happen that day or that Sunday, but Monday is ah coming. Christ through the Spirit may show up look around, leave, but than come back another time and deal with the heart and the church. One of the biggest reasons why the temple was destroyed in 70AD was because of Israel's disobedience.
Many times because of our continual disobedience and lack of repentance the anointing seems to be lifted and His voice isn't as clear as before. He may have already come to the temple and is rearranging. It is time to take notice, listen, repent of any merchandising, convenience, trying to look good on the outside and allow Jesus to cleans your temple that you can once more hear His voice and walk in the anointing. Is the church a vibrant looking fig tree with wonderful looking leaves but no fruit? The fruit that Jesus was looking for was the fruit of repentance (Luke 3:8).
The reason why Israel didn't bare fruit is because they refused the early opportunity to accept the Messiah. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says that now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation. I can count in scripture at lest three times that Jesus came to the temple rebuking the priest and people for their disobedience. It was because of their disobedience and failure to repent that God allowed their enemies to come in like a flood and the temple was destroyed. It was their unwillingness to embrace Christ and His kingdom that prevented Him from gathering them like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. I ask you what are you looking for ? An awakening to fall out of the sky and everything will be utopia? God the Father doesn't work that way. Christ our Bridegroom wants total surrender of our will. We cannot serve God and this world. We can't be married to Christ and still sleep with idols. Matthew 21:44 Jesus is telling the religious people of His day and us, that He is the corner stone and we must fall on Him that we be broken and bear fruit lest the stone fall on us and scatter us like dust. Are you adorning your temple with big leaves, but bankrupt of lasting fruit? The Spirit would say " open your hearts that you can see.
You might say, "What do we need to do for the Spirit to come? What must change in order to inherit the kingdom? The rich young ruler asked the same question and Jesus's response was " sell all you have give to the poor and come follow me. What if Jesus asked the local church to close up shop and sell all you have acquired. Disperse the body into various houses throughout the city and all the salaries give to the needy among you. Wow that would be edgy!! Jesus wouldn't ask that of the churches? would He? I believe Jesus is calling His bride to be adorned with prayer. For all local churches to surrender their agenda's and truly come back to wholehearted devotion. Welcoming the Spirit to birth a house of prayer in our hearts and assemblies.
