Mark 11:19-22 – Have faith in God

During this period we know that Jesus and His disciples shuttered between Bethany and Jerusalem. Verse 19 says that when the evening came, they would go out of the city, meaning they were returning to Bethany. When morning came they were going to Jerusalem again. As they were passing by the fig tree that Jesus had cursed, they noticed that it had withered to its roots. Peter remembering what Jesus had done, exclaimed, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which you cursed had withered.” Notice how Jesus responded to Peter’s exclamation. He said, “Have faith in God.” 

From this statement, we can deduce that Jesus is giving us the key to live a curse-free life. We must see this in connection with all the events that had taken place. The fig tree that withered represents the nation of Israel. It was cursed because she had lost faith in God. The worship they brought to God was empty and devoid of meaning. They were merely going through the motions. Everything was a big charade of meaningless outward rituals. They were hypocritical and emptied of inward reality. As a nation they had lost faith in God. Much like the withered fig tree, the very life of God that once flowed through them had withered. 

Have faith in God is a call not only to Israel but also to us who believe in God. This is the only key to a meaningful and fruitful life. It’s a call to trust and obey God at His word. It’s a call to open our life to Him and be enriched. And as we are doing that, we will experience His life flowing through us to make us truly a fruitful person. Without faith in God, a person would dry up and everything would become merely mundane, meaningless routines.

Just imagine a luxuriant, full foliage tree, yet dead and devoid of life. What an image! and the disciples probably never forgot that lesson. What’s in this account for us? The question that we should all ask individually is: what kind of tree am I? Am I a genuine tree or am I merely a Christmas tree? When people look at me do they see the fruit or do they see the decorations? Can my faith in God be seen? Can they detect the internal workings of the Holy Spirit from looking at my outward life?

The way people will ever know whether we are genuine trees, would be when we are demonstrating the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And Paul said in Galatians 5:22 that against such there is no law. This kind of life comes only through faith in God and a deep abiding in Christ and His Word!