The Israelites had a rough go. Their nation floundered for generations, clinging to power and comfort instead of their calling to “be a blessing to all nations.” Their codependency with earthly kings and lifestyles led to exile and judgment. Nebuchadnezzar had laid waste to their nation and successfully sieged Jerusalem, carrying the contents of the Temple back to Assyria. God, through Jeremiah, used a metaphor: good and bad figs. The bad figs, the corrupt leaders, would be removed. But the good figs, those willing to follow God’s path, would be restored.

Jeremiah the Prophet had this to share, “And the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs, the good figs very good, and the bad figs very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten” (Jeremiah 24:3).

God uses this as a metaphor for the people. Those who were responsible for leading Israel were the bad fruit; “the king of Judah, his officials, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a reproach, a byword, a taunt, and a curse in all the places where I shall drive them.  And I will send sword, famine, and pestilence upon them, until they shall be utterly destroyed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers” (v. 8b-10).

The good fruit were the people whom God would use. “I build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart” (v. 6b-7).

God Plays With Nations

God seems a lot less concerned with a nation’s status and reputation in the world than we are. God doesn’t see nations as set realities. They, like clouds, exist from the ones before and will be recycled. Nations come and go but God wants the heart of people. Later, He would intentionally drive Nebuchadnezzar crazy just to teach him that human kingdoms are delusional. The Apostles still thought Jesus was going to “restore the kingdom to Israel” (Acts 1:6) after his resurrection. God has been up to something much bigger for a lot longer. His actual Kingdom is “not of this world” (John 17:16).

In the next chapter of Jeremiah, God reiterates what is about to happen and why:

“For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day, the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened. You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, saying, ‘Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’ Yet you have not listened to me, declares the Lord, that you might provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm” (Mark 11:13-14).

God had warned them a lot more than 23 years; He was being kind. He has warned us a lot louder and longer about the dangers of humans being over humans. Israel kept putting rulers they trusted but ultimately would lead them back to their insecurities. King after king, Israel’s intent and character were being sacrificed and supplanted. They had forgotten what it was to be foreigners and transients in this world and instead were oppressing people, so God decided they needed a time out in exile.

Jesus Flips the Fig: Exposing Barrenness

Jesus, about 600 years later, was approaching Jerusalem for his final week. In Mark, the last thing he did before was to visit a fig tree for a snack.

Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

Mark 11:13-14

It’s an odd story if it’s taken out of the story it is a part of if it ends there. The very next thing Jesus did was to walk into the Temple courtyard and drive out the people capitalizing on others’ search for atonement and redemption. I love that “he taught them” while he was doing this. His declared problem with the situation was “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” (v.17).

Jesus left and exited the city, and the next morning the fig tree Jesus cursed had withered. The image is clear. The Temple and religious elite weren’t bearing fruit. No one would have to eat from their fruit again. About 38 years later, God sent the Romans to do what the Babylonians did. God takes His job seriously. God notices when humans co-opt His Kingdom for their purpose, when they are unwilling to see it, when their belief system speaks on behalf of God, others, and reality, and when the fruit of God’s work is bad and inedible.

Bearing Fruit: Church vs “Me”

Let’s ask another question: What similarities do we have today with them? If Jesus were to arrive today, how would he judge to fruit of the American Church. Would he look at its leaders, the leader it chose to rule a nation, its fractions and arrogance, and think we understand the Gospel? Does God think Trump looks more like Ahab or Jesus? I know my and a lot of Evangelicals’ answers. People who have never voted for anything but Republican for 50+ years are leaving that party and church “members” are becoming quickly disenfranchised with the hypocrisy and unawareness of local church bodies. They sound like clanging symbols and blasting trumpets, nothing more. Their name is a reproach and their leader is rotten fruit.

Ok. One more question. What about me? You? I fully believe there’s something wrong in the Church. However, God’s call isn’t about seeing what’s wrong – it’s about creating good in our lives. It takes things we might call faith, hope, and love. It requires us to sacrifice ourselves for others. It requires radical honesty and forgiveness. It means enemies are no longer enemies – they’re co-humans. It means the way I say things and how I do things matter. What kind of fruit am I producing? Is it “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”? Or is it more of the same products of my typical mindset and behavior?

The answer to the world’s problems is not for a bunch of other people to get their crap together. The answer is for me to get mine together so I can produce good fruit. What kind of tree will we be?