And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. And his disciples heard it.[Mark 11:12-14]


…he was hungry…

God was very clear in the beginning when He said to the man He created: “…Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it…” He spoke in like manner to the animals, trees and all He created that they should be fruitful, multiply, fill the waters in the seas and bring forth abundantly after their different kinds. After the flood, in Genesis 9:1, to re- affirm His commitment to fruitfulness, “God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth”. In the same vein, when He found a man in Abraham to begin a walk with, God again repeated “I will multiply thee exceedingly…thou shall be a father of many nations… I will make thee exceeding fruitful and…kings shall come out of thee [Genesis 17:1-6].This reveals Gods insatiable hunger for fruit in everything that has life. All through human history, God has always sought for one and only one thing, fruitfulness and multiplication. To be fruitless therefore, as far as God is concerned, is a grave failure and he will not condone it. It is synonymous to being useless and lifeless. Even has a believer, there is only one matter that is on the mind of God. He has an expectation and a demand of your life of faith, and it is that you be fruitful. It is an obligation and the only thing that satisfies the Lord. The only thing that satisfies the lord is the life of fruitfulness.


“… and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves.”

A critical look at this verse of scriptures reveals that Jesus Christ was very disappointed when He came to this fig tree looking for fruit, but only to find mere beautiful and attractive leaves without any fruit at all. Our lord Jesus was so displeased that he said “No man will eat fruit of thee from hereafter forever…”[Mark 11:14]. So the issue is to bring forth fruit not leaves.

The question is: what are leaves and what is fruit? The leaves that attract even Jesus from afar off are the looks that suggest fruitfulness and fertility at a distance. The empty shows, drama that lack reality and true substance. No man grows figs for sake of leaves. In fact figs will become extinct in a matter of time if the climax of all figs is leaves. Leaves do not carry the life of the fig tree for propagation, they do not bring satisfaction to any man no matter how beautiful and gorgeous they may appear.

“Leaves” in the life of a believer are works, religious activities carried out in the vineyard of God, such as singing, evangelizing, giving, keeping the church environment clean, ushering and praying…beautiful and commendable things that men can see. All these are leaves (works). While leaves are beautiful in their own place, they cannot take the place of fruit. But for several lives, leaves have taken over completely, they are barren figs but full of leaves.
Truly, leaves are good. Leaves provide shade for shelter, food, decoration and medicinal purposes. Jesus would have probably considered the leaves if only that the fig tree had not failed in its primary purpose of producing fruit. Any tree that has no fruit is rejected no matter how beautiful the leaves may appear.
What then are then these fruit that God will not accept any substitute nor excuse for? The excuse for the fig tree in our text was that it was not yet the season. As tenable and cogent as it sounds, Jesus would not admit it. The Lord said, ye shall know them by their fruit. Fruit is the intrinsic inherent personality of a man. It is who you are not what you do. It is who you are that makes you do what you do. You are not activities and looks.

The fruit here is the life of Christ, the pattern and lifestyle of Christ. The life that oozes out of Christ. These are the fruits God is talking about. Fruits are the identification mark of a Christian. They show the true nature of the life carried within. The fruits of a Christian life are not the outward manifestations but the fruit that the Spirit of God produces from that life. Characteristics like gentleness, longsuffering, the peace of God are not activities that can be faked or displayed by any church goer. These fruit can only be produced by personal fellowship with Jesus. Your connection with Jesus is more important than activities that do not flow from a life of Jesus.

Friends, any man that only concentrates on activities (leaves) only sees the external and judges and criticize men exposing and explaining sin and yet he lacks the fruit of righteousness. He lacks the capacity not to sin. Yes, church activities and good externalities are important but do not allow it to quench the hunger for God and his grace that works from within to produce the fruit that satisfies God. For your life not to become fruitless with only ordinary leaves, you have to go beyond activities and get into the experience that causes a change in the personality. It is every good tree, without any struggles, that brings forth good fruit. But if you go on with your numerous church activities, God will reject you and your works.

Dear friends, do not allow any leader to assign you to any position that will steal and quench the hunger for God and what He desires in your life. Any position/responsibility you have not yet received the grace of God for will not give you time/space and the drive for a personal sweet fellowship with Him, I promise you. Never allow your body to be in church running for the so called work of God, but your heart is far away from the Real Worker. Forget about the numerous activities and run back to the secret place, behind the shut door where He sees and equips for public notice and fruitfulness.

Honestly speaking, Jesus is not interested with your routine church activities rather, He is much more interested in your deep love for Him. I mean having a progressively intimate and unbroken connection with Jesus daily, that cannot be detached. I am very sorry for those whose leaves have become the ultimate in their walk with God and have taken the place of fruits. Such people have completely missed the main matter.

How is the connection point between you and God? Are you bearing beautiful attractive leaves but no fruit? Is the work the Gardener is doing on you of no effect? Where is the proof of your walk with God? Where are your fruit? But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. [Galatians 5:22,23]