Matthew 21 looks at Jesus’ triumphal entry, and the calling out of those who should have been most excited. As Jesus comes into Jerusalem, and into the temple, He finds moneychangers in the outer court. So the people who are supposed to be promoting the worship of the One True God were desecrating the only area where the Gentiles could go…
What kind of witness is this?
Then there is the fig tree. Mounce points out that earlier in the season there would be small figs that point to a harvest. A fig tree without these was a sign that the tree would not bear fruit. What point is there to a fruit tree that will bear no fruit? One of the stories from the Jesus Bible points this out.
“Jesus was acting out a parable for his followers. the fig tree looked pretty from a distance. Upon closer inspection, however, it was void of fruit… God’s people had all the impressive trappings of religion. But they weren’t bearing fruit for God. A real faith changes one’s heart. And that changes one’s life.”
Jesus Bible, p. 1181
After this there are the two sons (kind of like Esau and Jacob), where the first says he won’t go work but later does, and the second says he will go but doesn’t.
And there is the parable of the evil farmers. At the end of this parable Jesus refers back to bearing fruit when He says
“What I mean is that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit.”
Matt. 21:43 NLT
In all of these parables, Jesus makes essentially the same point.
- Looking pretty isn’t enough…
- Being “religious” isn’t enough…
- knowing all the right things to say isn’t enough…
It is about living a life that will bear fruit. It is about living a life that shows signs that there has been transformation.
Along the Multicolored Road 
Leave a Reply