Hello New Hope Family,

We are right in the middle of the Passion Week! It is during this week that so many of the powerful events of Christ’s life took place: The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the Cleansing of the Temple, the Last Supper, the Trial and the Crucifixion, but there is one story that doesn’t seem to fit.

“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.” (Mark 11:13-14)

Why did Jesus curse this tree? Why is this strange story included in the final week of His life?

Jesus used His precious few final hours to teach us yet another powerful lesson: The danger of pretending to be something or someone we are not. The problem wasn’t that the tree had no figs (it wasn’t even the season for figs!) the problem was that it was “a fig tree in leaf” advertising that it was full of ripe, juicy figs, when in fact, there were no figs to be found! 

The culture in Jesus’ day was full of religious “posers” pretending to be someone they weren’t. They "advertised" their piety with colorful prayers or acts of sacrifice, but their lives were bearing no fruit!

As Jesus neared the cross, He wanted to be sure that His followers understood the importance of living out an authentic faith. As we remember the death and resurrection of Christ this week, I pray that we too would live out a Christ-honoring and authentic faith. 
 
~Pastor David