Luke 13:6-9
“He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’’
INSIGHT
-The fig tree was and still is one of the common trees in Israel and other parts of the world. It is grown as an ornamental tree and its fruit can be consumed fresh or dry, it can be used for making jam when over-ripe, and its leaves, stem and roots can be used for medicinal purposes. Several scriptures have outlined lessons pointing to its nature and characteristics. Jesus told a parable of a barren fig tree. A fig tree that never bore any fruit in three years. The owner of the vineyard was concerned about the output of the tree. Having contended with it for three years using up resources but bearing no fruit, he contemplated on cut it down. The fig tree may be a representation of ones life. We know that each one of us has a purpose to accomplish here on earth but some have been unproductive for years. We all have our unique abilities and talents, which enable us accomplish the mission for which God has called us to do. The Holy Spirit gives each one of us gifts as He pleases for the edification of the body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:28 we read that, “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.” The Holy Spirit gives us the gifts and abilities we require to accomplish our mission and bear much fruit. The vine-keeper held out hope that the barren fig tree would bear fruit in the next year after cultivating and fertilizing it. Likewise, the Holy Spirit always has good plans for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. Like God opened up the womb of Sarah and Elizabeth after many years of waiting on Him in prayer, God is opening doors, new opportunities and answering our prayers during this season. There is hope for each one of us to begin a new life, a life of productivity and operate in sufficient grace, as we put all our confidence in Christ.
PRAYER
This is the day that the Lord has made, we rejoice and are glad in it. Thank You Lord for the abundant grace that You have bestowed upon our lives, families, societies and nation. We humbly ask You to forgive us our sins merciful Father and cover us with Your precious blood. Thank You for the good plans You have for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. Like the vine keeper had hope in the barren fig tree, we know that You have hope in us despite the tribulations that we go through. Lord You are the Vine and we are the branches, help us to bear much fruit in our walk of faith. All our hope is in You Jesus, help us to be productive in our work, families, purposes, talents and all that You have deposited in us. Bless the work of our hands dear Lord and make all our plans succeed according to the riches of Your glory. Many are the plans in our hearts Lord, but only You can ordain our steps. We submit our plans to Your plans Holy Spirit, lead us according to Your divine will. Help us to accomplish all that You have called us to do and hide our stars within Yourself Jesus so that only those who You intend to see them may see; for Your kingdom benefit. Grant us the gift of wisdom and discernment so that all we do may bring forth blessing and many may come to You. All glory honor, power, blessings, riches, strength, adoration and praise belongs to You Jesus, now and forever. Amen
1 Kings 4:25
“During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.”
INSIGHT
-When the Lord appeared to king Solomon after sacrificing a thousand cattle, He gave him wisdom, honor, peace and wealth. The Lord gave him wisdom, great insight, and a breadth of understanding that cannot be measured as the sand on the seashore (1 Kings 4:29). Solomon not only enjoyed this favor with his household, but with the entire nation of Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba, where Isaac dug a well and prospered. The same peace was enjoyed as prophesied by Micah who indicated that, “But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid; For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken (Micah 4:4). The fig tree is thus used to indicate peace, national wealth and security, favor and prosperity in the land. Peace, safety, felicity, wealth and restful enjoyment was not for a selected few, but each one dwelt under his fig tree and vine. Some countries among them Arab nations, have adopted such policies to ensure that there is wealth distribution to all through resource mobilization and sharing, provision of free education, health care, housing and other social amenities. It is a gift from God to live a joy-filled life as we read from Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 that, “It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. It is a gift from God to enjoy the fruit of our labor and remain in the joy of His salvation. This is our heritage as children of God, to find joy, peace, success and blessings, which transcend from one glory to the next, as we hope for our eternal inheritance in Christ Jesus.
PRAYER
Abba Father, thank You for loving us and making us Your children through Your Son Jesus Christ. We are Abraham’s seed according to the promise. Thank You for giving us the Abrahamic blessing that Solomon Your servant enjoyed with his people. Thank You for the peace and favor that we continue to enjoy even during these turbulent times. Thank You for the gifts that You have bestowed upon us, our descendants and entire nation to enjoy peace, joy, wealth and prosperity, wisdom, honor, love and salvation as we dwell under Your fig tree. Heal our land Jesus from corruption and all evil deeds, and grant our leaders wisdom, bestow upon us peace, national wealth and security as each one dwells under his/her fig tree. Oh God of all creation; bless this our land and nation, justice be our shield and defender; may we dwell in unity, peace and liberty, plenty be found within our boarders. Only in You do we find salvation for our souls. We rely on You Lord in everything and without You we can do nothing. We put all our confidence in You Jesus Christ, have mercy of us, all those who are sick and suffering, those who are homeless, all widows and orphans, all the youth who are rebellious and lost, all those who are enslaved by the snares of the evil one, that You may deliver us all and cover us with Your precious blood; and hedge of fire. May Your salvation reach all Your people that we may enjoy eternal peace as You welcome us to heavenly kingdom. Thank You for loving us with an everlasting kind of love, let us drink from the rivers of living water that we may never thirst. There is no other God but You Jesus, receive our praise and adoration from the bottom of our hearts. You are holy Lord God Almighty, You who was, who is and who is to come. We love You Lord and honor Your mighty name, now and forever. Amen
Proverbs 27:18
“Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit; So he who waits on his master will be honored.”
INSIGHT
-He who cultivates, fertilize, prunes and tends to his fig tree, during rainy seasons and drought will eat its fruit. But lazy hands make one poor and diligent hands bring wealth (Proverbs 10:4). Further, a servant who serves his master faithfully, prudently and diligently shall receive recompense and honor in due time. According to Matthew 25:21, if the servant is prudent, then the master will say to him, well done good and faithful servant; thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things, enter into the joy of the Lord. It is through faith even though sometimes we go through tribulations, which produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope (Romans 5:2-4). Hope that keeps us going knowing that tomorrow will be a better day. In our work, calling, associations, relationships, and faith in Christ that produces a great reward. We are called to watch that we do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully (2 John 1:8). We know that Jesus is coming soon and we are remind to watch, and stay alert for He will come like a thief in a time when no one knows. In the parable of the ten virgins, five were wise and five; foolish. The wise had extra oil and when the master delayed, they were able to keep their torches lit. The foolish on the other hand; had no option but to go buy extra oil, and when they came back, the door was closed and they were locked out of the heavenly kingdom. Let us then be diligent in all that we do, being faithful to watch for no one knows the time nor the hour when the Son of Man is coming.
PRAYER
We exalt You our God and King, for only You are greatly to be praised. We will praise Your name forever and ever. Everyday we will sing Your praises and extol Your name. Great are You Lord our God and most worthy to be praised. No one can fathom Your greatness and Your holiness transcends to all generations. One generation will commend Your works to another and tell of Your mighty acts. We will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty and meditate on Your wonderful works. We will tell of the power of Your awesome works and proclaim Your great deeds. We will celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of Your righteousness. Only You Lord are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love, forgive us our sins and cover us with Your precious blood. Help us to keep watch and keep our lamps on so that we may not loose our reward. Blot all the names of Your people from the book of death and write all our names in the book of life, we humbly implore You. Guide us Holy Spirit to serve You diligently in our work and all that You have entrusted unto us that we may receive our reward. Sharpen our skills and talents that we may bear much fruit as You require of each one of us. Bless the work of our hands and make all our plans succeed according to Your will. Direct us in our journey of faith and draw us close to Yourself; Holy Spirit. Help us to keep watch in patience, perseverance, faith, hope, love, prayer and thanksgiving like the five wise virgins so that we may dwell with You forever. Only You Lord are good to all and compassionate to all You have made, have mercy on us and fill us with Your divine wisdom. All Your creation will praise You Oh Lord and all Your saints will extol You. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations. You are faithful to all Your promises and loving toward all Your creation, all our confidence is in You Jesus, now and forever. Amen
Mark 11:20-24
“Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
INSIGHT
-Jesus cursed a fig tree which did not bear fruit. The fig tree dried up from the roots which symbolizes that our foundation should through faith in Jesus Christ. Through the fig tree, He exposed the faithlessness of the people of Jerusalem who had become spiritually barren and their religious leaders had started trading in the temple; as we see in the previous scriptures. The people therefore did not fully rely on God and their hearts were far from Him. It is known that; when the fig tree is not well watered, it’s leaves drop and fruit production also drops. Like the fig tree which needs water for better growth and productivity, we too need to feed on the word of God which is our spiritual food. We are also taught to rely on God for unwavering faith and if we command anything that seems like a mountain in our lives and environments, it will obey us. Adam and Eve relied on their own strength when they sinned. They covered their nakedness with figs from the fig tree as we see in Genesis 3:7, but the Lord in His mercy, clothes them with skin tunics as documented in verse 21. When we fully rely on God through faith, we partake of the victory that Adam and Even lost in the garden of Eden, for Christ paid it all in Calvary that we may rejoice in the garden called the New Jerusalem. We are then called to have strong faith in Jesus Christ for without faith we cannot please God, and eternal condemnation will befall all those who do not believe in Him (John 3:18).
PRAYER
Jesus You are good and Your mercies endures forever. We count our blessings and name them one by one. Thank You for You have done great things in our lives, families, societies, nation and entire world. Thank You for Your love upon all mankind, for You died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice for our sins, that we may believe in You and live forever. All our faith and confidence is in You Jesus. We are sorry for the many times we harbored doubt and unbelief in our hearts, forgive us Jesus. We are sorry for not consulting You in our decisions and not fully relying on Your grace, forgive us Jesus. We are sorry for our waywardness and double mindedness, forgive us Jesus. Increase our faith in You and teach us how to fully rely on You. We are nothing without You and we cannot do anything without You. You are the Vine and we are the branches, help us to abide in You Jesus as You are in us; so that we may bear much fruit. Be with all those who do not acknowledge You Jesus as God that they may believe in You and be saved. Help us to reach all those who do not know You through Your gospel and grant them the gift of salvation. You died on the cross so that we may live, thank You for the gift of eternal life. Increase our faith Lord and help us to walk by faith and not by sight. It is by faith that You saved us through grace and not by our works, we rejoice in Your salvation Jesus. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Mark 13:28-31
“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”
INSIGHT
-Jesus told this parable of the fig tree to describes the end times. In Revelation 6:13 we see that the fig tree will drop its late figs during the shaking by a mighty wind and the stars of heaven will fall to the earth. Summer is the harvest time for fig fruits and we are called to be ready all the time, through prayer, reading the word, praise, repentance and yielding fruits of love, as we rely on God’s grace, and learn the seasons, for Jesus is coming soon. Let us then walk by the narrow road in Christ, that leads to eternal life.
SUMMARY
There are many varieties of fig trees including:- brown turkey, desert king, kadota, celeste, ficus carica, ficus microcarpa, ficus macrophylla, ficus rubiginosa, ficus benjamina, ficus pandurata etc. Fig trees thrive in areas with long, hot summers and mild winters. It’s fruits are tasty and can be consumed fresh, dry, canned or cooked. They can be used to make jam when overripe and their leaves, stems and roots can be used for medicinal purposes. Jesus told several parables of the fig tree to delineate the dominant message of faith, fruitfulness and the end times. Jesus dried up a fig tree that did not bear fruit and taught that with faith as little as a mastered seed, we can move mountains. He also taught of a barren fig tree which the vine keeper proposed to cultivate and fertilize with the hope that it will bear fruit. Like the fig tree should be fertilized, pruned so that they may bear fruit in proper time, we too should be diligent in our work, purposes, calling, talents and missions, as we rely on God’s grace. God knew us and predestined us before we were formed in our mother’s wombs and He reminds us of His promises in our lives during this new season. King Solomon was a wise king and his people dwelt in peace, prosperity and wealth, each man under his own fig tree and vine. There was national wealth and security which shows selflessness, wise council and God’s favor upon His people. When we put our trust in the Lord, we have hope for fruitfulness now and in eternity. The theme of fig tree thus provides both a blend of prosperity here on earth and eternal blessings promised by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. During spring time the fig tree goes dormant and after all dangers of frost have passed, one should dig it up and water it to resurrect it. In the same way we are called to read the word of God, pray and praise Him, as we draw closer to Jesus; who is the resurrection and the life. As we learn from the parable above, when its branch become tender and put forth leaves, summer is near. Summer is harvest time for the fig fruits. As we know, Jesus will come with His angels and He will separate the wheat from the tares. The wheat will be stores in God’s bans while the tares will be thrown into the fire, where there will be mourning and weeping. We are thus called to have faith in Jesus and be ready all the time, for no one knows the time nor the hour when the Son of Man is coming.
PRAYER
You are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last Jesus, all glory and praise belongs to You. You have reminded us of the fig tree this week that we may learn of the times and seasons like the tribe of Issachar, fill us with Your wisdom, knowledge and understanding for the glory of Your name. Give us the hunger to search the scriptures daily like the Bereans, that we may find You Holy Spirit at all times. Help us to seek You in all seasons so that we may always be ready for Your second coming Jesus. Thank You for the different gifts that You have planted in our hearts, help us to bear much fruit in season as You have called each one of us. Inspire our leaders with Your wisdom so that they may only do according to Your will. Be all the doctors and nurses during this season that they may be diligent in serving Your people; despite the challenges that they might be going through. Bless our children as they stay at home, that Your may give them hope and a bright future, for they belong to You. Strengthen those who are unemployed, or going through financial difficulties that You may increase them in ways that cannot be uttered. Heal all those who are sick or mourning the loss of their loved ones, that Your grace and peace may take over their hearts. Touch the hearts of those who do not believe in You and grant them the gift of salvation that yields everlasting life. Increase our faith Jesus that we may always believe in You in all things as You have called us. Answer all our prayers and hearts desires Lord according to Your will. May Your favor and grace always be present in our lives, families, nation and entire world, for the advancement of Your Kingdom. Bless us Lord and keep us, make Your face shine upon us and be gracious to us. Turn Your countenance towards us and grant us peace. Amen