Mark 11:12-24 (KJV)
12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: 13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. 15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; 16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. 17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. 19 And when even was come, he went out of the city. 20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
The Bible tells us that one day Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. From a distance, He saw a fig tree, and when He came close, He found nothing on it but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. What interests Jesus is not the leaves but the fruit, as He said in John 15:8: “My Father is glorified in this, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” Jesus, as God, knew the seasons better than anyone, yet this happened for two reasons.
The first reason is to teach us that God expects us to bear good fruit even in the bad seasons of our lives.
Don’t stop loving because people don’t love you. Don’t stop helping because people don’t help you. Jesus demonstrated this in Matthew 21:13-14. After driving out those who were buying and selling in the temple, overturning the tables of the money changers, and declaring, “My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves,” the Bible says that the blind and lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them, even in a moment of righteous anger, Jesus still produced good fruit.
The second reason Jesus cursed the fig tree was to teach us a lesson about the power of faith. The next morning, as they passed by, Peter noticed the fig tree had withered from the roots. The day before, when Jesus cursed it, nothing seemed to happen—the tree looked unchanged. Yet Jesus didn’t stop to check it the next day; His focus was on His mission in Jerusalem.
Many people fail to move forward because they focus on what happened yesterday instead of where they are going.
You may have problems in your life or even in your body; pray about them, but don’t focus on them. Fix your eyes on God, on the heavenly Jerusalem.
When your attention is on Him, you won’t even notice when the problem was gone. Peter, out of curiosity, noticed the tree; Jesus was not concerned. His answer was simply: “Have faith in God.”
What is Faith?
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Faith is trusting that what God says is true and reliable.
Faith is to trust what God says regardless of what is happening in or around you.
Why is faith so important?
- Because no one can be saved without faith. Ephesians 2:8 (KJV) says, for by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
- The Christian life is only lived by faith. Romans 1:16-17 declares, the just shall live by faith.
- We are also justified by faith. Romans 5:1 says, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God. The Greek word for “peace” here is not shalom but eirēnē, meaning harmony, reconciliation, no more strife, and no more war between us and God through justification by faith.
- We walk by faith, as 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us.
- We can’t have answers to prayer without faith. Mark 11:24 teaches, believe that you receive them, and you will have them, and James 1:5-6 instructs us to ask in faith without doubting.
- Only faith pleases God. Hebrews 11:6 makes it clear that without faith, it is impossible to please Him.
- Jesus Himself lived by faith. Galatians 2:20 (KJV) says, the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God.
- Even God has faith. Mark 11:22 (DRA) reads, Have the faith of God.
Have faith in God
One of the reasons people fail in life is because their faith is in their own abilities, education, understanding, resources, or money. But human ability can fail. Psalm 127:1 (ESV) says: “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” You can build without God, but it will be in vain; there will be no eternal reward.
Having faith in God means trusting, believing, and relying entirely on Him. If I succeed, it is because of God. People can change their opinions about you, and treat you differently, but God remains faithful. Jesus said in Mark 11:22-23: “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.”
Notice Jesus said “whoever.” Faith works for anyone, regardless of background, status, or colour. doubt is a faith destroyer.
Why must we have faith in God?
First, there is no way out without Him. Jesus doesn’t just know the way—He is the way.
Second, no one loves and cares for you like Him.
Third, He is faithful beyond understanding.
Fourth, only He can deliver you completely. Even Jesus, in His humanity, prayed to the One who could save Him from death. Hebrews 5:7 (NLT) says: “While Jesus was here on earth, He offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the One who could deliver Him out of death. And God heard His prayers because of His deep reverence for God.”
This is why in John 14:1 (CEV), Jesus told His disciples: “Don’t be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in Me.”
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God bless you.
Pastor Jules Kalufando