God's Fruit in His Power (Matthew 21:18-22)

Here’s my Sunday sermon from February 9th, 2025 in Karis church. You can also check out the audio here. You should also subscribe to our podcast, which is found here.

My wife Amy and I began dating on a mission trip to Haiti. We stayed on a mission compound on the southwest side of the island. And a large mission house was at the center of its grounds. On the top of its roof, we’d watch the sun set over the mountains. We’d read and study God’s word. I’d grab a guitar, and we’d sing songs. It was beautiful. I’ll never forget the place. But one night there I made what turned out to be a pretty big mistake. I grabbed a djembe, an African drum - we have one here - and I started beating on it. And I found out then just how fast our missionary hosts could run. Because they flew up those steps like their pants were on fire. And they let me know that I needed to cease and desist the beating of the drum immediately.

Well, they’d spent a couple of decades there, spreading the gospel of Jesus, trying to show how it differed from tribal religion on that island. And it turns out the only people on their roofs, beating their drums at night, were people practicing Voodoo. I was unknowingly, inadvertently sending a very different kind of message. Friends, that’s what I fear we so often do here, as the church today. We’re spreading a message. We’re talking about Jesus. But our actions say something very, very different. So they can’t - they won’t - hear our message. Because we’re banging so loudly on that drum.

We’re walking through what’s been called Holy Week here in Matthew again today. Last week, we were in the Psalms. But the Sunday before, we looked at verses 12 through 17. Where Jesus cleanses the temple. And I called us to be passionate about the priorities of Jesus. There, we saw His passion for purity, His zeal to show mercy. We’ve got another tough passage today. Where Jesus drops the hammer down hard again. We see again His passion. He wants us to see our dependency. And He’s zealous for our integrity.

This morning here, as we look at Matthew 21, verses 18 through 22, I want us to hit on two big passions of Jesus and then close getting more practical with them together. Jesus gets worked up over these things. And we should, too. Let’s jump in.

Their Hypocrisy and Ours

Let’s talk first about our worship. I shared last time that when Jesus goes into that temple - and starts throwing around tables and chairs - He’s pronouncing judgment upon that house. He’s condemning that nation and its leaders. The temple’s lifecycle had ended. The true, better temple - Jesus Christ - where God and man could fellowship - where heaven and earth came together - it had come. He denounces their hollow, empty religion. He passes a death sentence upon the people of Israel.

But you know what? That’s also what’s happening here. In verse 18, we see Jesus returning to Jerusalem - with His disciples. If you look at the way Mark lays it out, you’ll notice a bit of a different order. Mark splits up this story about the fig tree. And puts Jesus tearing up the temple in the middle. But it’s really not a big problem. Mark likes to lay things out chronologically. Matthew groups things more topically.

Anyway, it says that Jesus “became hungry.” Remember that Jesus is a man. With a real body. God Himself. The second person of the Trinity. But He’s also a human being. And for that reason, He has human needs like us. He needs to eat. And so verse 19 says that He sees a fig tree. He walks up to it. But there’s no food to be found. Now Mark tell us that it wasn’t the normal season for figs (Mark 11:13). It was the Passover season - in early spring. And figs were typically harvested later on in the summer. However, there were apparently some species of figs that would bear fruit early.

But how did you know? If the trees were full of leaves. The fruit came along at the same time, or shortly after. So the Lord walks up, expecting a needed snack. And the leaves were doing some really false advertising.

So what happens? Jesus gets angry. He’s far more than a man. God the Son. He does this miracle. And the disciples are in awe! Now this story here has perplexed and frustrated people for ages. The famous atheist, Bertrand Russell, in his book Why I Am Not A Christian, pointed to these verses as some of his evidence. How could this be the Son of God - here going off on a plant?

But we really need to understand how His anger is different, as well as why Jesus even gets angry. We talked about anger last time - again when Jesus came into the temple. And I read this longer quote from Rebecca Manley Pippert where she said this:

“God’s wrath is not a cranky explosion, but his settled opposition to the cancer . . . which is eating out the insides of the human race he loves with his whole being.” (Rebecca Manley Pippert).

Hear that? It’s “settled opposition.” I also quoted Tim Chester who says that “‘Good anger' is an emotional response to the right things (sin and injustice) in the right way (controlled and desiring good).” See, the Lord’s anger is controlled. Unlike ours most of the time. When we explode. When we overreact. His is calm. Jesus is measured in His response.

But you then might say, “Ok. I’ll at least give you - He gets mad in the right way. But what about the ‘right things’ part? He’s raging at a tree!” I remember our late dog Bauer hitting his head on the coffee table and then barking angrily at the table. Isn’t that what Jesus is doing? I don’t think so. That’s because Christ’s anger here is symbolic.

He’s really acting out a parable here. In the Old Testament, the image of the fig tree - and really the vine - was used in a couple of different ways. At times, it was used to talk about Israel’s barrenness, of her hypocrisy, of not producing fruit. Listen to Jeremiah 8:13:

Jeremiah 8:13 “When I would gather them, declares the LORD,

there are no grapes on the vine,

nor figs on the fig tree;

even the leaves are withered,

and what I gave them has passed away from them.”

Imagine last week - in our family meeting - and I walked in and everyone was arguing. And I stomped in, started up a chainsaw, and began angrily chopping up the tables. Now you would have been freaking out. The kids would have been crying. But some of you might surmise. “Oh, Kevin’s trying to make a statement. That our community is disunified. That it’s unhealthy.”

Here, seen especially in the context of Jesus tearing up that temple, Jesus is saying really clearly, "You’re putting on a good show. Your foliage looks pretty good, I guess. But your fruit is lacking. And you all are cursed.” Jesus is calling out hypocrisy. He condemns it. “May no fruit ever come from you again!” He exclaims there in verse 19. And the tree withers. That’s what hypocrisy looks like. That’s where that kind of worship leads. That’s what happens to those who may put on a big show but really don’t love God and neighbor. They’re judged. You say that hypocrisy makes you sick. It really gets you worked up. All talk. No walk. Jesus agrees. Jesus cares about the integrity of our worship.

God’s covenant with Israel was temporary. They didn’t hold up their end of the deal. And they were judged. They didn’t have the heart to meet its demands. So they were cursed. But they pointed ahead to a new people of God. People from every tribe and tongue and nation. There would be a new covenant, sealed and secured by the blood of Jesus. And they’d have His Spirit within them. And by that Spirit they’d produce lasting, spiritual fruit. And through that bless the world - as Adam and then Israel - were called to do. And failed.

As Paul put I, they’d be God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,” made and saved to “walk in them” - sharing, showing the gospel of God (Eph. 2:10). They’d speak the truth. They’d do it in love. They’d be known for “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23).     

But we so often fail at that, don’t we? My oldest son is coaching my youngest son on a basketball team this year. And it’s been so much fun to watch. But there was a game last week, where I got a little bit out of control. Yelling at the refs. Not acting like a Christian, much less a pastor. I thought after the game. I pictured one of the refs coming in here on a Sunday. And I would have been embarrassed. I knew Jesus wasn’t pleased. And I really needed to repent.

We need to grapple with this fig tree picture, too. Are we, individually, barren like that tree? We might have the right smile. Say the right things. But is our talk backed up by fruit? As individuals? In the workplace, do we gossip just like everyone else? In our marriages, will we be unfaithful - just like all those around us? Will we tear in to the man, working at the customer service counter - just like the world - or will we be different? Will we bear fruit? Or be known for hypocrisy - that our Lord hates?

What about us corporately? Will we sing songs and shake hands and put up a good front - and then ignore the poor? Despise the weak? Talk poorly of those we disagree with? Hate on the city God has called us to? I think of all the programs getting slashed - even this week. Refugees will no doubt be left out in the cold. Programs to benefit the poor are likely going away. Funding for schools is getting cut, it seems, for sure. Will we stand in the gap? Will we respond with love? Or just keep up the charade? Will we have shiny leaves? But produce no fruit? Jesus cares about the integrity of our worship.

Their Arrogance, and Ours

Second, our mission. Next, in verse 20, the disciples marvel. And they ask this question, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” Now scholars have pointed out something important about this question. The disciples don’t ask why here, but how. Not, “why’d you do that Jesus?” But, “how’d you do that, Lord?” Presumably, they want to do some cool magic tricks, too. They want in on the secret.

But Jesus answers them, in verses 21 and 22, like this:

Matthew 21:21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Now this has become a favorite verse of what’s been called the prosperity gospel. Where you can “name it and claim it.” If you have enough faith, you can be healthy and wealthy. You can do “all things through Christ.” Move any mountain. Make tumors disappear. And mansions materialize.

“Whatever you ask in prayer,” He’s bound to give it. Unless, of course, you don’t have enough faith. Or you have a shred of doubt. This teaching turns God into a Santa Claus in the sky. Crushing those whose prayers aren’t answered. But it doesn’t fit with real life. Or the rest of Scripture. It lines the pockets of hucksters. And it preys on the poor.

What’s really happening here? Jesus is answering His disciples. Those who’d found the church. He’s training them for ministry. And He’s telling them how that ministry is going to get done. Through His power, and not ours. That’s what this picture is all about. He’s using hyperbole. This common image of a mountain. A proverbial idea in Judaism. Of the most impossible thing that can be done. The Lord is strong enough to do it. That is, if we’ll trust Him. If we’ll ask Him. He’ll answer really big prayers.

But they have to fit with His will - as 1 John 5 tells us. And here Jesus is advancing His kingdom. And He’s involving His disciples here in that. But it would only come about in His might. Think about how Holy Week started. Jesus riding in on a donkey. The Israelites waving their branches. They wanted power. And they wanted it now. They would take matters into their own hands. But Jesus came to show them a different way. The path of weakness, of suffering. But a confidence in God’s strength. Jesus wants to pull us away from arrogance. He wants our mission dependent upon His power.

We believe, as Romans explains, “that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). We trust in a God who created the heavens and the earth. And who will renew all that we see. And He uses that same power of creation to shine into our hearts. He makes us alive in Christ. He’ll raise us one day from the dead. That’s our hope as we go spread the kingdom.

But it’s so easy to forget that. My wife likes to tell the story about how she got impatient with me back in the day, when we were just getting this church plant started started. I guess I was whining a lot, about how slow things were going. She decided that she’d take matters into her own hands. She and another woman were going to hold this women’s event. And that would jumpstart this church thing really fast. They put all this work into planning for this event. They invited lots and lots of women. And guess what happened? Only two people showed up. Amy. And her friend. She was convicted of her arrogance.

As individuals don’t we all struggle that same way? A brother looks like he’s destroying his life. And I want to jump in and fix him NOW. We see someone with a need, and we try to carry all the weight. We think it’s all on our shoulders. If we can word things in just the right way. Make things sound really convincing. He wants our walk to be lived out by faith. Do we turn to prayer - just as a last resort? Do we just pray and ask God to bless plans we’ve already made? Yes, He asks us to act. To go and bear fruit. But we’re to do it in His strength.

As a church - here in Karis - are we really committed to prayer? Do we see prayer as a part of our ministry? Or the main thing we do? If the Holy Spirit left the building, would we even notice? Are we even trying things big enough that we need Him at all? If we want to see people saved and restored - if we want our city to be renewed and transformed - we need to learn to pray. Could it be, Karis, that our dreams for our city, our nation, our world are simply too small? Jesus is saying, “Hey, you’re wanting to do small things - those trees. You can actually move mountains. That is, if you’ll believe.    

You might have zeroed in on just one word of this text. “Doubt” - there in verse 21. Jesus says, He’ll do things like this “if you have faith and do not doubt.”

Now, first of all, this isn’t really talking about doubting who God is, but rather what God can do. But I really think Matthew’s just using two phrases to emphasize one thought. Believe in the Lord. Trust in His power. This isn’t a call for perfect faith. Back in chapter 17, verse 20, Jesus uses the very same image, and says that even the tiniest little bit of faith will do. Even that the Lord will use.

But, again, you hear Jesus here encouraging us not to doubt, and you admit, “I’m doubting what He’ll do. I’m also doubting who He is.” Here’s my one encouragement. Don’t lean into the doubt. Lean into your community. I’ve used the image of a boat before here in Karis. If you lean out of the boat, you’ll surely fall in. If you stay in the center, where brothers and sisters are, who’ll encourage you with truth, you’ll be safe. But if you move to the edges, where you can hear the voices from the shore, you’ll definitely be sunk. When people begin to doubt, they almost always pull away from the pack. I’m begging you. Don’t lean into the doubt. Lean into your community.

What Jesus does to that tree, again, it pictures His judgment. But what He says about the mountain probably points to that, too. He’s probably alluding to the Temple Mount, to the city of Jerusalem. Picked up and tossed. Into the depths of the sea. It’s likely another picture of judgment. For Israel turning their back against God. And for their arrogance. More than anything, their true King had come. And they’d rejected Him. They’d soon kill Him. Back in Jeremiah, the Babylonians soon brought the hammer. Here in Christ’s day, the Romans came for their throats. They turned the temple into rubble. And left the nation in ruins.

Now the Lord is committed to forming a people - to gathering and growing people for His name. Who’ll bear fruit in His power. And nothing’s going to get in the way of His will to do that. But He’s not going to bless people who boast in their strength. For whom prayer is an afterthought, if even thought of at all.

He loves to give fruit, so that He’ll receive glory. Lasting works will only come as a gift of His grace. He wants our mission dependent upon His power.

Karis, if the world looks at us and sees us as hypocrites - if the city looks at us and thinks we’re arrogant jerks - it’ll be like me beating that drum on that mountain. They won’t hear anything we’re saying. And they’ll run away from God.

Application

Let’s even get more practical here as I bring things to a close. Here are two encouragements as we try to respond to these verses. First, let’s get honest about ourselves together. Let’s own the gap between who we are and who we want to be. Let’s tear off the masks. Let’s walk in the light. We know that we don’t live with the integrity we should. We know that we’re arrogant so much of the time. Let’s stop pretending.

Let’s be a place where we can be honest. The word hypocrite comes from the world of theatre. It’s a stage player, an actor. Let’s not be a place where we feel like have to act. We don’t have to fake it. We can be ourselves. A safe place to own our faults. And get help in trying to grow. Where we’re not about trying to be impressive but known. Where it’s OK and even expected to be weak. A gospel culture, Karis.   

Second, let’s abide in our Lord Jesus together. When I start thinking about trees and fruit, my mind immediately goes to John 15. Where Jesus says we’re to abide in Him. And draw from Him our strength, our life. Like branches in a vine. Apart from Him, we can do nothing, He says. And as we abide, we’ll bear good fruit. And we’ll do that as He answers our prayers.

As the Lord puts it, in John 15:7, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

Karis, this is why we’ve offered this One Read to you. Practicing the Way. Let’s draw near to Jesus together. In His word. In prayer. Let’s follow after our Master. And be apprentices of Him. And let Him change us. Until our lives more and more line up with our beliefs. Until we realize just how dependent we are.   

The Big Lie - and Big Game

Now I’m excited for the big game today. And even if you’re not a sports fan, you’ve probably heard all the chatter about the refs supposedly helping the Chiefs. Several weeks ago, in a really tight game, a call wasn’t made. A flag wasn’t thrown. Everybody freaked out. And then on the TV cameras, you saw a ref walk over, put his arm around that quarterback and seemingly apologize. Right on national TV. Yeah, the big lie is true! And the big game is rigged. But that ref didn’t apologize to number 15 on the Chiefs. No! But to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. And no one in the nation seemed to have a problem with that.

You see, if we’re honest, we all know that we’re hypocrites, too. Our lives don’t always match up to what we say. And we’re pretty arrogant, also. Thinking we’re always in the right. But here’s the good news, friends. Jesus not only gives us an example. He serves as a Savior. He was cursed for us. He withered on that cross. He allowed Himself to be thrown into the sea of God’s wrath - so we could given be forgiven. So we could bear fruit that lasts.

And I said earlier that that image of the fig tree is used in a couple of different ways. Here’s the second: as an image of God’s blessing upon His people. Multiple times, the Lord promises - through the prophets - that a day was coming where everyone would sit “under his vine and under his fig tree” (Micah 4:4). It’s a picture of the blessed life in a new heavens and a new earth. When tears will be wiped away. And we can see Jesus clearly. And all our fears will be gone. We who deserve to be cursed. We’ll be blessed in Him. With that in view, Karis, let us bear fruit that springs from trust in God’s power. Let’s pray.