Implicit Lesson of the Withered Fig Tree

Driving home: And whenever we are handling the Word of God, there must be compelling reasons if we handle a passage in a way that contradicts the great stream of responsible, devout interpretation that has gathered around that passage…

Martin quotes Victor of Antioch, an early commentator on Mark, who interpreted the fig tree as a symbol of judgment on Jerusalem, demonstrating the historical consensus for a symbolic reading.

And I return to consider with you this implicit lesson of the fig tree for two very basic reasons. First of all, the overwhelming consensus of responsible interpretation demands it. It is a simple fact of biblical interpretation, that the vast majority of the world, that the vast majority of the world, that the vast majority of the world, that the vast majority of the world, that the vast majority of devout commentators who have contemplated this passage have been convinced that there was more intended by our Lord than he explicitly addresses in verses 20 to 25. At present, the oldest commenta...

7:41 - 9:05 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And whenever we are handling the Word of God, there must be compelling reasons if we handle a passage in a way that contradicts the great stream of responsible, devout interpretation that has gathered around that passage…

The analogy of a 'great stream of responsible, devout interpretation' is used to emphasize the importance of historical theology and the need for compelling reasons to contradict established interpretations of Scripture.

and persevering prayer upon which he focuses in verses 20 to 25. And whenever we are handling the Word of God, there must be compelling reasons if we handle a passage in a way that contradicts the great stream of responsible, devout interpretation that has gathered around that passage throughout the history of the Church. This is one reason why the men in the Academy must spend so many hours in the discipline that we entitle historical theology, because we are not the first people who have ever opened our Bibles, cried to God for light, and then sought to approach the Word of God with a teacha...

9:05 - 10:35 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And whenever we are handling the Word of God, there must be compelling reasons if we handle a passage in a way that contradicts the great stream of responsible, devout interpretation that has gathered around that passage…

Martin uses the metaphor 'bitten with the same bug of carnal, imaginative, and irresponsible interpretive principles' to dismiss the idea that interpreters who see symbolism are merely being fanciful, asserting they are guided by biblical light.

personal implications that only pastoral indifference or tremendously powerful constraints could ever cause a man to pass over this passage and not highlight its implicit message as well as responsibly expound its explicit message. So those are the two reasons why I am constrained now to consider myself to consider with you the implicit lesson of the withered fig tree. And as we do, what I wish to do first of all is to set before you the Biblical basis for asserting that this action of our Lord in cursing the fig tree was an intended symbolic action. On what Biblical grounds have interpreters ...

10:35 - 11:53 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And whenever we are handling the Word of God, there must be compelling reasons if we handle a passage in a way that contradicts the great stream of responsible, devout interpretation that has gathered around that passage…

The miracle of feeding the multitudes is used as an example of a miracle that formed the basis for important instruction, specifically Jesus as the bread of life.

But then there is a second purpose of miracles and we see this throughout the Old Testament. The Old and the New Testaments namely to form the basis of some important instruction. Whether we go back to the miracles performed in conjunction with the exodus of Israel out of Egypt in the days of the Pharaoh or right on into the New Testament. For example, when our Lord fed the multitudes as recorded in John chapter 6 that miracle was intended to set the framework in the concrete realm of a miracle that all had witnessed the great truth that Jesus Christ was the bread of life.

13:29 - 14:13 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin establishes the biblical grounds for interpreting the fig tree's cursing as a symbolic action. He argues this interpretation is supported by the overwhelming consensus of…

The raising of Lazarus is cited as another example of a miracle used by Christ to teach about His own power and ministry as the resurrection and the life.

And so the great discourse on himself as the bread of life follows and takes its lines of reference from the miracle of the multiplying of the loaves and of the fishes. Likewise with raising Lazarus from the dead in John chapter 11. Our Lord uses that miracle to form the basis of his teaching concerning his own power and ministry as the resurrection and the life. Now our Lord had already abundantly confirmed his identity to the disciples by the miraculous.

14:13 - 14:53 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But here and here alone in all of the gospel records is a miracle that is totally and unmixed in its negative or destructive nature. Now that should immediately say something to us.

The miracle of casting demons into the swine is used to contrast with the fig tree, showing that other destructive miracles were 'unmixed' with a positive outcome (liberation of the man), unlike the fig tree which was purely destructive.

We studied together in Mark 5 the miracle of the casting out of the many demons from the Gadarene demoniac and in conjunction with the liberation of that man from the power of the demons that indwelt him there was the destruction of the two thousand swine. But you see that miracle was not totally negative or destructive. The destruction of the swine followed the liberation of the demons. The destruction of the demons of the demons of the demons of the demons possessed man.

17:35 - 18:07 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He was symbolically showing the curse that was to come upon Israel when at the very time when her divinely appointed symbol pointing to Christ were being enacted they were coming together for Passover slaying the paschal…

Martin conjectures that Jesus' restless, sleepless, prayerful night after inspecting the temple, and his subsequent hunger, indicate the profound trauma caused by what he witnessed there, linking it to the cursing of the fig tree.

fact that he obviously had skipped his breakfast there is if we read between the lines the strong suggestion that what he saw so haunted and tortured his holy soul that he spent probably a restless sleepless prayerful spiritually agonizing night and never broke his fast with the others though no doubt urged in that loving household of Mary and Martha to join the others in their breakfast and it's only when he comes out and is making his way into Jerusalem that beholding the foliage upon that tree that he's conscious of his growling stomach and his hunger pangs and it is these facts that must b...

31:29 - 32:56 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He was symbolically showing the curse that was to come upon Israel when at the very time when her divinely appointed symbol pointing to Christ were being enacted they were coming together for Passover slaying the paschal…

Martin quotes a writer describing God's judgment on Israel as 'the dreadful, the deadly and the irrevocable judgment of God,' emphasizing the severity and finality of the fig tree's curse as a symbol.

but when he came to that tree seeking fruit and found none he cursed it saying no man eat fruit of you forever what was our Lord doing he was symbolically showing the curse that was to come upon Israel when at the very time when her divinely appointed symbol pointing to Christ were being enacted they were coming together for Passover slaying the paschal lamb looking back to the great redemption out of Egypt which looked forward to the great redemption under Messiah amidst all of the symbols which most spoke of Messiah they were about to commit their highest act of criminality and of apostasy t...

37:22 - 38:51 Read in full sermon

The point: If you have any concern for your country, cry to God for mercy and spend your time praying for divine judgment to have mercy upon us, rather than supporting political organizations.

Paul's Macedonian call and the subsequent finding of only a few women praying by a riverside in Philippi is used as an example of God's sovereign direction of gospel light to unexpected places, highlighting His expectation of fruit.

and as I meditated upon that all of the gospel light that would have been diffused and God said no I don't want the light going there now I want it over here and for the first time I saw the irony of how God starts with such small beginnings they had the vision a man of Macedonia Paul says a man of Macedonia in a vision saying come over and help us and he said we immediately concluded the Lord had called us to preach the gospel and he gets into Macedonia ends up in Philippi and what does he find he doesn't find any men he finds a few women by a riverside a man of Macedonia and all he finds is ...

46:16 - 47:45 Read in full sermon

The point: If you have any concern for your country, cry to God for mercy and spend your time praying for divine judgment to have mercy upon us, rather than supporting political organizations.

Martin quotes the saying, 'If God doesn't pour out more singular tokens of his wrath, he will be forced to resurrect Sodom and Gomorrah and apologize,' to vividly convey the depth of national sin and the impending judgment.

your time I must be crying for divine judge have mercy upon us someone has said if God doesn't pour out more singular tokens of his wrath there already are tokens of it but if he does not pour out more singular tokens he will be forced to resurrect Sodom and Gomorrah and apologize now that may be a bit cheeky way to express it but it contains a kernel of profound truth remember what Jesus said to the cities wherein he had done most of his mighty works they had had great privilege he said it will be better off for Sodom and Gomorrah with all of their perverts and their homosexuals in the day of...

50:35 - 52:04 Read in full sermon

The point: It is not enough to have the leaves and foliage of church attendance and prayer meeting; you must be bringing forth fruit that indicates vital life union with Jesus Christ.

Martin closes by quoting Bishop J.C. Ryle, who powerfully distinguishes between outward religious forms ('leaves') and genuine spiritual fruit, warning that leaves without fruit only lead to greater condemnation.

ones bear in trees depart I never knew you fruit that is the one indispensable and undeniable evidence of grace listen to old bishop ryle as I close I leave you with his words in your ears let us always remember that baptism and church membership and reception of the Lord's supper and a diligent use of the outward forms of Christianity are not sufficient to save our souls they are leaves nothing but leaves and without fruit they will only add to our condemnation like the fig leaves of which Adam and Eve made themselves garments they will not hide the nakedness of our souls from the eye of an a...

59:09 - 60:37 Read in full sermon