The Withered Fig Tree

Greetings!  Today is a new beginning....one of starting a new blog and one of sending and receiving many blessings from this blog.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy....and when it is all said and done please post your thoughts so that I can do the same!  Awesome!
Today, I am going to sign in with a parable of the Withered Fig Tree. Have you ever thought of yourself as a withered fig tree?  I know this isn't a very flattering picture.  Well, Jesus has a few words to say about us being like a withered fig tree.  In Matthew 21:18-22 the story begins with Jesus walking back from Jerusalem with His disciples when He notices a fig tree covered with leaves, but did not have any fruit.  Now, I don't know about you, but if a tree has leaves and is providing shade I would have determined that it was a pretty decent tree doing the job of a tree, right?  Not, Jesus!  He pronouced judgement on the tree and said, "No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you!"  I would say that seems pretty harsh.  After all, if you have ever seen a fig tree they are quite beautiful and their leaves are broad and shady even if there is no fruit!  The gospel of Mark tells us that it was not even the season for figs!  My next question is:  "WHY Lord, would you curse something that wasn't producing even when it wasn't the time for it to produce?!"  This is where the beauty of the story comes into play.  The fig tress in Israel are unique in that theproduce small, green figs in the spring around the Passover. These "early figs" drop off as the summer fig is formed.  Are you seeing the whole picture now?  The absence of these early figs meant an absence of the summer crop which was the productive phase of the fig tree. 
Let's make this applicable to you and me:  The absence of the small, green "figs" on a leafy fig tree is a picture of unbelieving Israel who was professing fruitfulness to a God who already saw the true harvest of their works.  They had no spring figs, therefore there could be no summer harvest! 
We can be as pretentious as we want to while we strut around our broad, green, shady fig leaves boasting productiveness and fruitful works.  Our green leaves can make us look good and promising, but without the early fig crops we are doing nothing more than deceiving ourselves and living as hypocrites!
I challenge each of you today to check and see how your "spring figs" are doing!  Is there an abundance of life right now on your fig tree or are you growing only leaves at this point?  You can change that easily by asking our wonderful Gardener of Life to convict you of those pretensions and cause you to have a productive and authentic fig tree!  Withering figs trees are not an option!