And He said to it, No one ever again shall eat fruit from you… – Mark 11:14, Amplified Bible

In Mark Chapter 11, Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Not long after arriving in the city, He became hungry. Seeing a fig tree covered with leaves, He walked over to it, expecting to pick the fruit of it to satisfy His hunger. Finding none, He cursed the tree for its unfruitfulness, and the fig tree withered away.

Why was Jesus so angry with the fig tree? He was angry with the fig tree because it was an “empty suit.” At the time that fig trees produce their leaves, they also produce their fruit. The fig tree at Bethany produced it leaves without producing any fruit, thus putting on a great show for all to see but having no substance to offer others.

Many Christians today are just like the fig tree: full of style, lacking in substance. They look good on the surface, just like the leafy fig tree did. But they produce no fruit; they are barren from the inside out. Sometimes God will look upon our barrenness and, with long-suffering, try to nurture us into bearing fruit for His glory (see Luke 13:6-9). But, if we continue refusing to bear Him fruit, He will move on from us, giving His attention to those who will serve.

It is a horrible thing to wither away at Jesus’ command. The abundant Christian life, though once within our grasp, will cease to be available to us, simply because we were more interested in looking good to others than in bearing fruit for our Savior. Is there anything worse for a Christian than to be put on the shelf by the Master, never to be used again?