Matthew 21, verses 18 through 22.

In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry.

And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves.

He said to it, may no fruit ever come from you again.

And the fig tree withered at once.

When the disciples saw it, they marveled saying, how did the fig tree wither at once?

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.

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive if you have faith.

Amen. This is a famous passage of scripture about Jesus

cursing the fig tree. This is the third of three symbolic actions of judgment that Jesus is

declaring over Israel because of their unvowed, avowed unbelief. They're just, their empty

Christianity, their empty spirituality. They claim to know God. They're just, they're empty Christianity,

their empty spirituality.

They claim to know God.

They claim to know things about God to be close to God.

But yet when it comes to their daily behavior

and how they treat people and how they live out,

what it is they say to believe,

there's no goodness there.

They are a lot like this fig tree

that has a bunch of leaves, but then no

fruit. This is a very strange tree to look like it has fruit, but then to get up close and to realize

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