Furious Chapter 29 Devotional

The Tree that Lied

The morning sun was just beginning to warm the road from Bethany. Jesus and His disciples were making their way toward Jerusalem, the city still quiet in the distance. Dust clung to their sandals. The air was dry. Jesus was hungry.

Then He saw it—a fig tree, standing tall by the roadside, full of green leaves. From a distance, it looked promising. In that region, fig trees begin to grow small edible buds (called “early figs”) around the same time they grow leaves. So a leafy tree meant it should have fruit.

Jesus approached, expecting something to satisfy His hunger. But when He parted the leaves, there was nothing. No fruit. Just empty branches cloaked in the promise of something it didn’t deliver.

Then Jesus did something unexpected. He cursed the tree: “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” It withered from the roots. This wasn’t about breakfast. It was about hypocrisy. This was the tree that lied.

In Scripture, fig trees often represent Israel—and in this case, the tree was a prophetic symbol of a people who had the appearance of religion but none of its reality. Like the Pharisees who wore their righteousness like long robes, the tree advertised fruit it didn’t actually have. It was all leaves and no fruit.

In Scripture, leaves represent human effort. For example, when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, what did they do? They covered themselves with fig leaves—the work of their own hands—to hide their shame. But God replaced their leaves with the skin of a sacrifice. From the very beginning, He’s shown us that self-made coverings won’t cut it.

Leaves are the appearance of righteousness. They’re what we stitch together to cover ourselves—our performance, our discipline, our religious acts. But God isn’t impressed by a well-dressed tree. He’s looking for fruit.

And fruit is something only the Spirit can produce.

Some people are very good at showing the outward signs of spirituality—activity, knowledge, tradition, language. But when you get close enough to part the leaves, there’s no fruit. No love. No joy. No peace. No patience. No kindness. No goodness. No faithfulness. No gentleness. No self-control.

It’s not just that they’re spiritually dry—it’s that they’re pretending not to be. That’s the very definition of hypocrisy.

Galatians 5 gives us a very different picture. Paul doesn’t say the Spirit helps us put on leaves. He says the Spirit produces fruit. Real fruit––the kind that grows from the inside out. Notice how Paul ends that verse: “Against such things there is no law.” You don’t need rules to regulate the fruit of the Spirit. There’s no restriction, no limit. You’ll never have too much kindness. Too much patience. Too much peace. These things don’t need to be managed or measured—they need to be cultivated.

And here’s the best part: it’s the Holy Spirit who produces them. You don’t need to force it. You just need to stay connected to the vine.

So the question is not how spiritual we look from a distance—but what people find when they get close. Are we advertising something that’s not real? Or are we letting the Spirit grow something in us that will last?

🔥 Reflection

When people get close to you, what do they see? Are you more focused on appearances—or fruit? Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart today for any “leaves” that need to fall away, and for the grace to bear real fruit.

🙏 Prayer

Holy Spirit, I don’t want to be all leaves and no fruit. Cultivate in me the fruit that lasts—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Remove anything in me that’s just for show. Let my life bear witness to You in truth.

📣 Call-to-Action

Spend ten minutes today in silence, asking the Lord to show you what kind of fruit is growing in your life—and where He wants to prune or plant. Don’t rush to cover yourself with new leaves. Let Him do the deeper work. Fruit takes time, but it’s worth it.