Latest / Reformed Thinking / From Astonishment to Faith: The Withered Fig Tree, True Religion, and Believing Prayer (Matthew 21:20–22)

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From Astonishment to Faith: The Withered Fig Tree, True Religion, and Believing Prayer (Matthew 21:20–22) · Reformed Thinking

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Usually when you talk about like a medical diagnosis, there is a
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clear expectation of precision. Yeah, you.
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Expect it to be pretty cut and dry.
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Right, you think of it like engineering.
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You break your arm. The X-ray shows that jagged
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white line on the screen and the doctor points a pen at it and
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says there is the problem. It is binary broken or not
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broken. Very clean.
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Yeah, we like things to be visible.
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We want our problems to be categorized neatly.
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But then you step into the realm of genuine faith and outward
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religion, and suddenly that X-ray machine stops working
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altogether. Oh, absolutely.
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The spiritual landscape is incredibly murky.
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It really is. I mean, people can look
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completely healthy on the outside.
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They have all the right vocabulary, the right
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aesthetics, the right social groups, but internally they
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might be entirely spiritually dead.
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And that is a terrifying reality to face.
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It is so welcome to the Reform Thinking podcast.
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Today we are taking a custom tailored deep dive into our
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source material, pulling apart 2 massive theological texts that
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analyze Matthew chapter 21, verses 20 through 22.
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We are taking all that dense theological material and
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extracting the core insights for you.
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Right. And to set some ground rules for
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this deep dive, the central event we are examining today
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centers around a staggering moment in the biblical
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narrative. Jesus Christ curses A fig tree
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and it Withers instantly. The disciples witnessed this and
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are shocked. And from that specific jarring
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event, Jesus teaches a massive lesson on faith, moving the
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mountains, and the nature of prayer.
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The mission of this deep dive is to evaluate what this signifies
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for your own spiritual life. Yeah, and the sources we are
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working with frame this entire discussion around Reformed
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theology and strict adherence to the Westminster Confession.
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So we will be looking at how those specific theological
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frameworks interpret this passage, aiming to help you
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avoid that deadly trap of having an outward religious appearance
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that lacks any inward reality. And as we go through this, we
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will keep the conversation flowing naturally.
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We both have a lot to unpack from these sources.
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For sure it is a lot of ground to cover.
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So to grasp the weight of what is happening here, you cannot
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just read it as a fable. You have to step out of the
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modern world and plant your feet firmly in 1st century Judea.
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Right. This event is a physical
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reality. It took place on a specific Day
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in History. The date is Tuesday of Passion
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Week, around AD 33. Jesus and his disciples are
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standing on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives.
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They are on the road between Bethany and Jerusalem.
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Let's let's paint a visual picture of what the previous 48
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hours look like for these guys. On Sunday, they witnessed the
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triumphal entry. Right.
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Crowds shouting, palm branches waving.
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Massive political explications that their Messiah was finally
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going to overthrow the Roman occupation.
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Then on Monday, the mood shifts violently.
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Jesus walks into the temple and starts cleansing it.
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He is making a whip, turning over tables, driving out the
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money changers. I mean, imagine the sensory
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overload of the animals, the coins hitting the stone floor,
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the yelling. It would have been pure chaos.
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And now the sun comes up and it is Tuesday.
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That chronological sequence is so critical for understanding
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the psychology of the disciples in this moment.
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Yeah, they have to be completely exhausted.
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They are reeling from the whiplash of Sunday's coronation
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and Monday's confrontation. As they are walking this road on
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Tuesday morning, Jesus speaks about this mountain.
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Geographically, where are they standing when he says that?
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The group is standing on a Ridge looking directly across the
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Kidron Valley at Mount Moriah. They are looking directly at the
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Temple Mount itself. Wow, so they are staring right
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at it. You have to visualize the sheer
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scale of the structure. The temple was heavily
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fortified, covered in gold plates that would, you know,
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blind you in the morning sun. I have read that it was the
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architectural and Cultural Center of their universe.
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It absolutely was, and the political and social atmosphere
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under Roman occupation was incredibly volatile right then.
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So you had the crushing weight of the Roman Empire on one side.
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And a corrupt, self-serving religious elite running the
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temple on the other. Just imagine standing on a
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Ridge, looking directly at the headquarters of your nation's
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entire religious system, the place where generations of your
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ancestors worshipped. And you hear someone declare
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that it will be thrown into the sea.
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I mean, that is not just a geographical shift, that is a
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cataclysmic statement. Our sources add a layer of
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cultural context here regarding the rabbinic idioms of the day.
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Oh, right, the uprooter of mountains then, yes.
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The phrase uprooter of mountains was a common title given to
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rabbis who could solve seemingly impossible theological dilemmas.
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Like if they could untangle a massive debate over the law.
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Precisely if a rabbi did that, he was called an uprooter of
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mountains. Christ takes this common
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cultural phrase and applies literal divine omnipotence to
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it. So he is taking a metaphor about
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intellectual problem solving. And turning it into a
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declaration of divine judgment against a corrupt system.
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We are witnessing a massive redemptive historical transition
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here. This is the shift from the Old
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Covenant administration to the new.
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Let's unpack that concept of a redemptive historical shift,
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because we're not just talking about like a change in
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management at the temple. No, not at all.
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We are talking about an entire Covenantal overhaul.
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How does an entire administration shift like that?
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Well, the sources specifically highlighting A dispensationalist
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perspective point out a clear Israel Church distinction
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present in this historical moment.
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OK, break that down for us. Christ is pronouncing A judicial
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withering upon the theocratic national system of Israel
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because that system did not recognize its Messiah.
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The nation had all the outward structures.
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They had the daily sacrifices, the priesthood, the massive
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stone buildings. But they lacked genuine faith.
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The old barren system of theocracy is being judged and
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dismantled to make way for the new fruitful authority of His
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Kingdom. So the.
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Judgment is not random at all. No, it is the calculated removal
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of a system that failed its covenantal obligations.
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Having established that physical setting and that breathtaking
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view of the temple, the discussion shifts to the
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specific object Jesus used to pronounce this judgment.
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The fig tree. Right.
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The sources give us some fascinating botanical background
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on the Palestinian fig tree, known scientifically as Ficus
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karika. Yes, the biology here is
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actually key to understanding the theology.
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Typically this specific tree produces small edible early figs
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which are called tax before it's leaves actually appear.
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So if you see a tree with full leaves, biology dictates that
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there should already be fruit on it.
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A tree with full leaves but absolutely no fruit is
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essentially A botanical liar. That is a great way to put it.
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It is advertising A vitality and a life that it simply does not
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possess. That phrase botanical liar
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really captures the essence of the enacted parable of
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judgement. The fig tree represents the
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national theocratic system of Israel at that time.
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Because like the tree, the nation had the leaves of
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religion. Right, they had the outward
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rituals, the impressive architecture, the public prayers
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on the street corners. They looked incredibly healthy
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from a distance. But up close they lacked the
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fruit of repentance and faith. The cursing of the tree and the
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cleansing of the temple are biological twins.
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I love that phrase from the source material.
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Biological twins. Both events expose the
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appearance of life without the reality of holiness.
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I think about modern equivalents to this botanical liar.
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Yeah. What does that look like today?
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It makes me think of an influencer on social media who
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rents a luxury sports car and a mansion for a photo shoot,
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creating this elaborate illusion of wealth and success.
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While their actual bank account is completely overdrawn.
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Spot on. They have the leaves of success,
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but zero actual fruit. Does this specific botanical
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detail strip away the idea that Jesus was just having a random
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outburst of anger at a tree? Well, people read this passage
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and sometimes conclude Jesus was just tired, hungry, and lost his
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temper at a plant. Which is such a weird way to
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read the text. It is, but the biological
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reality of the ficus carica absolutely eliminates the idea
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of a random outburst. Yeah, Jesus is enacting the
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theological concept of covenantal judgement.
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And we see that throughout the Old Testament, right?
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Yes, in the books of Hosea and Jeremiah, the Vine, the fig tree
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often represent Israel's spiritual condition before God.
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Fruitfulness signifies covenant blessing and obedience.
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While barrenness signifies apostasy and curse, Jesus acting
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as the true and final prophet and acts in visible form what
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the prophets had long declared in words.
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God will not be mocked by leaves without fruit.
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He is inspecting the covenant people.
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Finding them barren, he issues a judicial decree.
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The text we are studying point out that this historical reality
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warns the modern listener against pragmatic, seeker
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sensitive religious practices that offer only leaves.
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Modern churches can look incredibly alive with polished
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production values, massive attendance and airtight
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logistics. But if they lack genuine
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repentance and reliance on God, they're operating under the same
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judicial scrutiny. So Jesus speaks and the tree
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Withers suddenly, but the disciples completely miss the
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spiritual instruction. They are totally captivated by
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the visible spectacle. We see a massive shift here from
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the judgement itself to the human reaction to it.
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The disciples asked how did the fig tree wither at once.
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They are completely focused on the mechanic panics, the
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suddenness and the visual thrill of the miracle.
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That reaction highlights a universal human flaw.
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We are consistently fascinated by dramatic visible phenomena
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while remaining completely dull to the actual spiritual
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instruction behind them. The disciples were not hostile
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unbelievers, but their question reveals that they saw the raw
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might of the action, yet they had not grasped the lesson.
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They were asking how, while Jesus intended to teach them
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why? Jesus uses their amazement to
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correct their focus. He introduces the requirement of
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faith that does not doubt. It is like watching a
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masterpiece film, a story with massive emotional and
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philosophical weight. Yeah, and then the movie ends,
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the credits roll, and the person sitting next to you only asks
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about the specific special effects cameras they used on
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set. They completely missed the
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entire plot because they were distracted by the mechanics.
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This connects directly to how modern churchgoers often crave
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emotional highs or visible miracles.
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People want the spectacle, they want the lights, the dramatic
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moment, the emotional release. But they run away from the heavy
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internal demands of true faith. To understand what Jesus
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demands, instead of spectacle, our sources do a deep dive into
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the Greek word for doubt used in verse 21.
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Which is Diakrini. Right.
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Yes, Diakrini. In the passive or middle voice
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it denotes a civil war of the soul.
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The Civil War of the soul. That is a heavy concept.
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It describes a divided mind hesitating between God's promise
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and human sight. This is not just a momentary
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lapse in confidence. It is not the heartfelt plea of
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a struggling believer saying, Lord, help my unbelief.
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No, it is the condition of being fundamentally at odds with
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oneself, attempting to maintain outward religious form while
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inwardly holding back actual trust from God.
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A civil war of the soul. You are trying to stand in two
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different kingdoms at the exact same time.
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You want the comfort of looking religious to the outside world.
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Maybe you want the social benefits of the church
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community. But you refuse to actually
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surrender your internal trust to God when things get difficult.
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What does that internal division actually look like on random
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Tuesday when someone is facing a massive life crisis?
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It looks like a person relying entirely on their own logistics,
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their own emergency refunds, their own social networking to
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solve the crisis, while offering a perfunctory empty prayer at
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dinner time just to keep up appearances.
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So barren religion is marked by this division.
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It wants the appearance of godliness without the surrender
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of faith. It desires the leaves without
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the fruit. True faith, however, is single
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eyed. It leans wholly upon God.
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Once Jesus corrects the disciples divided minds, he
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introduces the staggering promise of casting the mountain
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into the sea. And the discussion in our source
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texts moves heavily into defining what this kind of faith
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actually is. The text notes that the mountain
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signifies every obstacle that appears insurmountable to
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creaturely weakness. As we established earlier,
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primarily it referred to the physical Temple Mount and the
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corrupt system it represented. But let's look at the specific
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grammatical structures the sources highlight.
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Here we have two Greek words arthetti, which means be taken
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up. And Belothydy, which means be
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cast. These are aorist passive
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imperatives. The text referred to this as the
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Divine passive. That syntax is a critical
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mechanism for understanding the theology.
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Here. The divine passive proves that
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God is the sole primary cause of the action.
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The grammar itself indicates that the believer is not doing
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the lifting or the casting. Faith is the empty hand the on
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to it. It is not the source of
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omnipotence. The might lies not in the
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believers words considered in themselves, but in the God who
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hears and acts according to his own sovereign will.
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I am going to play devil's advocate here for a second.
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Go for it. If God is the one doing all the
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moving and my faith is just an empty hand, why does Jesus put
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so much weight on the individual's faith in this
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passage? Our sources point out a stark
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contrast here with modern prosperity gospel or Word of
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Faith teachings. Those movements tell people that
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faith is a force you generate inside yourself.
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They claim you can manifest luxury cars or perfect health or
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massive bank accounts through positive thinking and speaking
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things into existence. They treat faith like a lever
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you pull to manipulate the universe.
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The sources rely heavily on Reformed theology to completely
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refute that Armenian and Word of Faith perspective.
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Faith is not an autonomous toolman uses to control heaven.
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The text must be read in line with the doctrine of God's
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Providence, specifically looking at Westminster Confession
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chapter 5. That chapter outlines that God,
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the Great Creator of all things, does uphold, direct, dispose,
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and govern all creatures actions and things.
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From the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy
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Providence. The faith Jesus demands is an
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active resting in the revealed character and will of the
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Father, not a psychological trick of manifestation.
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It is a God centered confidence rather than man centered
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presumption. So if true faith is this
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undivided reliance on God's omnipotence, how does that faith
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express itself practically? It has to have an outfit.
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The transition here is from the internal state of faith to the
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external action of prayer. Verse 22 states whatever you ask
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in prayer you will receive if you have faith.
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Prayer is the proper natural expression of faith.
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It is faith articulated. A lack of prayer is not a minor
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flaw in the Christian life. Our sources describe a lack of
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prayer as functional atheism. Functional atheism that hits
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hard. It reveals a heart drifting into
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self-reliance. Barren religion preserves
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outward ceremony, but rarely cries out in genuine dependence.
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True faith sees the greatness of God and the weakness of self.
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Therefore it asks. Let me ask you, the listener, a
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direct question about functional atheism.
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When a massive crisis hits your life so you get a terrifying
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medical diagnosis, or a family member betrays you, or your
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career collapses, do you talk to your friends about it first?
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Do you immediately open spreadsheets to try and fix it
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yourself with your own resources, or do you actually
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take it to God? True faith always has a voice,
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and that voice is prayer. If you are not praying, you are
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relying entirely on your own strength, which makes you
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functionally atheistic in that moment, regardless of what
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theology you claim to believe. While highlighting prayer, the
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sources also clarify the whatever you ask clause.
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It is not a blank check for carnal desires.
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It is governed by the analogy of faith found in Westminster
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Confession, chapter 1, paragraph 9.
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The analogy of faith dictates that Scripture interprets
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Scripture. Therefore, this promise is
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governed by the revealed will of God found elsewhere in the text.
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Prayer rests securely on God's sovereignty.
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Think about the timing of this teaching.
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Jesus is preparing his disciples for the incredible hardships of
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the Apostolic mission. Within days, they will face the
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scandal of the Cross. Soon after, they will face the
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hatred of the world and massive persecution.
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Prayer is the ordained pathway through which God executes his
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decrees in the It's to those insurmountable obstacles.
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We have to move from the duty of the believer to the savior who
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actually makes that duty possible.
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Because if we are totally honest, our faith is weak.
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We struggle with that civil war of the soul constantly.
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So we have to look at the Christological fulfillment of
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this entire narrative. This passage is entirely
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centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ in His threefold
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office as prophet, priest, and king.
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Breaking down that threefold, Office clarifies the mechanics
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of the passage. As prophet, he pronounces the
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end of the barren order and acting the judgement on the fig
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tree. As king, he demonstrates
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absolute authority over creation, proving he can wither
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the tree and move the mountain. As priest, he opens the way for
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true prayer. The mountain, the temple, was
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the old locus of access to God. By casting it aside, Jesus shows
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that he himself is the true temple.
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He is the only place where God and man are reconciled.
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We possess A staggering inability to maintain the faith
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God requires. By nature, we are all exactly
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like that barren fig tree. Full of leaves, full of outward
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appearances, but completely lacking fruit.
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Our hope is not in trying harder to manufacture fruit on our own
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dead branches. Our only hope is in being
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grafted into Christ. He is the only one who lived a
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life of perfect, understood trust.
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The sources tie this directly to the doctrine of justification
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outlined in Westminster Confession Chapter 11, The
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Faith. That moves mountains is the very
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same faith that lays hold of the imputed righteousness of Christ.
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Imputation is a Ledger transfer. Christ's perfect obedience is
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credited to our account. Our prayers are heard solely
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because of the mediator. His active obedience, meaning
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his perfect life and his substitutionary death, are the
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ultimate mountain moving events. He removed the insurmountable
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obstacle of divine wrath against our sin.
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Every true prayer offered in faith is heard on the ground of
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His righteousness, His blood, and His priestly intercession.
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We need to take these massive theological truths and confront
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our daily reality. We need to look at the corporate
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reality of the modern church. Our sources state that the text
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acts as a mirror, exposing the sin of unbelief and hypocrisy.
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In reformed theology, this is called the first use of the law.
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It exposes our dirt. But it also acts as a guide,
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leading believers into grateful, expectant prayer, which is the
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third use of the law. The original authorial intent of
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Matthew was to produce a holy fear regarding spiritual
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barrenness and to fortify the covenant community for the
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trials ahead. Matthew wanted his original
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audience to understand that God is not satisfied with leaves.
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He is not impressed by outward appearance or inherited
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privilege. The modern church often relies
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heavily on these leaves. We see polished branding,
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massive numerical growth, tight outward order, and pragmatic
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business methods applied to congregations.
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Yet beneath all that visible activity, the congregation can
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remain devotionally cold and utterly prayerless.
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I challenge you to audit your own life right now.
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Are you satisfied with looking alive to others while remaining
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spiritually dead? Are you content to have the
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vocabulary of a Christian to attend the meetings, to sing the
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songs, but have absolutely no private prayer life where you
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depend desperately on God? That is a terrifying place to be
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when you realize what happened to a fig tree.
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That audit requires corporate repentance.
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The world's success metrics are based on visible strength,
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strategic cleverness and self assertion.
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Those are completely opposed to Christ's metrics, which are
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faith, holiness, and total dependence on God.
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Furthermore, our sources note a specific esotological angle
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here. The judgement on the fig tree
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shadows the great day of the Lord.
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From the premillennial and pro tribulationist expectation noted
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in the texts, the sudden, decisive withering of the
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fruitless tree is viewed as a preview of the judgment that
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will fall upon all false religion when the king returns.
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To bring all of this together, look at the movement of our
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discussion today. We started with a barren tree on
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a dusty Rd. in Judea. We watched Jesus expose the
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divided mind, the civil war of the soul that hesitates to
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trust. We broke down the proper
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definition of mountain moving faith, seeing it not as a magic
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trick of manifestation, but as an empty hand resting on God's
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sovereign might. And finally, we arrived at the
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sole reliance on the finished work of Christ as our true
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temple and perfect mediator. The Historic reality of the 1st
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century teaches us that God will remove any system, no matter how
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entrenched or impressive, that lacks genuine fruit.
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Your faith must transition from mere amazement at the visual
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mechanics of God's actions to a steadfast reliance on His
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character, expressed continually through the voice of prayer.
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Here is a final thought for you to Mull over as you go about
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your day. What if the massive,
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insurmountable mountain currently standing in your way
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is not a sign of God's absence? What if that specific obstacle
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is placed there by him to strip away your deceptive leaves of
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self-reliance? Forcing you to exercise the
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genuine, desperate faith that heaven actually responds to.
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Thank you for joining us on this deep dive.
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Keep your trust undivided and keep your prayers bold.