Scripture Pathways

Our God is sovereign. He alone holds the authority to extend mercy and to bring judgment, and He does both in perfect righteousness. Two accounts of fig trees in Scripture bring this truth close to the heart and invite us to examine the fruit of our own lives. In Mark 11 Jesus approached a fig tree clothed with leaves. From a distance, it looked healthy, full, and promising; but when He drew near, He found nothing but leaves. Jesus pronounced judgment upon it, declaring that no one would ever eat fruit from it again. Its season of opportunity had come to an end. Yet in Luke 13 when a man found no fruit on a fig tree in his vineyard after three years, the gardener pleaded for one more season—one more opportunity for the tree to become fruitful. Together, these passages reveal a searching truth: God may graciously grant another chance, or He may bring the season of opportunity to a close. Mercy is His to give, and judgment is His to exercise. These fig trees speak of more than branche...