Parables and a Fig tree – it helps to be “fat”!

There are three scriptures that God used to speak to me recently and all three was very interesting and came down to one extremely important topic: Intimacy with God. Do you know that we were first of all created to have fellowship with Him? As in– is He your first priority when you wake up every morning?

First of all, to the men: Whilst for us women it is easy to spend time with Jesus as the Bridegroom and being in deep “intimate” relationship with Him, you might relate a bit differently and that’s fine. To you, Jesus is like your closest friend you have ever had, a friend who knows you better than you know yourself, a friend who walks with you 24 hours a day and never leaves you. He is of course male and therefore understands your heart very well, so be real with Him, talk business with Him, do a braai with Him or go fishing with Him – whatever rocks your male boat! Why not? 🙂

In Mark 4 we read about the parable of the Sower. After Jesus told the parable to the great multitude, “those around Him and the twelve” asked Him about the parable. Did you notice that, out of the great multitude, only those around Him and the twelve were asking Him afterwards to explain?! Before explaining the parable He said to them “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.” Now that’s harsh, right?!!! Well, no, not exactly as harsh as it seems. Let me remind you that the Bible says in Jer.29:13, Deut.4:29, 1 Chron.28:9 that when you seek God with all your heart you will find Him. “Those around Him and the twelve” were the only ones who were interested to know more, to ask Him, to truly understand what He was saying through the parable. Being a believer is all about fellowship with Jesus. Not just reading the Word, but also understanding. And when we don’t understand, to ask, to seek, to knock until we receive understanding. It’s a relationship. Not just a “get your fill for the day and carry on with your own life” but rather making Him part of it. Reading of Him, speaking to Him, making time to listen. And then, to you it will be given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God… Fellowship with Jesus is key!

In Mark 11 Jesus was hungry and saw a fig tree with leaves and went to see if He might find anything on it but there was no fruit on the tree. And Jesus cursed (a pronouncement of judgment) the tree saying that no one will eat from it ever again. The next day they passed the tree and saw that it had dried up from the roots. Yet again Jesus was acting harshly, right? I was praying about this and I felt God lead me to the following truths… The fig tree in the Bible is symbolic of Israel – It often symbolizes the health of the nation both spiritually and physically. Jesus cursed the fruitless fig tree, representing the unfruitfulness of Israel in their rebellious ways. In fact, fruits normally grow before the leaves so to find a tree with leaves and no fruits (even at an unseasonable time) would be an oddity. It was a great way to illustrate where Israel was at the time.

So when Jesus “cursed” the tree (Israel) He said that no one will eat from it “ever again”. I was wondering about this until I stumbled on the actual meaning of the word “ever”. In Greek, the word is “aeon” which means “for an age”. In Matt.24:3 the disciples ask Jesus what the sign of His coming will be, the signs of “the end of the age”. “Ever again” was not forever as we might think but for an age. This was interesting, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something deeper here that I am not yet seeing…Until my eye fell “coincidently” on my tablet displaying the “verse of the day” of a Bible app. I felt an urging to read it and as I opened it I almost fell on my back… It was John 15:5 where Jesus was saying, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Wow!! How amazing is that!! Once again confirmation that JESUS is the answer. Israel was NOT abiding in Jesus. Though they had enjoyed every conceivable spiritual advantage as the “people of God” they would soon murder the very Messiah for whom they had waited across the centuries. Once again, its all about Jesus, abiding in Him and Him abiding in us. Then we will bear much fruit. Fellowship with Jesus.

Recently I was praying for someone and God was speaking about intimacy with Him. The scripture that popped to mind was Is.10:27 “…It is the anointing that breaks the yoke…”. I felt God lead me once again to do a bit more research about this verse and how its linked to intimacy with God or Jesus. I came upon a lovely article by Michael Brown and he explained the following. The Hebrew word for “anointing” is “shemen” which means “fatness” and not anointing. Anointing was an error by the translators of one of the Bible versions. What that verse should read is: “In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat.” Now you are thinking, “What…?” Well, read on.

Michael writes, “Do you get the picture? Here is an ox with a yoke on its neck, enslaving it to the will of its master, forcing it to a life of servitude. But eventually, it gets so healthy and fat, that the yoke simply bursts from off its neck. That ox is now free.”

“We simply feed our spirits the living Word day and night, we continue in worship and praise and prayer and communion, and little by little, we get so healthy and strong- so “fat”- that suddenly the yoke of oppression has to burst. The fatness destroys the yoke!”

Dear reader, do you understand how important fellowship with Jesus is, EVERY DAY?? In the Tabernacle in the Old Testament (the tabernacle is a picture of our intimacy with God), there was a lampstand with seven candles on. Those candles had to stay burning, they were not allowed to ever go out. Daily the priests had to refill the oil of the candles so it will stay burning. Daily the Israelites received mannah and they were not allowed to keep any for the next day except on the day before the Sabbath. The Bible says: “His mercies are new every morning” and “do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow has its own worries” (Lam.3:22-23, Matt.6:34). There are many more verses like these we can mention but the bottom line is, fellowship with God is a DAILY thing. And not only that, it’s IMPORTANT. Make time for Him even if its only for 30 minutes, close the door, put on some worship music and sit with Him. Just you and Him. Allow Him to minister to you while you worship Him. He wants a personal relationship with you in which you ask questions but also listen for the answers, in which you get to know His Person. So that He will abide in you and you in Him, that you may bear much fruit. That you may become “fat” in the spirit and soon burdens and yokes will fall off by themselves. Because as you daily meet with Him…to you it will be given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God!