When our Lord, Jesus The Christ, entered into Jerusalem, He was received with shouts of loud Hosannas and waving palm branches. However, Jesus knew that these same praising Jerusalem dwellers would a few days later shout out, “Crucify Him!” Jesus knew that they would reject Him and put Him to death. He knew their unbelief and their rejection. After Jesus entered Jerusalem, He saw a Fig tree and was hungry, but the tree produced no fruit, so Jesus cursed it saying, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” Jesus cursed the tree in the same way that the Jewish belief was cursed, that no one would ever eat fruit or receive salvation from Jerusalem again. The tree from which all would eat was no longer found in unbelieving Jerusalem, but was now found only in Jesus. Only Jesus produces fruit that all may eat and live.

This account of the cursing of the fig tree also guides our understanding of good works today. Article six of the Augsburg Confession asserts, “Our Churches also teach that this faith is bound to bring forth good fruits and that it is necessary to do the good works commanded by God.” Faith is bound to produce the fruit of good works. This means that one who is given the gift of faith will live a righteous life of repentance, fear of God, trust in God, and unconditional love for the neighbor. If there is no fruit, meaning it one lives in unrepentance, unbelief, utter doubt, and hatred for their neighbor, then there is no faith. Outside of Jesus then, there is only a curse, a bare tree from which no one will ever get any fruit. Faith is bound to love, be patient, be kind, slow to anger, and abounding in love for all.

Our Lutheran Confessions continue this article saying, “We must do so because it is God’s will and not because we rely on such works to merit justification before God, for forgiveness of sins and justification are apprehended by faith, as Christ Himself also testifies, “When you have done all these things say, ‘We are unprofitable servants (Luke 17:10)” The law and good works cannot salvation gain, but merit only endless pain, forgive us Lord, to Christ we flee, who pleads for us endlessly, Have mercy Lord. Good works are a fruit of faith, but not justifying faith itself. Only Faith, given by our Lord Jesus, saves us because it takes hold of His mercy for our salvation. The Jerusalem people rejected this faith and trusted instead in their emotions and worldly wisdom. They rejected Jesus and His sacrifice for their salvation and their works were proof of that. Let us then, when the law is preached and reveals our rejection, let us repent and cling to Jesus’ death for our life, and His resurrection for our eternal deliverance. Let us see the example of the Jerusalem dwellers and see that Jesus comes to die for all, to die so that our lack of fruit may be absolved. Let us not trust in our good works, or despair because of lack thereof, bur instead let us be at peace in the assurance that Jesus has mercy on us and forgives us all of our sin. Let us take heart that unlike the fig tree, the tree of the cross is the tree from which we may draw fruit for all eternity, Amen.

Jesus’ Sheepdog,

Pastor Hull