It was an odd moment for our Savior. He was walking with his disciples early in the morning (Matthew 21:18) and he was hungry. He spied a fig tree along the way but it had nothing but leaves - no figs, no food. Jesus "cursed" the tree (no, he used no foul language - he just spoke a word of judgment against it). "May it never bear fruit again." At once, the fig tree withered, to the amazement of his disciples.
Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? We know he was not petulant - he did not pout or lose his cool. There was a message behind this activity. And it seems to me the message is pretty clear.
A lack of fruit is an offense to the Redeemer.
Jesus Christ bought us with a price, his own body sacrificed for our sins. According to 1 Corinthians 6, we are obligated, having been redeemed by his blood, to honor him with our bodies, our very lives. We are redeemed to serve Christ, to make a difference in this world in his name.
We are planted to bear fruit. And fruitlessness is an offense to our Savior. He is not going to curse us as he did the tree, but we can rest assured that when our lives are not invested in eternal things, when we are not answering the call he has on us, when we are not reproducing our faith, it is offensive to Christ.
Jesus, my Savior, may I never offend you by failing to bear fruit.
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