I want to begin today with a little video clip. After the clip, we can talk about it. [Video Clip from Five Man Electric Band – 1971]. The words to the video were: “And the sign said, 'Long-haired freaky people need not apply.’ So I tucked my hair up under my hat, and I went in to ask him why. He said, ‘You look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you'll do.’ So I took off my hat, I said, ‘Imagine that. Huh! Me workin' for you!’ Whoa-oh-oh. Sign, sign, everywhere a sign, Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind, do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?” This clip was from the Five Man Electric Band with their hit single, “Signs,” from 1971. The song’s inspiration came from the ugly signs the lyricist saw on a road trip on Route 66 in California that obscured the beautiful scenery.
Our scripture reading today also speaks about signs and the significance of those signs to Jesus’ disciples and us. Signs, in the broad context, are described throughout the Bible. We still know some of them. For example, God set the rainbow as a sign of His covenant with Noah, promising never again to destroy the earth with a flood. We might recall that Jesus turning water into wine was the first sign in the Gospel of John of Jesus’ power and divine status. The religious leaders came to Jesus and asked that he do a special sign for them to prove his claims of standing with God. Jesus told the religious leaders that this “wicked and adulterous generation” would receive only the “sign of Jonah” (His resurrection) as the ultimate sign of Jesus’ testimony (Matthew 16). Even though we might complain about signs, as the opening video clip spoke about, people still want signs.
The desire for signs became the topic of conversation between Jesus and the inner circle of apostles just before Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion. Mark wrote, 1 “As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!’ 2 ‘Do you see all these great buildings?’ replied Jesus. ‘Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.’ 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 ‘Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?’” (Mark 13:1-4). The destruction of the Temple that Jesus described represented a disaster that the apostles could not comprehend. The Temple of Jerusalem was seen as the symbol of God’s presence and the means of atoning for the sins of the people of Israel through the sacrifices. The loss of the Temple would be seen as the end of time.
Jesus then described for these four apostles the events that would precede the destruction of the Temple. Jesus said there would be false prophets claiming to be the Messiah. There will be wars in the land of Israel. There will be persecution against the righteous people seeking to follow Jesus. There would be “an abomination that causes desolation standing where it does not belong” (Mark 13:14). At that, the people should flee the city of Jerusalem. These were Jesus’ words given to the apostles in the year 30 AD.
Mark published Jesus' words around 58 AD. By the time of Mark’s gospel, the persecution of Christians, especially the apostles, was well underway, first by the Jewish authorities and then by the Romans. The apostles James and Philip had been murdered.
Eight years after Mark’s gospel, the nation of Israel erupted in rebellion against the Romans. Nero, the emperor of Rome, ordered legions of his soldiers to attack the rebels. The final Roman conquest of Israel happened in 70 AD when the Roman general, Titus, took the city of Jerusalem and then entered the Holy of Holies in the Temple. Titus, a Roman conquering general, was an abomination that caused desolation, and now he was found where he should not be, in the Holy of Holies. Shortly thereafter, the city of Jerusalem was burned, and the stones of the Temple were knocked down. Christian historians note that Christians in the city of Jerusalem fled the city before its destruction. All the signs Jesus told his disciples to observe had happened.
In revealing the signs to his apostles, Jesus ended with a parable, a short story. Jesus said, “28 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Mark 13:28-30). What was the lesson of the fig tree?
The fig tree was the most important tree of ancient Israel. The fig tree is prominent in the Old Testament, first appearing in Genesis 3, where Adam and Eve’s nakedness was covered with leaves of the fig tree. In the Old Testament prophecies, healthy fig trees were seen as a sign of God’s blessing, anticipating God's peace, prosperity, and happiness. On the other hand, withered trees were a sign of God’s judgment.
In the New Testament Gospel of Mark, the health or lack of health of a fig tree, or fruitfulness in general, is to be viewed symbolically or as a sign. We saw that symbolism in the parables from Chapter 4 in which seeds, symbolizing God’s Word, were cast upon different types of soil. Some produced in abundance, while birds devoured others, withered in the sun, or choked by weeds and thorns.
Just before Jesus’ conversation with the apostles, Jesus gave a sign of things to come through his encounter with a fig tree. Mark wrote, “12 The next day as they [Jesus and the Twelve] were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again.’ And his disciples heard him say it. 15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers’” (Mark 11:12-17). The imagery of Jesus cursing the fruitless fig tree and then chastising the religious leaders speaks to the unfruitfulness of being separated from Christ.
And so to all that Jesus had said, he added, “28 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree” (Mark 13:28a). Jesus said, “As soon as its [the fig tree's] twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near” (Mark 13:28b). The apostles understood that the second batch of figs from a tree came about when the leaves of the tree began to sprout. It was summer. But summer here does not necessarily refer just to a period on the calendar. Summer refers to the time of coming fruitfulness and harvest. The presence of the tender twigs and leaves of the fig tree meant everything was ready and the time was right for the fruitfulness of the fig tree, a symbol, a sign, of God’s presence. While the apostles were concerned with the calamities coming to Jerusalem, Jesus did not want them to forget the lesson of the fig tree. Jesus did not want the apostles to lose sight of the fact that the time had come for them to bear fruit for the kingdom of God.
We saw Jesus share this message in other parables. The parable of the sower was about casting seed, God’s Word. But for what purpose? That the seed would fall upon good soil and produce 30, 60, or 100 fold. The parable of the farmer who planted seed that grew in secret. What was the purpose of that growth? “ 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come” (Mark 4:29). The point was that the time had come for the harvest. And there was the parable of the mustard seed planted in the garden, being like the kingdom of God. Why? “ 32 it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade” (Mark 4:32). It was time for the kingdom of God to explode from a small, seemingly insignificant thing, to something that would dominate the earth. Finally, we saw last week in the parable of the tenants that, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 2 At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard” (Mark 12:1-2). The purpose of planting the vineyard was to come to the time of the harvest.
Jesus' point was that there would indeed be all these signs of calamity coming and being fulfilled in the apostles’ lifetime, including the destruction of the Temple. But Jesus did not want them to forget the lesson of the fig tree, “As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near” (Mark 13:28). Regardless of the chaos that surrounds, Jesus wanted them to remember that the time for harvesting had come. This again was Jesus’ opening sermon, “The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15). And so what was the lesson of the fig tree for the apostles as they faced the reality of dangerous and chaotic times among the nations, within their families, and for them? Jesus told his apostles two things.
First, while Jesus revealed to them that the days of chaos were coming and that even people from this generation would experience those days, the apostles should avoid concluding that this chaos meant that it was the end of all time. Jesus described these events not as the dying of the world but rather as “These are the beginning of birth pains” (Mark 13:8b), not the end of all time. As to the end of all time, Jesus said, “32 But about that day or hour [of the end of time] no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32). We will have more to say about this point next week.
Secondly, Jesus told his apostles this, “You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me, you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit” (Mark 13:9b-11). The chaos and upheaval of war and persecution would give the apostles an extraordinary opportunity to be witnesses for Christ. Rather than only speaking to ordinary people like themselves, the coming of destructive forces would provide the apostles with a chance to share their testimony with governors and kings. The apostles were to understand the coming pain as not the coming of death but the coming of life, birth pains. The life that comes would be called the church, comprising followers of Jesus as their Lord and Savior. In this moment of history, the apostles would have great concern about what to say. Jesus said, “Fear not, for the Holy Spirit will give them the right thing to say at the right time and place” (Mark 13:11). This was the season, the time for harvest, as though the twigs on the fig tree were tender, and its leaves were coming out (Mark 13:28b). And, as we would see in the Book called the Acts of the Apostles, and the letters from Paul, Peter, James, Jude, and John, the apostles understood the lessons of the fig tree.
What then are the lessons of the fig tree for us today? There are two lessons I would like us to explore today.
The first lesson of the fig tree for us can be summed up in a single word: opportunity. The chaos, destruction, and persecution Jesus described to the apostles were very specific to the end of Jerusalem and the Temple. But rather than seeing it as the end of times, Jesus said it was the birth of a new beginning. We might say it was the beginning of the end. The true end would be when Jesus returned. Jesus described the true end as, “26 “At that time, people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens” (Mark 13:26-27). When will that end occur? We don’t know and should not spend time speculating.
In general, though, we see today other chaos, destruction, and persecution all around. There are today real wars with real bullets and people dying. There are culture wars with real people being disrespected and persecuted. Divisiveness abounds. All these events are of the nature that parallel those Jesus spoke about to His apostles. We should not be discouraged by what we see, but should see it as a time when the twigs of the fig tree are tender and the leaves are coming out. It is the time, the season, the opportunity for Christians, you and I, to be noticed as different from the world. Like the song, Make Me a Channel of Your Peace, we are to be different from the world of chaos, destruction, and persecution.
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love.
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord
And where there's doubt, true faith in you.
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there's sadness, ever joy.
We should not retreat from the chaos we see today but should seize the opportunity to shine for Christ.
The second lesson of the fig tree for us can be summed up in one word: mission. Jesus told his apostles and us the most essential thing they and we could do would be to hold fast to this truth: “10 The gospel must be preached to all nations” (Mark 13:10).
Today, not tomorrow, but today, is the day that you and I must preach the gospel. What is the gospel? Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, lived a perfect life, died for our sins, and rose again, offering forgiveness and eternal life to all who believed in Him.
It is the very existence of today’s chaos that makes the gospel more attractive, more stark in contrast to the world, more of a place of peace. Your mission, my mission, then, is to preach the gospel to someone every day. Why? Because it is the time for fruit to be collected for harvest for the kingdom of God.
“28 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near” (Mark 13:28). The opportunity and the mission to present the gospel of peace, hope, love, and light to a world of chaos, war, and destruction is before us. The time is right. The fruit is ready. Are you? Am I? Let us pray that the answer is yes and yes. Amen and Amen.