Where’s the Fruit?

If you are as old as me, you mayremember the old Burger King commercial where the elderly lady came into ahamburger establishment and remarked, “Where’s the beef?”.  We laughed about that scene, and the phrase, “where’sthe beef?” became a part of the vernacular of the day.

In Mark 11, we read a story wherewe can imagine Jesus saying, “Where’s the fruit?”.

¹² And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: ¹³ And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. ¹⁴ And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

I’m always a little surprisedwhen I read about Jesus’ reaction to the fig tree. His words sound self-servingor capricious.  But that wasn’t Jesus.

Jesus noticed the fig tree – justlike He noticed everything.  The tree wasfull of leaves, which could be seen from a distance.  When Jesus walked close, though, there was nofruit.  He knew fig trees; the fruitshould have accompanied the leaves.

What a picture for me.

God isn’t impressed withshow.  It doesn’t matter how good I lookfrom afar if, when people draw close, they don’t find love, grace, andkindness.  The fruit of God’s presence inmy life must be present and visible.

It is God’s Holy Spirit thatbears fruit in me as I yield my will to Him. The more I allow Him to mold my life, the more fruit will be visible toa world in need. 

Fruitful is a good thing to be.

Galatians 5: ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ²³ Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Photo by Adrianna Calvo on