The miracles of Jesus - Classical Christian Literature by Athleo.net

380 THE BARREN FIG-TREE
We must not forget that Jesus Christ is still the
Searcher of hearts ;
that He comes into the business
world, into the home, and into the church, to see if
there are any who understand, who seek after God,
and who earnestly strive to serve Him. His hand
brushes aside the leaves of mere profession. He
takes little account of beautiful foliage, because He
hungers for fruit, and looks everywhere to find it.
He comes to those who are active in benevolent
enterprise to see whether the motive whence it springs
is good ;
He looks below the surface of our professedly
Christian life to see whether the heart is
right with God ; He visits those whose criticism of
the lives of others is
a practical assumption that their
own lives are good, and asks, " How is it with yourself"
He searches the daily life to see if those
whose theology is correct, and whose profession of
Christian experience is
unctuous, are controlling their
tempers and becoming Christ-like in the business and
the household ; and sometimes He has to turn aside
with a sigh, as one who says, " Nothing but leaves."
III.
The barren fig-tree is an emblem of one who
fails in the great purposes of his existence.
Some trees are not meant to bear fruit. We grow
them for their foliage in our shrubberies, or for
timber that we may use in
our buildings, or for shade
from the heat of the sun. It would be no disparage-