Daily Writing

Wednesday, 15 July 2026

And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matthew 21:22

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And all, as much – if you should ask in the prayer, believing, you will receive.” (CG)

In the previous verse, it was noted to the disciples by Jesus that if they had faith without doubt, they could do what was done to the fig tree and have a mountain removed and cast into the sea. Jesus next says, “And all, as much – if you should ask in the prayer.”

The definite article before prayer limits this statement to something particular. If it said, “And all, as much – if you should ask in prayer…” it would be an open promise for any and every prayer. But that is not the case. As such, the surrounding context needs to be considered. Jesus just gave two examples of what “the prayer” consisted of –

“Answering, also, the ‘Jesus’, He said to them, ‘Amen, I say to you, if you should have faith, and not you should waver, not only the ‘the fig tree’ you will do, but and-if the ‘mountain, this’, you should say, ‘You be borne, and you be cast into the sea, it will become.’”

As discussed in that commentary, the two thoughts, meaning the fig and the mountain, equate to overcoming the law. The first was the ending of the Levitical system of the temple sacrifices as the spiritual connection to God (the fig).

The second, the mountain (explained as Horeb), equated to the ending of the law in one’s life. Understanding this, “the prayer” is one of trusting in something new to bring restoration between the pray-er and God. Therefore, Jesus continues, “believing, you will receive.” This is beautifully reflected in Hebrews 4 –

“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. ² For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. ³ For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said:
‘So I swore in My wrath,
“They shall not enter My rest,”’” Hebrews 4:1-3

Prayer cannot be actualized into reality without faith. Without it, the words, “believing, you will receive,” equate to, “lacking faith, you will not receive.”

Those of Israel who stand with one foot in the grace camp and one foot in the law camp have not believed. They are trying to merit God’s favor through two conflicting camps. In essence, “Well, if Jesus doesn’t work out, I always have the law to fall back on.” This is why Hebrews 6:6 says –

“if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.”

One cannot “fall back” on the law. If he does, there is no suitable sacrifice under that obsolete economy to save him. Jesus’ sacrifice is a one-time-and-for-all-time sacrifice. To go back to the law is to recrucify Him because He would have to die again for the law to be fulfilled in that person’s life. Such will never be the case.

Life application: Jesus is speaking to people who are under the law. The law had not yet ended through His sacrificial death. He is doing what the prophets of old did by using metaphor to convey truths to the people.

That metaphor is then to be properly understood when it is fulfilled in Jesus’ completed work. This is how the lesson of the fig tree is to be considered and understood. The verse being evaluated today has been so misapplied and abused by people that it means (in their thinking) that anybody with faith should be able to do anything or get anything they want.

“I can, by faith, receive a big bank account.” Actually, you probably should get to work and start saving for that.
“I can overcome any obstacle, including this. I claim this problem will go away.” Well, maybe the Lord sent that problem to chastise you and get you to learn a lesson, just as the Bible says will happen.
“I claim this promotion.” What if there are two Christians vying for it and they both “claim” it?

Do you see the fallacy in thinking regarding such things? Jesus did not give us an unlimited spending credit card for prosperity and fulfilling selfish desires. He gave His disciples a very specific promise based on a truth that explains the final thought. Without maintaining the context, what is said has no meaning at all. They are just words without any connection to reality.

Be circumspect in your understanding of what is happening in Scripture. It is not about us individually, even if it affects us as individuals. It is about what God is doing to restore people to Himself. The audience in this case is the Hebrew people, under the law, who need to be brought out from that unproductive economy and into a glorious new one. Keep the context!

Glorious Lord God, thank You for providing everything necessary for us to be saved through the work of Jesus Christ. Through faith in the gospel, we have full, final, finished, and forever release from the need for us to do anything except believe to be brought back to You. Thank You that it is so. Amen.

Tuesday, 14 July 2026

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. Matthew 21:21

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Answering, also, the ‘Jesus’, He said to them, ‘Amen, I say to you, if you should have faith, and not you should waver, not only the ‘the fig tree’ you will do, but and-if the ‘mountain, this’, you should say, ‘You be borne, and you be cast into the sea’, it will become.’” (CG)

In the previous verse, the disciples marveled and wanted to know how the fig tree desiccated so quickly. With that, Matthew next records, “Answering, also, the ‘Jesus’, He said to them, ‘Amen.’”

When Jesus begins a thought with Amen, He intends for His hearers to pay close attention. The matter is something that they should more than just listen to, but consider it carefully. In this case, He next says, “I say to you, if you should have faith, and not you should waver.”

The author of Hebrews defines what faith is –

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

Faith is something that requires confidence that something will take place. A person may say, “I have faith that you will pay me back.” It is unknown if that will actually take place, but because of past performance, a trust in the individual, the surety of consequences for failure to comply, or some other reason, the person trusts that the debt will be repaid.

Wavering is a state of letting one’s faith weaken for any multitude of reasons. We may have faith that a wedding will take place, but because of ten thousand little things creeping up, we may start to question if there aren’t forces behind the scenes working to ensure the wedding never takes place. In such a case, we can double down and say, “I am confident of this outcome.” In the case of Jesus’ words, He continues, saying, “not only the ‘the fig tree’ you will do.”

In other words, if His disciples have faith that they can do what Jesus did to the fig tree, it will come to pass. If the withering of the fig tree was a metaphor of the ending of the Levitical system of sacrifices under the law, and that a new and better connection to God through Jesus’ work has been established, then if they believe in Jesus’ fulfillment of the law, they will have that new and better connection to God.

There is no reason to assume that Jesus is speaking of literally killing a fig tree to make a point. It is the metaphor that matters. Jesus’ work is what ends the law in the lives of His disciples. Jesus’ work is what allows full, final, and forever access to God through the better connection He establishes. From there, He next says, “but and-if the ‘mountain, this’, you should say, ‘You be borne, and you be cast into the sea’, it will become.”

A new word is seen here, the conditional particle, kan, and-if. It is derived from kai, and, and ean, if. Combining the two results in kan, “and-if.” As for the conditional words, there is no reason to assume Jesus is speaking about a literal mountain, as if the disciples had the authority to have mountains physically moved at their command.

Jesus was heading to Jerusalem. The place where the Temple Mount was. For all we know, He may have pointed at the city, or even the temple visible within the city, and said His words. The term “mountain of the temple,” or literally “mountain, the house,” is something that would have been known to them from Micah 3:12. Thus, this is not a stretch at all. Whatever took place, He is essentially stating that the mountain of the law, described by Paul in Galatians 4, is what He is referring to –

“Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? ²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. ²³ But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, ²⁴ which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— ²⁵ for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— ²⁶ but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.” Galatians 4:21-26

The Law was given at Horeb. It is what Jerusalem and the temple worship were all about. Jesus just made a metaphor using the fig tree to make a point concerning a spiritual connection to God. There is no reason to assume He is not continuing the use of metaphor. If one believes in the full, final, finished, and forever all-sufficient work of Jesus Christ, the “mountain” of the law will be cast into the sea (a picture of chaos).

The law is an obstacle to a relationship with God, not a means of a right relationship with Him, except as it is fulfilled in Jesus’ work. As such, Jesus is giving advanced instruction in what He was about to accomplish and how it would eventually be realized through the use of metaphor.

Life application: By taking verses such as Matthew 21:21 out of their intended context, people make many wholly inappropriate claims concerning spiritual matters, as if they have the authority to do even the most unrealistic things.

At the same time, others arrogantly hint that those around them are lacking faith because they haven’t claimed their way into health, prosperity, etc. This type of theology is wholly inappropriate and demonstrates a shallow understanding of the word of God.

Catchy verses are pulled out of their intended context and thrown around like talismans. If the entire Bible is read while keeping passages in their intended dispensational context, people would find out that those being butchered in Africa are just as loved and tended to as those who have million-dollar houses, fancy cars, and who take long vacations.

God’s love for a person does not necessarily transfer to wealth, health, and overall prosperity. His love for His people is based on their faith in Him. The Bible promises a future where all trials, sadness, and difficulties will be behind us. But this is not a promise for our lives at this time. If those things come about, that is great. We can thank God for the abundance.

But it is better to live in poverty with strong faith in Jesus than to live in wealth without it. Fix your eyes, hearts, and affections on Him regardless of what you are going through. Have faith in His promises at all times. This is what will please the Lord more than anything else.

Lord God, help us to be people of faith, not just when things are going well, but at all times. May our lives and actions be honoring of You while we walk in faith, anxiously anticipating what lies ahead. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.

Monday, 13 July 2026

And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” Matthew 21:20

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And having seen, the disciples, they wondered, saying, ‘How, straightaway, it desiccated, the fig tree?’” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus cursed the fig tree, telling it that no fruit would grow on it again. Matthew recorded that the fig desiccated straightaway. As noted, Mark’s gospel gives more detailed information on the event. Unfortunately, the Pulpit Commentary says, “St. Mark’s more accurate account.”

There is a world of difference between a “more detailed account” and a “more accurate account.” There is nothing inaccurate about Matthew’s record. The word translated as “straightaway” means that it took place forthwith. For example, in Acts 16:33 it says, “And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately [parachréma] he and all his family were baptized.”

The event happened straightaway, but it wasn’t like they were standing there and were suddenly baptized. It was the next event in their lives that took place. This is just what was the case in the life of the fig. It went from being alive and vibrant with leaves to being desiccated and dead. Understanding there is nothing inaccurate about Matthew’s words, he next records, “And having seen, the disciples, they wondered.”

In Mark 11:21, it says, “And Peter, remembering, said to Him, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.’” Of this, Barnes says, “Peter said this, Mark 11:21 Matthew means only to say that this was said to him; Mark tells us which one of them said it.”

Barnes equates Matthew’s words to Peter’s exclamation. That is incorrect. Peter noticed it and made his exclamation, but all of the disciples, once they noticed the tree, would have wondered at the matter, just as Matthew records.

Again, there is no contradiction, just more detailed information. Once this was noticed by all of them, they were “saying, ‘How, straightaway, it desiccated, the fig tree?’”

Even if someone put poison around a tree, it may die immediately, but it would take time for it to desiccate. In the case of this fig, it died and desiccated overnight. By the morning, as they passed it again, it was completely desiccated.

This is what happened to the Law of Moses and the effectiveness of the temple to bring restoration between God and men. Jesus’ passion began in the morning. By the afternoon, He had died on the cross. At that time, Matthew records –

“Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.” Matthew 27:51

Jesus was tried, sentenced, and crucified. From there, the next thing to take place, meaning straightaway, was that the law was ended. Free, full, and forever access to God was granted, and the temporary and cumbersome connection to God that came through the Law of Moses was ended. The metaphor of the fig tree was realized in its fullness just a few days after Jesus gave it.

Life application: As you can see, commentaries are tools for us to learn information, but they are written down by fallible humans. No one is without errors in thinking. All of us are subject to biases, presuppositions, and cognitive dissonance.

When reading commentaries on the Bible, be careful to sift through them, asking questions as you go. Questions like, “How did they come to this conclusion?”, “Why did they say that?”, “Why did they say, ‘more accurate?’”, etc., are important questions to ask when we read something that doesn’t sound right.

Such questions will cause us to slow down and think through what we might otherwise have taken for granted. Once we do that, we form a brain squiggle that acknowledges that their commentary is correct. From that point on, it becomes more difficult to overwrite that bad information.

So don’t assimilate thoughts without thinking them through. You will benefit in your study by going slowly, carefully, and methodically through whatever you are reading. God’s word is important. We should not make unfounded assumptions, nor assimilate others’ unfounded assumptions concerning it.

Lord God, may our time in Your word be methodical, precise, and carefully considered at all times. It is far too precious not to spend it wanting to know Your intent for us. It is a great, wonderful, and precious word that tells us of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Amen.

Sunday, 12 July 2026

And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away. Matthew 21:19

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And having seen ‘fig tree, one’ upon the road, He came upon it, and nothing, He found in it, if not leaves only. And He says to it, ‘Not more from you fruit it should be, to the age.’ And it desiccated straightaway, the fig tree.” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus returned to the city early. As He went, He was hungry. Matthew continues with, “And having seen ‘fig tree, one’ upon the road.”

A new word is seen, suké, fig tree. It is derived from sukon, a fig. In the Garden of Eden, this is the third tree mentioned by name. The first was the tree of life. The next was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The third is implicitly mentioned in the fig leaves referred to in Genesis 3:7. If there are fig leaves, then there is a fig tree to put forth the leaves. Of this fig tree, “He came upon it, and nothing, He found in it, if not leaves only.”

Another new word is seen, phullon, a sprout, thus a leaf. The tree had sprouted leaves. Thus, it was a show of liveliness and health. However, that is all there was. No fruit was evident on it. Mark adds the words “the ‘for season, not it was, figs.’”

The earliest types of figs will appear before the spring leaves unfurl, around the Passover. At this time, they are unripe early figs known as taksh. That serves as an early indicator of the expected harvest. The first ripe figs are generally around May or June, with the main harvest being August to September.

Jesus went to the tree because it said in the previous verse that He was hungry. Even if He knew that the first figs would not be ready, He could at least expect to see fruit on the tree, expecting there to be some if it had leaves. This is human nature. We may be hungry for something and just curiously go to the tree to see what it is doing, even if we know that the tree is not yet ready with ripe fruit.

In the case of this fig, because it had leaves, it would be expected to have fruit (as noted, the fruit will appear before the leaves). With no figs on it, this was an unproductive fruit tree – flashy with leaves but lacking any hope for a harvest. As such, Matthew next says, “And He says to it, ‘Not more from you fruit it should be, to the age.’”

Another new word is seen, méketi, no more. It is from the negative particle mé, not, never, etc., and eti, yet, more, still, etc. Jesus’ words mean that the fig tree, which has failed to bear fruit, will continue to do so “to the age,” meaning henceforth. There will never again be a time when this fig tree bears fruit. With that stated by Him, it next says, “And it desiccated straightaway, the fig tree.”

And yet, another new word is seen, parachréma, instantly or immediately. Mark’s gospel further explains what happened. Jesus spoke the words to the tree. After that, Jesus went to Jerusalem and turned over the money tables, etc., and then He went out of the city. At that time, it says, “Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.”

In other words, the same condensed nature of Matthew’s gospel that was seen in the previous verses is seen again here. Thus, the word “straightaway” means “within 24 hours.” There is no contradiction, just more detail concerning the matter.

As has been explained in previous commentaries, the fig is a symbol of a connection to God or its lack thereof. In the Garden of Eden, after the fall took place, it said, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.”

There was a showy presentation of fig leaves, but there was no fruit. The connection to God had been severed. The fig that Jesus has cursed is a metaphor of where He was going, meaning to the temple in Jerusalem. It was a place that was showy and seemingly alive, but it was dead, having never brought a single place to the life it promised –

“And you will guard My enactments and My verdicts, which he will do them, the man, and he will live in them. I, Yehovah.” Leviticus 18:5 (CG)

The temple, which is the place where the Law of Moses is centralized for the people of Israel, never bore fruit to life eternal. Therefore, in cursing the tree, a metaphor for the officiating of the Law of Moses, He took away its right to bear life. Rather, it bore death, and it would continue to bear death, including the death of Jesus.

Only with the introduction of the New Covenant would the fruit of life and a restored connection to God be realized. The Law of Moses had run its course as an attempt to restore life. Its time had come to an end. One can clearly see that those who now attempt to obtain life through the law are performing a self-condemning act.

The temple that will be rebuilt for law observance will be the Antichrist’s temple. It is wholly opposed to what God in Christ has done. People should mourn over what lies ahead, not excitedly rejoice in it.

Life application: As noted in the commentary on verse 17, there are quite a few possibilities for the meaning of Bethany. Now that the living metaphor has been explained, we can guess at the likely meaning of the name. It would be House of Figs, based on the Hebrew təenah.

It would thus be the “House of the connection to God.” Jesus was there, went to the temple, on the way there, He saw the fig tree, the expected symbol of a connection to God. However, it had no fruit, just as the connection to God was lacking in the Law of Moses and the temple in which the rites of the law were officiated.

Hence, Jesus cursed the fig as a metaphor of the ending of the law. Henceforth (to the age), the temple and the law would never again be acceptable to God as an expected bearer of fruit. For fourteen hundred and fifty years, it had failed. Something new was coming, something glorious.

Stick with the New Covenant. In pursuing the law, you will only find death and continued separation from God.

Lord God, may we be responsible Christians who trust solely in the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord for our interactions with You. May we never assume that we can merit Your favor apart from Him. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.

Saturday, 11 July 2026

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. Matthew 21:18

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Daybreak, also, returning to the city, He hungered.” (CG)

In the previous verse, it said that Jesus went out of the city to Bethany, where He overnighted there. It next says, “Daybreak.”

There is a difference in texts here. Some use the adverb prói, translated as early. Others use the noun próia, the earliest part of the day, meaning the time around daybreak. At this early time, it next says, “also, returning to the city.”

As it was the time of the Passover, Jesus knew that every hour was precious. Therefore, He set out early to head back to Jerusalem. Along the way, His actions will form a living parable. That begins to be seen with the next words, “He hungered.”

This highlights His human nature. He was bound to the same rules of physical operations as anyone else. It is natural to be hungry after a night of sleeping, conversing, or whatever went on throughout the night. His physical needs, however, are something seen elsewhere. Matthew’s purpose for including this will be seen as the account continues to unfold.

Life application: Understanding Jesus’ nature, an overall doctrine known as Christology, is important. Slight variations in how Jesus is perceived can lead to great theological error. One of the heresies concerning His nature is known as Docetism. This teaches that Jesus only appeared to be human.

The word is derived from the Greek word dokein, “to seem.” This heresy makes the claim that Jesus’ physical body was an illusion or phantom, thus denying His true incarnation, suffering, and death.

The reason for this stems from the Docetist belief that matter is inherently evil or corrupt. Because of this, they felt that the divine Son of God could not have taken on real human flesh. The heresy is similar to Gnosticism, a view that the spiritual realm is good but the material world is evil.

This heresy was strongly opposed by right-thinking members of the early church, defending the truth that Jesus was fully human in a tangible, physical body. In denying Jesus’ true humanity, the heresy of Docetism would undermine core Christian doctrines, such as the Incarnation and the substitutionary atonement provided by Jesus.

Orthodox theology adamantly avows that Jesus was truly human. It was necessarily so for Him to die for human sins. At the same time, He must also be truly divine for Him to save humanity. To have been only human, He would have inherited Adam’s sin through a human father. Being born of Mary and of God, no sin traveled from His Father.

Jesus Christ is the God/Man. Without this, man is left without hope in a corrupt and fallen world. Even though God proclaimed the material creation to be good in Genesis 1, sin has caused a breach in its goodness that can only be overcome through the incarnation.

Hold fast to the truth of God in Christ. Subtle heresies can easily pull a person away from what is sound and appropriate concerning Jesus’ nature.

Lord God, thank You that Christ Jesus our Lord shared in our humanity, thus enabling us to be restored through His perfect substitutionary death. We exalt You, O God, for what You have done to bring us back to Yourself. Amen.