From the Heart of Pastor Jacqueline Thompson - Nothing Except Leaves

April 14, 2025

Good Evening Allen Temple Family and Friends,

The journey to the Cross continues. After the events of Palm Sunday, Jesus spent the night in Bethany. With sunrise, he left the hometown of close friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and headed back to the Temple. According to the 21st chapter of Matthew, Jesus grew hungry and noticed a fig tree by the side of the road. He went over to it looking for figs but the text says, he found nothing except leaves. Jesus curses the tree and it immediately withers.

Scholars continue to debate and offer commentary about why Jesus cursed the fig tree. But for some reason, the phrase that sits with me this Holy Monday is simply Nothing Except Leaves. Resisting the urge to exegete, I can only imagine the frustration and disappointment of his unmet expectations. This seems to be the sentiment of the season. For the Pharisees and even the disciples, Jesus did not meet the expectations of a their desired Messiah. For many of them, he was the fig tree falling short of their ideal. It caused me to reflect on how to handle unmet expectations.

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