Learn the Lesson of the Fig Tree (Mark 13:28–37)

 

Learn the Lesson of the Fig Tree (Mark 13:28–37)

Everything has a day of reckoning. The family, the school, the company, the government, the church — all of them settle their accounts every year. Life, too, has a day of reckoning. Life is not an accident, nor a picnic — it has a purpose and a destination. We come from God and return to God. And each person will stand before God's judgment seat and give an account according to what they have done (Rom. 2:6). Those who have stayed awake, practiced righteousness, and obeyed the word will be given a reward, but those who have not obeyed will face eternal judgment.

In Mark 13:28–37, Jesus warned his disciples to always be on the alert because no one knows the day — that is, the day when the Lord will return. Being alert means understanding God's word and obeying it accordingly. This refers to a life filled with the Holy Spirit — following the way of the cross that Christ walked. For the suffering and death of Christ is the one and only path that leads to salvation.

When the Branch Puts Out Leaves, Summer Is Near

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." (Mark 13:28–29)

By observing natural phenomena, one can predict what is about to happen. When dark clouds gather, rain is coming. God planned and made the universe and all creation according to his will and purpose. All things in creation reveal the purpose, will, and intent of God. All creation obeys God's law without the slightest deviation. Through this, God teaches people who have fallen into sin and are wandering and lost — using all of creation to lead them to repentance (Rom. 1:19–20).

Jesus taught his disciples about the signs of the end times. Many deceivers will arise, wars and rumors of wars will break out, natural disasters of earthquakes and famines will occur (Mark 13:5–8). People will be handed over to councils and persecution will come (v. 9). The abomination that causes desolation will stand in the holy temple (v. 14). And the heavens will be shaken, the sun and moon will fall, and then people will see the Lord Jesus coming on the clouds with the sound of the archangel's voice and the trumpet call (vv. 24–27).

The apostle John said in the first century that it was already the last hour (1 John 2:18). If that was true then, how much closer must the end be today in the twenty-first century. In fact, every person is living in the end times. At the moment we die, we will stand before the Lord Jesus — the Lord of lords — who comes on the clouds with the voice of the archangel and the sound of the trumpet.

The history of humanity has never been free from wars and rumors of wars, conflict and slaughter. Natural disasters continue as well — earthquakes, famines, floods, heat waves, and wildfires. Jesus said this is the beginning of birth pains. Birth pains, once they begin, cannot be reversed — they must be endured all the way through. Therefore, we can know that the day of the Lord's coming is drawing near.

No One Knows the Day or Hour — Only the Father

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. 32 But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Mark 13:30–32)

"This generation" refers to the period until God's kingdom comes and rules on this earth. Yet at the moment each person dies, they will see Jesus — who comes as the King of kings — with the voice of the archangel and the sound of the trumpet. Every person is given one life on this earth on equal terms. This period is a time to learn, absorb, and obey the secrets of God's kingdom. It is the period of preparing for the eternal kingdom of heaven in the age to come.

At the end of the age, the heavens will be shaken, and the solar system and all of heaven and earth will melt away like snow. Just as the landscape changes beyond recognition in ten years, so this world is not eternal — it will decay, become defiled, and pass away. This world cannot be our hope. The kingdom of heaven, which is eternally imperishable, unfading, and undefiled, is the true hope. To those who have believed God's promises and lived holding on to the hope of heaven, God gives the kingdom of heaven as their inheritance.

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Heb. 11:6)

But God's word will never pass away — it is eternal. Not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means pass away from God's word before everything is accomplished (Matt. 5:18). Nothing on this earth can pass through death. But God's word is the power and authority that is alive and passes through death. When God speaks, the dead come back to life, the blind receive their sight, and leprosy comes and goes.

When God spoke, there was light; the waters above were separated from the waters below; the sea drew back and dry land appeared, becoming the earth. When God spoke, Aaron's staff budded, blossomed, and produced almonds (Num. 16:6). When God spoke, the Red Sea parted, water gushed from the rock, and manna fell from heaven.

The Word became flesh and came to this earth and displayed the glory and power of God (John 1:14). That glory and power was seen in the death of the Son of God in place of this world's sin. Through the shedding of his blood in sacrifice and his death, he broke the power of sin and death over this world. God raised his Son from the dead by his word and made him Lord of all. Jesus, who is the Word, rose from the dead and ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God's throne, reigning until his enemies bow their knees under his feet.

Yet no one knows when the end of the earth will come — that is, the day when Jesus will return. Only the heavenly Father knows, and even Jesus, who came as the Son of Man, did not know it (Matt. 24:36). Our lives are entirely in God's hands. Whether we live or die seems to be something people determine, but it is not so. It is entirely in the hands of God, who created heaven and earth and loved us to the point of sacrificing his Son.

The generation before the flood lived nearly a thousand years (Gen. 5). Yet Moses said that the years of our life are seventy, or eighty if we are strong (Ps. 90:10). God allowed the Amorites to remain in the land for four hundred years before judging them because their sin had not yet reached its full measure (Gen. 15:16). God delayed judgment on the city of Nineveh for a hundred and fifty years because they heard the prophet Jonah and repented (Jonah 3:10; Nah. 1:1; 3:13).

God desires that no one perish but that everyone come to salvation (2 Pet. 3:9; 1 Tim. 2:3–4). So in his patience God leads and guides people throughout their lives, giving them the opportunity to repent, turn back, and come to salvation. Every person has been given an equal opportunity to turn back to God, and God has planted in all creation the knowledge by which his power and glory can be known.

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (1 Cor. 10:13)

Be on Guard! Be Alert!

33 "Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back — whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'" (Mark 13:33–37)

Therefore, Jesus commanded us to keep watch. "Keep watch" appears three times in repetition. Not one of God's promises will fall to the ground — every single one will be fulfilled. Jesus is the Lord of all things who, as depicted in the parable of the tenants, made a vineyard capable of bearing good fruit, entrusted it to his servants, and went away to a far country. The meaning of what was entrusted is that good fruit should be borne and returned to God. Life on this earth belongs to no one. Since everything belongs to God, it must all be returned to him one day. This means that a day of reckoning for everything — good and evil alike — is coming.

The reason we must keep watch is that no one knows when the Lord will come. It could be tonight or it could be tomorrow at dawn. Because Jesus will come suddenly, we must always be prepared. We must not let him find us sleeping when he arrives. This does not refer to physical sleep at bedtime, but to not being alert. Jesus comes like a thief in the night (1 Thess. 5:2; Rev. 3:3; 2 Pet. 3:10). Jesus will come suddenly at an hour no one expects (Matt. 24:44). No one knows when they will die.

Being alert means faithfully and wisely distributing the food — that is, God's word — at the proper time (Matt. 24:45). So being alert is faithfully doing the work entrusted to us when the master comes. What God has entrusted to us until the day of reckoning includes everything in this life — life itself and time included. Life is by no means something that comes and goes by chance — it has an origin and a purpose. And that purpose is to live for the glory of God whether we eat or drink (1 Cor. 10:31).

This is why there is reason to diligently study God's word. We examine all sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments without missing any of them, and day by day we strengthen our grasp of the secrets of God's kingdom and the hope hidden within the word. Living the life of a pilgrim and a sojourner, we hold firmly not to things of the earth but to the eternal and glorious hope of heaven. And by faith we humbly make that heavenly hope known to our neighbors.

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." (1 Pet. 3:15)

Being alert also means, above all else, diligently loving our neighbor as ourselves. This is because this is the new commandment given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ. Love is not merely something expressed in words. Nor is it something done only in the mind. It means willingly bearing the shame and pain of the very cross that our Lord Jesus Christ carried. It is a heart that esteems others more highly and willingly yields. It joyfully bears the pain of self-dying. This is the example our Lord Jesus Christ showed on the cross.

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.'" (Matt. 16:24–27)

Being alert also means, like the five wise virgins, having the lamp and the oil ready and being prepared to meet the bridegroom (Matt. 25:1–13). The lamp represents God's word, and the oil represents being filled with the Holy Spirit. But the five foolish virgins had the lamp yet had not prepared the oil, and so when the bridegroom came suddenly in the middle of the night, they were unable to participate. They had God's word but had not obeyed it (Mark 12:34).

What is being filled with the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth who bears witness that Christ died on the cross as the Son of God (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit also confirms that the way of the cross of Christ is the path that leads to life. Therefore, being filled with the Holy Spirit is believing and obeying that Jesus Christ, who died on the cross, is the Son of God — and following the way of Christ's cross in actual daily life.

Amen!

September 13, 2026

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Scripture quotes are from the NIV.