Fig Tree: A Dog's Perspective

This morning, my human read out loud again. 
I like it when he does that. 
His voice slows down, gets a little softer… like when he scratches behind my ears and isn’t in a hurry.

Today it was about a tree.

Not just any tree, mind you—but a fig tree. 

Now I don’t know much about fig trees. And I’ve never expected breakfast from one. 

But evidently this tree had leaves. 
Lots of them. 
From a distance, it looked alive. 
Healthy. 
Promising.

But when Jesus got close, there was nothing there.

No fruit.

And that’s when things got real quiet in the room.

My human stopped reading for a second, like the weight of it settled on him. 
I lifted my head. 
Even I could tell—this wasn’t just about a tree.

Jesus spoke to it. 
And by the next day, it had withered from the roots.

From the roots.

Now I may just be a dog, but I know something about roots. 
I’ve dug up a few in my time. 
What’s underneath matters more than what you see on top. 
You can have all the leaves in the world… but if something’s wrong down deep, it won’t last.

My human said that fig tree was like Israel and the Jewish priests and leaders of the time—full of outward signs.
Religious leaves everywhere… 
But no fruit. 
No real life. 
No obedience. 
No heart for God.

And then he got still.

Because it’s not just Israel.

It’s us.

It’s me… well, as much as a dog can have a “me” in these things.

I wag my tail. 
I sit when I’m told. 
I stay close to my human because I love him. 
There’s something simple about that. 
Honest. 
What you see is what you get.

But humans… you all can look good on the outside. 
Say the right words. 
Show up where you’re supposed to and do what you’re supposed to do
Leaves, leaves everywhere.

But Jesus doesn’t stop at the leaves.

He looks for fruit.

Real fruit.

The kind that grows from a heart rooted deep in Him. 
The kind that shows up and does the right thing when no one’s watching. 
The kind that tastes like love, obedience, humility… and trust.

That fig tree had the appearance… but not the reality.

And Jesus doesn’t pretend that’s okay.

I laid my head back down when my human finished reading. 
He scratched my ears again, but slower this time. 
Thoughtful.

I think he was asking himself the same question I was wondering in my own dog-kind-of-way:

“If Jesus came up close… would He find fruit?”

Not leaves.

Fruit.

I don’t understand everything about fig trees or nations or judgment… but I do understand this:

Don’t settle for looking alive—
Be alive in Him. 
Let your roots go deep—
Where no one sees.
So that when Jesus comes near—
He finds fruit…
Not just leaves.

Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem

“Early in the morning, as He was returning to the city, He was hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. And He said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” At once the fig tree withered.” 
- Matthew 21:18-19 HCSB