Matthew 21:18-22

Rachel Workman: ¹⁸ In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, ¹⁹ and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up. Jesus was hungry. Why would anyone worship a god that doesn't know what it's like to be human and have basic human needs?

²⁰ The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”

²¹ Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. ²² You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”

Again Jesus was using this as a teachable moment. I think it's important to remember who Jesus was talking to here. He was speaking to his disciples. He was not speaking to you and I here. He was speaking to the disciples about the type of faith they were going to need to possess in order to carry out the will of Jesus on this earth. I have no doubt that we are required to have faith and not doubt. But I do know that every prayer we pray will not get answered. It may not be because of a lack of faith or belief but more of a lack of God's will. 

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John Burnett:  ¹⁸ Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He *said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered.

²⁰ Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?” ²¹ And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly 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 even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. ²² And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”  It is the do not doubt part that keeps things like this from happening.

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Allen Michaels:  ¹⁸ Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. Jesus wasn’t angry with the tree. It was simply an acted-out parable. Jesus was showing his anger at religion without substance. Just as the fig tree looked good from a distance but was fruitless on close examination, so the temple looked impressive at first glance, but its sacrifices and other activities were hollow because they were not done to worship God sincerely. If we only appear to have faith without putting it to work in our lives, we are like the fig tree that withered and died because it bore no fruit. Genuine faith means bearing fruit for God’s kingdom.

²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

²¹ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. Jesus. Of course was not suggesting that his followers use prayer as “magic” and perform capricious “mountain-moving” acts. Instead, he was making a strong point about the disciples (and our) lack of faith. We all face some kind of a “mountain” in our lives. The important thing is; have we talked to God about them?  ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” This verse IS NOT a guarantee that we can get anything we want simply from asking Jesus and believing. God does not grant requests that would hurt us or others or that would violate his own nature or will. Jesus’ statement is not a blank check. To be fulfilled, our requests must be in harmony with the principles of God’s Kingdom. The stronger our belief, the more likely our prayers will be in line with God’s will, and then God will be happy to grant them.