Connection isn’t Enough?
Read Time: 7 mins
“In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, 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.”
Matthew 21:18-19 NLT
If you know me you’d know that I'm always listening to something. I’m an audio person. Since like 2018 or 19 I've listened to at least one sermon almost every day. In addition to that, I have a rotation of podcasts I listen to as I'm driving, working out, eating, cleaning, or even while taking a shower. I do a lot of listening and that's not even accounting for the music. I love listening to music and feeling all the emotions and thoughts it brings. The first thing I remember buying with my own money was a portable CD player and the soundtrack of Disney's Jump In. I remember hanging out with my friend Will and dissecting all of the double entendres and rhythmic choices of Lil Wayne’s Six Foot Seven Foot. Many days that I've been late to school have been caused by me being up late listening to and feeling entire albums or writing and recording songs with friends. Nothing is Stopping You and One Man Can Change the World by Big Sean helped me fall in love with the storytelling in hip hop. Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was the first album to make me cry. Make Room by Jonathan McReynolds was one of the albums that inspired the journal entry that led to this devotional ministry. Music is a big part of my life. I listen to even more music when I'm preparing to lead worship or planning a ROAR Experience. A lot of these devotionals are inspired by songs. I love having late-night worship sessions as I listen to my favorite songs and spend time in the presence of God (I know my neighbors are probably tired of hearing me sing hymns at 3 am). I’m always listening to something.
This amount of time spent with music, podcasts, sermons, and the like (especially late at night) means I get a lot of use out of headphones. One of my favorite gifts was a pair of lime green Studio Beats by Dre that eventually got thrown down the stairs by one of my little cousins. I also remember a pair of Powerbeats that I believe were stolen. I’ve had many earphones that have come and go but the ones I'm most saddened by are my AirPod Pros.
The sadness surrounding my AirPod Pros is only made possible because of how much I love them. They're so cool. They’re wireless. They're made to fit just right in my ears. They automatically transfer from my phone to my iPad and my laptop depending on which one I am using. I can decide whether they will be noise canceling or have transparent audio. They detect my skin and can automatically pause what I'm listening to if I take one out of my ear. They have front-facing mics so that I can be on the phone or use them to give Siri verbal instructions. I can have them read my messages to me if someone texts me while I have them on. They’re water and sweat-resistant. They’re more out of the way than over-ear headphones and look good too. They’re just great.
So why am I so sad? I’m sad because they’re broken. The right earbud has a constant buzzing sound. No matter how good they look, they don't sound the same. There’s a fizzle and buzzing on the right side that gets even louder when I try to turn on the noise-canceling feature, which kinda defeats the purpose. And to make matters worse, the mic is broken so I can't make calls with them like I used to. While I've seen my Beats be broken and stolen, my studio headphones get blown and the cords to my in-ear monitors get shorted, this hurts the most. Why? I know what my AirPod’s are capable of and it hurts when they don’t function the way I know they can. They still connect to my phone, iPad and laptop, but they don’t do what they’re created to do. Connection is needed but it’s not enough. I need them to function how they’re designed to function.
If I'm this bothered by earbuds, how do you think God feels when He knows what He has placed in you? He knows what He has made you to accomplish. He knows what abilities and gifts you possess because He stocked you with them. But when He wants His will done on the earth, you refuse to be used in the way He designed you to be used.
In this story, Jesus is hungry. But imagine His relief when He remembers that He placed a fig tree in this area for such a time as this. He designed it to produce fruit. He ordained that it would be ready for moments like this. But as He approaches, He realizes that the tree He designed to function isn't functioning. This is like intentionally putting money in a bank account for you to dip back into later and when that time comes the money is gone. Jesus sees that the tree isn't in agreement with what He designed it to do and curses it.
So how do you think God feels when He placed you in that job to be a light and influence but you aren't functioning as He designed you to? How do you think He feels when you were strategically placed in that relationship to show an aspect of His love to someone who isn't used to it and you hold back? How do you think He feels when you were uniquely designed to give that church what it needs but you are hiding your light?
So how do we bear fruit? John 15 reminds us that connection is the precursor to fruit. If you want to bear fruit, you must prioritize connection. But connection is not the only thing that matters. True faith leads to action. God has opened the door of connection and made a new identity possible for you but you must take the initiative to walk in it.
This story is interesting because Mark's account (Mark 11:12-14,19-21) reminds us that the tree was not in the normal season for harvest. On the surface, this can make Jesus seem inconsiderate. Are Jesus’ expectations too high? We must understand the characteristics of a fig tree to understand what's happening here. . Fig trees typically have multiple harvests and while it wasn't the primary season, the presence of leaves was typically an indication of a healthy tree. Not just that, fruit is known to come before the leaves. So Jesus sees the leaves from a distance and concludes that if a tree was connected, and healthy enough to have lush leaves, it surely must also be bearing fruit.
Many of us are like this tree. We have experienced God and gotten addicted to time in God's presence. We have signs of a healthy connection. We go to church and even serve in the church. We have strong prayer lives and devotional lives. We have a theological understanding of what it means to find identity and salvation in Christ. But could it be that just like this tree, we are connected but still aren't bearing the outward fruit that Jesus expects from someone with our connection?
Remember, the connection is needed to bear lasting fruit, but the fruit that comes after the connection isn’t always “natural” and is far from comfortable. The Spirit may put it on your heart to love the unlovable or speak up for the voiceless, but you still have to make a conscious decision as to whether you will follow the prompting. Your connection may open your eyes and heart to God’s will for your life, but you still have to make the conscious and uncomfortable decision to follow it. Being connected enough to hear the Spirit tell you to shut up or move forward is cool but it only matters you follow. God will give you the desire and power to do what pleases Him but you have to make the decision. It’s not enough to have the leaves of connection. We need to bear fruit.
This is a call to further engage in the uncomfortable call to sanctification and discipline. The word “disciple” is taken from the same concept as “discipline.” Without the repeated decisions to be uncomfortable and molded as you follow the will of God when you don't feel like it, you're not really a disciple. For some of us, this is a call to not just accept the identity we have in God, it's to act it out. This isn't just about having a faith in word. It’s about having faith in deed. Connection is the foundational need. But it doesn’t stop there. We are called to bear fruit. We’re called to act it out.
Connection is most important. You cannot bear the fruit God desires without connection. But a true connection to the vine will result in fruit. A true faith will result in action. Christianity isn’t just about saying you accept the gift and identity Jesus has given. It’s about allowing the Spirit to give you the desire and power to grow and develop to look more like Jesus everyday. This isn’t about legalism or putting the cart before the horse. Connection is the foundation, but obedience should be the fruit. The life God wants you to have comes on the other side of actually following Him. Ask God for His power and you will see your life begin to change for the better.
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