Jerusalem was known as “ the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there” (Deut 12:11). 

But Jesus did not particularly like what He found.  

In all four gospels, the city had become a well-oiled ritual factory.  Pilgrims swarmed the streets, trusting they would find spiritual reality.  The sheer scale of the crowds elevated the sense that indeed, something important was going on.  The architecture of the temple provided a ghost of ancient glories.  Personalities and titles, pomp, music, and the continuous cacophony of voices added to the religious theater.  The city, however, was full of hypocrisy and religious hustlers, heartless tradition, and ignorance.   

Though it was not His first visit, Jesus entered Jerusalem, and looked around the Temple.  He then departed, and stayed in Bethany for the night (a nearby town about two miles away).  

The following morning, He was hungry, “And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again.’ And his disciples heard it” (Mk. 11:13-14).

The prophetic significance of this moment perfectly fit the situation.  Nothing could have demonstrated more clearly the state of the holy land and its venerable capital than a tree, flush with showy leaves, and yet offering no fruit for those seeking sustenance. 

Directly following, Jesus went in and cleansed the temple, turning over tables, and driving out those who were selling sacrificial animals.   He had inspected the tree and found nothing that brought Him joy or rest. 

However, in Bethany it was another story.  Among many translators, the meaning of the word Bethany is “house of figs.”¹ In the eyes of Jesus it was a place of fruit.   Though His mission was to testify to the truth in Jerusalem during the day, He enjoyed, even seemed to delight in His evenings at Bethany.  

And what could have been more satisfying fruit to His soul than the people who lived there and had been affected by Him?  There was Lazarus, resurrected from the dead, who seemed happy to sit in calm adoration of His Master, the Lord of life.  Martha was also there, spending all of her energy in service to Him, even to a fault.  There was restful Mary, who loved Him and coveted His words, and the woman who had anointed his feet with tears, and costly ointment.  There was Simon, a leper whom Jesus had healed, and one who would spend the rest of His life in gratitude to the Great Physician.  

Truly in this “house of figs,” fruit was abundant.  Jesus enjoyed being there, where He was restful and received.    

But as Christians today, we tend to appreciate the barren tree, not perceiving the difference between leaves and fruit.  The church landscape is littered with religious things, and we commonly think Jesus is at home in all of them.  Why?  Because we find them rewarding–convenience, pragmatism, success, the sanctified version of the American dream, things bigger, better, fancier, and more important than all, entertaining.  

We like this stuff, and think of it as Bethany, but wonder why, at last, it seems so…empty.  Why?  Because aside from inspirational slogans, and tons of Jesus name-dropping, there’s no true fruit.  It’s not a Bethany experience.  You’re not at home, because your Master is never fully at home there, either.  He may work there, but never relax.  He visits, but never settles there.  

Instead, He looks for the fruit of repentance, of life and love and salvation, of “first works” (Rev. 2:5) and true hearts.  This is where His holy soul reposes.     

 

1. Other translations of “Bethany” are also debated and acceptable:  “house of affliction,” or “house of dates.” Either of these two would also fit the overall thought of this blog post.