A Fruitful Life of Faith and Prayer (Matthew 21:18–22)

[Stephan Choe]

August 11, 2026

Key Verses 21–22:     “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 lifted up and thrown into the sea!” it will happen. And whatever you ask for in prayer—if you believe—you will receive.’”

Everyone wants to lead a fruitful, blessed life. How can we live such a life? Jesus reveals the secret to us:

“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 lifted up and thrown into the sea!’ it will happen.”

What does Jesus mean by these words? He means that we should believe in the almighty, benevolent God and pray to God out of that faith. Thus, He promises us, “Whatever you ask for in prayer—if you believe—you will receive.”

Jesus, therefore, encourages us to believe in the almighty, benevolent God and in His answering of prayers, and to pray to God. God will certainly answer our prayers, and grant us many good fruits. May God grant you such a fruitful, victorious life!

1. Jesus caused a fig tree to wither (18–22)

The fig tree is a large, vigorous tree in Palestine. It is a symbol of fruitfulness, peace, and prosperity. It reaches a height of about five meters. In ancient Israel, fig trees often stood beside a well and provided shade, allowing travelers to find both shade and water on hot days. People enjoyed praying or meditating in their shade, just as Nathanael did in John 1:48.

Fig tree[1] and figs [2]

In Palestine, April is too early for figs; summer figs do not appear until May. The tree produces a second crop of figs in September.

Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for the Passover festival in late March or early April. Consequently, the fig tree was not yet bearing fruit (see Mark 11:13). However, Jesus was hungry. On the way, He saw a fig tree, approached it, and looked for figs. Although the tree had thick foliage, it bore no fruit. Jesus then said to the fig tree, "May you never bear fruit again!" When the disciples passed by the fig tree the next morning, they found it completely withered (Mark 11:20).

The disciples were astonished and asked Jesus, "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?"

He replied, "Truly, I tell you: If you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what happened to the fig tree, but if you say to this mountain, 'Rise up and throw yourself into the sea,' it will happen. And whatever you ask for in prayer—if you believe, you will receive it" (21–22).

2. Jesus Expects Our Fruit

Let us now discover what Jesus wanted to teach us through the cursing of the fig tree.

All fruit trees have a time of blossoming and subsequently produce fruit. This applies not only to fruit trees but also to people. Every person has a time of blossoming, and this time is intended to bear fruit.

What kind of fruit are we to produce?

First, we can speak of physical offspring as our fruit.

Some people choose not to marry because they want to avoid the challenges of married life. Yet, the joy of marriage far outweighs the difficulties.

There are also people who remain single or childless in accordance with God's will. Apart from such exceptional cases, however, it is intended that we marry and have offspring. That is God’s will. As it says in Genesis 1:28: “God blessed them (humanity) and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth...’” (Genesis 1:28).

Having and raising children is a great blessing from God. Through children, God desires to bless us and make us happy. Of course, raising children also brings difficulties. Yet the joy that children bring us far outweighs the challenges. Moreover, raising children expands our hearts toward other people.

Second, let us now consider spiritual fruit.

There are two types of spiritual fruit:

The first type of spiritual fruit is a character transformed by Jesus Christ.

In Galatians 5:22–23, these fruits are listed as follows: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

For example, those who firmly believe in forgiveness through Christ, in God’s care, and in the resurrection possess a deep peace; such people are capable of being patient and kind and of obeying God’s Word from the heart. Therefore, we should trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and His promise and obey His Word from the heart. We should also ask God to transform our imperfect character.

We ought to experience transformation in every aspect of our character. Often, however, we are transformed for the better in some respects while remaining largely unchanged in others. A Christian, for instance, might be transformed to the point of willingly helping others, yet do little for their own family members. We need both: to help others and to effectively help our own families. Of course, this is not easy. Yet God desires for us to be transformed in this way.

Experience shows that a Christian either undergoes a drastic change in a short time or transforms slowly over the course of years. Those who experience a dramatic conversion—like Paul—are usually profoundly changed. Conversely, those who have grown slowly in faith generally undergo a gradual transformation. Spiritually speaking, our life of faith is a process of maturation. Regardless of whether the change is drastic or gradual, we must never cut this maturation process short. We are to continue growing spiritually so that we become increasingly like Christ.

By developing a transformed, godly character, we find happiness ourselves and glorify God. Someone who was once constantly dissatisfied becomes a contented, grateful person. Someone who held a pessimistic and critical attitude becomes a confident person who encourages others. We can glorify God under all circumstances, and God takes pleasure in us.

The second type of spiritual fruit consists of helping others to believe in the Gospel and to grow in faith.

God’s Word in Genesis 1:26 states: “God blessed them [i.e., humanity] and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth...’”

God wants us to multiply in both respects: through physical offspring and through spiritual offspring (believers). Jesus Christ also tells us: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

We are therefore to help both our own children and other people become children of God and grow spiritually. After all, all believers are our brothers and sisters—a truth we will experience fully in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Some Christians today do not fully appreciate this task. They attach greater importance to other areas of responsibility—such as economic or social concerns. Of course, we ought to fulfill our economic and social duties well; yet we must also faithfully carry out the mission of helping people believe in the Gospel and grow in faith. We thus hold dual citizenship:

On the one hand, we are citizens of this earth. As such, we have familial, economic, and social obligations. We are to work to provide for our families. As fathers and mothers, we are to raise our children well. We are to pay taxes and fulfill our civic duties.

On the other hand, we are citizens of heaven. As citizens of heaven, we have the task of worshipping God and extending the Kingdom of God. To expand this Kingdom, we are to lead people to faith in the Gospel and help them grow in that faith.

How significant it is to help people experience liberation from the power of sin and death and to gain citizenship in heaven! We are to share the Gospel with others and support them as they grow into disciples of Jesus.

3. Jesus Expects Faith and Prayer

When Jesus’ disciples saw the withered fig tree, they were amazed. They asked Jesus, “How could the fig tree wither so quickly?”

Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you: If you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only perform deeds like the one with the fig tree; but if you say to this mountain, ‘Rise up and throw yourself into the sea!’ it will happen. And whatever you ask for in prayer—if you believe, you will receive it” (21–22).

Here, Jesus powerfully illustrates the power of faith and prayer. A mountain is a symbol of immovability. Through the prayer of faith, we can make the impossible possible.

Of course, there are conditions for prayers to be answered.

The first condition is that our request must align with God’s will.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

The second condition is that we must pray in faith.

We must acknowledge our inability to move mountains by our own strength and, at the same time, profess our faith that God is indeed capable of moving “the mountains.” Therefore, we should pray to God in faith.

When we acknowledge our inability and ask God for help in faith, He gladly helps us. He is like a good father to his young children.

What should we ask of God?

We should ask for what we need and what aligns with God’s will.

It is clear that we ask for what we require; we should bring our worries and needs before God. Unfortunately, however, we sometimes do not know what God’s will is. In such cases, we should pray that God’s will be done.

Nevertheless, there are things we know God desires. For example, God desires to meet our needs and save people. Therefore, we should pray for these things with certainty. After praying, we should firmly trust that God will most certainly answer our prayers. When God answers our prayers is up to Him—sometimes very quickly, at other times much later. Yet, God certainly answers our prayers. We should remember God’s word in Hebrews 11:1: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

We should pray with this assurance and believe steadfastly.

When we pray to God in faith, we will bear much good fruit. We—and many others—will be blessed, and God will be glorified. This is a blessed life of faith.

A Fruitful Life of Faith and Prayer

How fruitful our life of faith is depends largely on whether we believe in the almighty, benevolent God and pray to Him.

Jesus said, “If you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree; even if you say to this mountain, ‘Rise up and throw yourself into the sea,’ it will happen.”

If we firmly believe in the living, benevolent God and pray according to our faith, we will bear much good fruit. This is the promise of Christ.

When we believe in the almighty, benevolent God, we experience peace, joy, motivation, and confidence. Even in the face of difficulties, our faith keeps us from easily losing heart. Thus, the life of faith is a blessed and fruitful life.

When we believe in the almighty, benevolent God, we should pray to Him according to His will. For Jesus said, “Whatever you ask for in prayer—if you believe, you will receive it.”

Jesus wants to encourage us to pray to God in faith and to trust firmly that our prayers will be answered. God will certainly answer our prayer and grant us rich, good fruit. We should then give glory to God. That is a victorious life in Christ. Amen!

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[1] http://wildlife-media.at/bild/48349/feigenbaum.jpg

[2] https://www.pflanzenhof-online.de/feigen/412/feige-brown-turkey?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17182091662&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7eXTBhDBARIsAKF-w45F6yUwoOP4-0py4nJUDJkgcuccdUyplZwm9LrJKG8pD-5CGzka0zwaAkecEALw_wcB