John 15:1 – 8                

In the Old Testament the Lord spoke through three prophets – Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel referring to Israel as the wild vine. After all the effort that the Lord had taken to make Israel yield good fruit, it still yielded only wild grapes (Isaiah 5:1 - 7).

Hebrews 12:14, 15

‘Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.  See to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” spring up and cause trouble, and by it the many become defiled;’

Mark 11: 12 – 14: 20

When Jesus and His disciples came from Bethany, 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 (V12 – 14).

As they passed by in the morning they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots (V20).