Page 20 20 He said, “Frank, I’m a businessman. A lot of money passes through my hands. But the most valuable thing in my life is my time. The fact that you took time out of your schedule to fly here . . . and the fact that you are taking time this weekend to talk with me tells me that you put a great deal of value on us.” I was impressed. Think about it: How you spend your time speaks volumes about what you hold dear. It speaks volumes about what you value in life. This leads me to another question: How much time are you giving to Jesus Christ and His house? I know some Christians who have set out to love their Lord together. They have set out to make a home for Him in their city. They’ve taken a stand for the restoration of the church where they live. Yet, they have given their time to so many other endeavors. And Jesus Christ has gotten shortchanged. They have little time to pursue the Lord with their brothers and sisters in Christ. They have little time to assemble together to express Him with their brethren. They have little time to know Him in the church. Why? Because they have chosen to fill their time with so many other things. The House of Figs Mary anointed Jesus on a Saturday. On Sunday morning, Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem riding on a colt. He entered the holy city as a humble King (Mark 11:1-10). Before sundown that same day, He left Jerusalem and returned to Bethany where He lodged (Mark 11:11). On Monday morning, He left for Jerusalem again. And on the way there, He hungered. He saw a fig tree with leaves. But upon closer examination, He discovered that there were no figs on it (Mark 11:14). This was strange situation. When a fig tree puts forth leaves, it is declaring that it has produced figs. But not so with this one. This was a defective tree. It was bearing a false testimony. It was announcing that it possessed figs, but it had none at all. So Jesus cursed it, and it withered away. Point: The fig tree could not feed the Lord. It could not satisfy His heart. It didn’t produce any figs. So He cursed it and it died. But there was a place that could feed Him. There was a place that could satisfy His heart. At sundown, He returned to Bethany (Mark 11:19; Matthew 21:17). And what happened in Bethany? Our Lord was fed. He was cared for. He was loved. And He was satisfied. Bethany means house of figs. What a picture! Do you know what the fig tree represents? Scholars agree that it represents Judaism, the old Hebrew religion. Like the fig tree that Jesus cursed, Israel put forth an outward show of religion. But in reality, it was an empty, hollow shell. It was not bearing fruit.