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I. THERE WERE MANY TREES WITH LEAVES ONLY UPON THEM AND YET NONE OF THESE WERE CURSED BY THE SAVIOUR, SAVE ONLY THIS FIG TREE. Here are some of the characters who have leaves but no fruit.

1. Those who follow the sign and know nothing of the substance.

2. Those who have opinion but not faith, creed but not credence.

3. Those who have talk without feeling.

4. Those who have regrets without repentance.

5. Those who have resolves without action.

II. THERE WERE OTHER TREES WITH NEITHER LEAVES NOR FRUIT AND NONE OF THESE WERE CURSED. There are many characters who are destitute of both religion and profession.

III. WE HAVE BEFORE US A SPECIAL CASE begin with the explanation of this special case.

1. In a fig tree fruit comes before leaves.

2. Where we see the leaves we have a right to expect the fruit.

3. Our Lord hungers for fruit.

4. There are some who make unusual profession and yet disappoint the Saviour in His just expectations.

IV. SUCH A TREE MIGHT WELL BE WITHERED. Deception is abhorred of God. It is deceptive to man. It committed sacrilege upon Christ. It condemned itself.

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

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KJV: And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.

WEB: Seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came to see if perhaps he might find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.