We curse you fig leaves!

Genesis 3:1-9Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the Lord God had made. "Really?" he asked the woman. "Did God really say you must not any of the fruit of the garden?" " Of course we may eat it," the woman told him. "It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die." "You won't die!" the serpent hissed. "God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and bad." The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband who was her. Then he ate it, too. At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they strung fig leaves together around their hips to cover themselves. Toward evening they heard the Lord God walking about in the garden, so they hid themselves among the trees. The Lord God called to Adam, "Where are you?"Now look at Matthew 21:18-19In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs on it, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" And immediately the fig tree withered up.I used to read this and wonder why Jesus cursed the fig tree, after all it was only a tree. I used to think. However, the symbolism of this action is much more deeper than that. When Adam and Eve felt shame at the time they ate from the tree, they attempted in their own efforts to make themselves "right" again. To bring about some type of action that would okay the matter of what they did. They covered themselves with fig leaves. It was their own attempt and effort to make a situation better in some way. The fig leaves represent anything we try to do on our own efforts to make ourselves right with God again. And what feeble attempts they are. When Jesus cursed the fig tree He was merely implying that the effort to do things out of own strength to make ourselves right with God should never bear fruit again. Meaning, its over and done with. We no longer have to out of our own strength make ourselves "right" with God. That's what Jesus Christ came for. To destroy the works of the enemy. To destroy our human efforts to try to make ourselves right with God again ever. Because there is nothing we can do to earn that. It was all done and paid for on the cross by Jesus Christ's sacrifice. How often, do we try to live up to a certain reputation or standard, on our own efforts and strength? Many times, and it is all for nothing. Jesus did it once and for all. All we can do now is sit back and enjoy our relationship with Him and out of that love and passion and appreciation of the cross, our actions will speak those of a lover. We do things for the Lord because we want to, not because we are obligated.