“The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it (Mark 11: 12-14 NIV). Why did Jesus curse the fig tree?
So, being honest, this story always made me a little sad. I had a vegetarian phase. I refuse to watch movies where the dog dies. So, being the chief anthropomorphizer that I am, I feel a little sorry for this fig tree. Why did it have to die? It seems so unlike the gentle characteristics of our Lord to finalize his judgment in this manner.
I believe that God has an explanation for everything. A good explanation. So I researched this further, and wow, the answer is complex, complete, fascinating, and quite frankly, obvious (I’ll delve into why our brains refuse to read the Bible correctly later). Jesus cursed the fig tree as a metaphor for Israel’s rejection of the Messiah (and the corresponding destruction of Jerusalem), along with a metaphor for the coming judgment of all religious people who fail to produce fruit. Let’s dig in.
First, let’s look at what is going on with this fig tree. It was not the season for figs. What! Doesn’t that make it even more unfair? Well, biologically, figs typically appear prior to the leaves in season. So, seeing the tree full of leaves, one would assume that this fig tree was in its early season (fig trees can produce multiple crops of figs). The fruit is green almost up until the time that it is ripe, so it blends in with the leaves. So while you won’t know until you are right next to the tree, one can assume that leaves equal fruit. This particular tree, was all show, no substance.
Further, fig trees were often used in Scripture as a symbol of blessing and prosperity for the nation of Israel. The lack of figs, for spiritual barrenness and judgment. Micah 7:1 (NIV), “What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave.” Note the reference to the “early figs” here. Jesus came to fulfill the law and to fulfill prophecy. Israel would end up rejecting the Messiah and would be dispersed throughout the nations very soon. His disciples and others familiar with the prophets would come to understand the references later. For us, we can also compare the very real story of Israel, to the very real story of our soul. Keep reading.
We next will look at the chapter in it’s entirely. As we become familiar with certain stories and verses, we often don’t read (or digest) chapters and books in their full context. We tend to compartmentalize the stories that we know into their most basic lessons, missing the fine print and sometimes the entire forest for the trees. Here, I’m arguing that the rest of the chapter provides context for the fig tree. Directly after cursing the fig tree:
“On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.” (Mark 11:15-17 NIV).
He desired to see a house of prayer, instead He saw a den of robbers. He desired to see a fig tree ready for harvest, instead he just saw leaves.
We look further in the chapter to see the Lord’s explanation.
“In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”
“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:20-25 NIV).
So, here the Lord gives a powerful statement on the power of prayer and belief. One of the most famous, well-used verses in fact. But this doesn’t exactly explain the main question: why did Jesus curse the fig tree?
Again, we become so familiar with certain verses and stories in the Bible, that we just assume that we have it all figured out. We take away the more obvious lessons as we skim, and can lose critical, beautiful revelation. Re-read the paragraph of scripture above. Are there sentences that you brush over as just extra, unrelated, bonus material?
I’m referring to the last sentence, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Jesus chose to include this in His teaching on the fig tree, and the power of prayer and belief. Could it be, that one of the things that is killing our fruit, completely disqualifying us and our prayers…is unforgiveness?” This is a critical piece of information. While the two sentences before it may be some of the most repeated verses in history, perhaps we are ignoring the final chess piece. And Jesus included it all along.
A note about the wording above. As it says, “so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” This may explain why these verses are left out of the popular “Believe it and you will Receive it” sermons and inspirational decorations. People interpret this to mean that forgiving others is only tied to being forgiven ourselves. However, Jesus often coupled the forgiveness of sins with a particular blessing, frequently seen in healings during his earthly ministry (such as with the paralyzed man in Mark 2). Is forgiveness necessary for blessing…I’m not sure, probably not always. Is it more important…obviously yes.
Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? The comparison is clear, just as a fig tree full of leaves, but lacking fruit is useless and deeply disappointing to our Holy God, so is a person standing, praying before the Lord, yet lacking forgiveness in his heart for his fellow man. And ultimately, this person will not be able to receive forgiveness. And you know what that means. Just as the fig tree was cursed in a final act of judgment, we also are risking ultimate judgment, if we only wave our pretty leaves, yet fail to produce true spiritual fruit. We often focus on the compassionate, merciful side of our Lord. Yet we cannot ignore the fact that He is holy, and we are on a timeline.
If you enjoyed learning about why Jesus cursed the fig tree, check out my deep dive into why Jesus cast demons into pigs.
