The Barren Fig Tree Cursed

Theme: The Mirror of Prophecy

 

 

On the following day, when they 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.

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LESSON

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, He went to the temple, looked around, and left the city with His disciples. The next day, Jesus is on the road to Jerusalem again, this time walking with His disciples. He comes up to a fig tree looking for fruit. When He finds no figs on it, He says to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again” (Mark 11:14). This passage is hated by modernists and unbelievers. The Interpreter’s Bible comments:

 

It is well to begin any consideration of this story of the barren fig tree with the frank recognition that it is the least attractive of all the narratives about Jesus. Luke omits it entirely, possibly because he already has a parable of a barren fig tree (Luke 13:6-9). At any rate most scholars would applaud his judgment, as shown by the omission... There are two main objections to taking the story literally, as an exact record. The first is the unfavorable light in which it seems to put the judgment, or common sense, of Jesus; he could have had no rational expectation of finding figs out of season. The second is that the miracle is quite “out of character” with Jesus’ mind and with other miracles. As Branscomb put it strongly, “Jesus scarcely went about blasting fruit trees simply because they did not have fruit ready for Him at the moment.” Jesus was not a conjurer. That was a role he strictly avoided. This cursing of the fig tree looks like a conjurer’s act, like the “unreasonable miracles” found so often in noncanonical Gospels. Mark takes the story as proof of Jesus’ power, but that “proof ” was on a level devoid of moral and religious significance. (The Interpreter's Bible, Abingdon Cokesbury Press, Volume VII, p. 828)

 

The modernist looks at the Bible through human reason, but evangelicals look at human reason through the Bible. I will look at all of life through the Bible. Everything is dependent upon this revelation from the Word of God. This commentary goes on to reject the one true interpretation of this passage: “It has sometimes been thought to be ... in the older, anti–Jewish exegesis, a symbol of the rejection of Judaism.” That’s exactly what this passage is, and this interpretation becomes very clear when we read it in conjunction with the related passage in Matthew 24.

 

Let’s examine the liberal assumption that Jesus could have had no rational expectation of finding figs out of season. I was brought up in California, with a fig tree in my backyard. When I was small, it was my duty to pick figs because I loved to climb trees. I always missed some because fig leaves are quite large and did a good job of concealing the fruit. It was typical for me to find fresh figs in July and August, perhaps a few in September, and then, when the leaves fell off, to find dry figs in October and November, still on the tree. It was perfectly possible and plausible for Jesus to look for some of those dried figs, still on the tree from the season past, amid the first green leaves of the new crop to come. There was nothing ridiculous about it. The only problem is to find out the significance of His response.

 

When we turn to Genesis 3:7 we see that Adam and Eve made coats of fig leaves to clothe themselves after they fell into sin. But when God promised to save them, He took away their fig leaves and clothed them with the skins of animals, given to them after the animals had been sacrificed. The fig leaves were Adam and Eve’s effort to make themselves acceptable in God’s sight and in each other’s; they represent human works. When they realized their holiness was gone, the fig leaves were their substitute, but it was not good enough. God provided the cov- ering, based on the shedding of blood of the sacrificed animals. This is a very early picture of the truth that Jesus Christ had to sacrifice His life to provide us with His own righteousness, that we may be “dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.”

 

Later on, in the Old Testament prophets, we find Israel referred to as a fig tree. In Jeremiah 8:13, God speaks about coming to Israel expecting righteousness, saying, “When I would gather them ... there are no grapes on the vine nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves are withered, and what I gave them has passed away from them.”

 

On this morning, Jesus sees the fig tree and kills two errors with one parable. Here was the fig tree–leaves, leaves, and no figs! A perfect picture of the nation of Israel. They had reli- gion coming out of their ears. “I fast twice a week! I do this, I do that!” said the Pharisee. The religious leaders had plenty of leaves. They said, “Jesus, how do You ever let Your disciples pick wheat on the Sabbath Day? Lord, do You mean to say that You are going to cure a man on the Sabbath Day?” Their Sabbath was more important than human needs. Their religion was leaves, but no fruit.

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