Why Did Jesus Curse The Fig Tree? Israel's Fruitlessness
Why Did Jesus Curse the Fig Tree?
Have you ever wondered why Jesus cursed the fig tree? We read the account in both Matthew 21:18-22 and Mark 11:12-14; 11:20-25. In both cases, the context is of Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the cleansing of the Temple for the second time. It is an important lesson for everyone to understand.
So, why did Jesus curse the fig tree? Jesus’s curse of the fig tree was to teach His disciples the true nature of faith. True faith produces fruit. The symbolism was that Israel looked as a fig tree looks from a distance. It appeared that it had fruit. It was expected that it would have fruit. But it didn’t. Jesus used the fig tree as an example to demonstrate the truth that all who rely upon the works of the law to earn righteousness are under a curse (Galatians 3:10). The judgment of Christ is that they will be cut off from all the goodness of God, being left with only wrath and condemnation.
This is a very important lesson to learn. Let’s dig deeper into the context of the passage.
Understanding the Context of Mark 11
Good Bible study and teaching should always begin with context. The context of this passage is vital to the understanding of the Lord’s action with the fig tree. For the sake of this study we will limit ourselves to the book of Mark. Mark is a short book. I suggest you read it in its entirety. If you lack time, then I strongly suggest that you at least read Mark 11 in its entirety.
Mark 11 begins with Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. If you have spent any time around Christianity you most likely would have seen this scene in a play around the cultural Easter celebration. The imagery of Jesus entering Jerusalem riding on a donkey is well-known, even by non-churchgoers.
And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and He sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:7-10)
This scene is heavy with irony. The actions of the people of Israel at this time as a whole were simply going through the motions. Sure, they were observing the law in part. Sure, they were offering up sacrifices. Sure, they were observing the celebrations.
Yet, in all this their heart was far from God. They honored God with their lips and outward activities. Inwardly, they were not as pure.
The crowd was ushering in their version of the Messiah. Jesus for years was proclaiming the kingdom of God and the gospel. He was urging Israel to repent and believe. He was also performing miracles that pointed to the truth that Jesus is the Savior sent from God. Yet, the people persisted in their unbelief. They wanted a savior who would save them from the Gentiles. They did NOT desire a Savior that would save them AND the Gentiles from their sin.
As Jesus enters Jerusalem mounted on a donkey’s colt they usher Him in with praise. Yet, it is likely that many of these same people shouting Hosanna and blessing the Savior will turn around and curse Him in their hearts, shouting “Crucify Him!”
Just after this the Scripture says,
And He entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when He had looked around at everything, as it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve. (Mark 11:11)
It is noted that it was late. Jesus looked around at what was going on in the Temple. Mark tells us of what was going on in the Temple. In the court of the Gentiles there were money-changers and merchants selling pigeons. These people with their presence were preventing the nations from coming to worship the living God! (For more on the cleansing of the Temple see our article Why Did Jesus Cleanse The Temple?)
This was the scene that Jesus left in the evening. We can conclude with certainty that Jesus had this on His mind as He journeyed back to Jerusalem the following day.
The Curse
Jesus and His disciples made their way to Jerusalem the day after His triumphal entry. It is morning. Jesus sees a fig tree in leaf from afar. The Scriptures say,
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 from you again.” And His disciples heard it. (Mark 11:13-14)
Jesus was going to Jerusalem with a purpose. He was headed into the Temple. To rebuke the people there including the religious leaders who allowed the defilement of God’s Temple.
On the way, He uses the fig tree as a teaching lesson for His disciples. Jesus sees a fig tree with leaves from a distance. Approaching it because He is hungry with hopes to get something to eat. But He sees no fruit on the tree!
The Scripture tells us that it was not the season for figs. However, this does not mean that there should not be fruit on the tree. This could, and I believe does, mean that the fruit is not ripe and ready to eat. Not yet. But it should be growing.
I have apple trees in my yard. The apple tree will blossom with the leaves and eventually fruit begins to form. The fruit, although small, is still fruit. It is not the season for apples until the apples are fully mature. But the apples don’t just miraculously appear. They grow over time.
In Palestine, the fruit of a fig tree comes even before the leaves. Therefore, a fig tree that has leaves on it should have fruit forming on its branches. The fruit in the spring would not have been ripe but it would have been edible. It was not the season for figs. Nonetheless, figs should be present.
The fig tree was deceiving. It gave the impression from a distance that it was a fruitful tree. But anyone who would have looked closely at the tree would see that it was barren.
Upon seeing this Jesus says,
“May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” (Mark 11:14)
After this Jesus, went into the Temple and drove out both those who were selling and those who were buying. What we can understand here is that both those who were selling and buying are spiritually guilty. On the surface, it may seem like those who are buying are not. But they are. Because they are giving approval to those who are practicing such things (Romans 1:32).
God’s chosen nation, Israel, from the outside looked fruitful. They were keeping the law in part. They were offering sacrifices according to the law and celebrating the Passover. Yet, Jesus makes it clear that these people were not doing it in faith. They were doing it out of obligation. They were doing it because they were trying to earn their righteousness by the law. Not remembering that the “righteous live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).
A Fruitless Nation
Israel was not fruitful. They were barren. There wasn’t even a single piece of fruit present.
The Scriptures record the following day,
As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” (Mark 11:20-21)
The Scriptures teach that,
“Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” (Galatians 3:10b, quote from Deuteronomy 27:26)
The fig tree here is symbolic of the nation of Israel. Jesus is teaching His disciples that Israel, who is going through the motions of the law, is under a curse. No one (except for Christ) can keep the law of God in its fullness. Every person has broken the law of God over and over again. Therefore, all are under a curse. The very thing that Israel thought brought them blessing, the law, has left them cursed.
If they, or anyone else, insists on earning righteousness by their own efforts there will only be wrath and condemnation. All the goodness of God is withdrawn from them. Jesus is the only one who could deliver them from this curse. He was standing in their midst. Yet they, as a nation, rejected Him.
For more contextual information and for more on the heart of Jesus see: Why Did Jesus Weep?
The Solution
The solution is given in the context of the passage.
“Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.’” (Mark 11:23-25)
Only God can save them from their sin. Keeping the law cannot save a person. The sacrificial system cannot save a person.
God saves. He offers forgiveness of trespasses in Christ!
It is written,
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:13-14, bold added)
The solution was standing before Israel and they rejected Him! This same solution is before us today.
Will you reject Him? Or will you receive grace, life, and peace with God through turning to Jesus in humble faith?
It is only those who are found in Christ on the day of judgment who will escape the curse of the law. Do not be like unbelieving Israel. Repent and believe in Christ!
(For more depth on this see our articles: Why Did Jesus Die For Our Sins? and Forsaken By God).
Related Questions
What does the fig tree represent in the Bible? The healthy fig tree was often considered to be a symbol of the prosperity of the nation of Israel. Likewise, the unhealthy fig tree was a representation of the judgment of Israel because of their spiritual deadness.
What is the meaning of the parable of the fig tree? This parable is different from the cursing of the fig tree. In Luke 21:29-33 Jesus gives a parable of the fig tree. This was to point His hearers to His second coming. Jesus taught that when the signs He spoke of occur (Luke 21:5-28) we can know His coming is near. We can know just as one knows summer is coming from the leaves of a fig tree.