Mark 11:12-14 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
13 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. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
Why did Jesus curse the fig tree?
Mark tells us clearly that the time of figs was not yet – it was not the season of figs. Many look at this as a fit of petty anger on Jesus’ part after He has instructed His disciples concerning quarreling and so on. Jesus has just entered Jerusalem the day before and allowed the people to proclaim Him and Son of David (Lu 19:39-40), He goes to the temple and looks around. After this He goes to Bethany and resides there for the night (probably with Lazarus, Mary and Martha). The next day He goes back into Jerusalem and upon this occasion sees the fig tree with leaves but finds no figs and thus curses the tree; after this He goes into Jerusalem and cleanses the temple of the profiteers.
Since Jesus came to fulfill all things and every part of these last days was in fulfillment of Scripture, it is apparent that Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree had to have some significance relating to Scripture. Taking that into account we can say that this incident has to do with prophetic utterance, prophetic fulfillment and prophetic future.
The prophetic word: Figs have a special meaning in Old Testament prophecy. They symbolized the fruit of spiritual fulfillment, based upon Israel’s promise as God’s chosen people. Yet, most frequently in prophecy, figs represent apostasy, all the more tragic because of unfulfilled promises. Micah 7:1 forecasts Jesus’ hunger and disappointment:
Finding nothing but leaves on the promising fig tree, Jesus’ disappointment turns to judgment as the prophet Jeremiah predicted: (Jer. 8:13).
Like the fig tree, Israel had been chosen as God’s people and blessed beyond measure, and they had not lived up to His expectations.
The prophetic fulfillment: According to Mark’s own statement, the time for figs has not yet come. Why, then, does Jesus hold the tree responsible for something that is contrary to its nature? Even more, why does He expect fruit out of season to satisfy His own hunger? From every human standpoint, it appears as if the cursing of the fig tree is arbitrary, unreasonable, and unjustified. Certainly, it is not fair to curse a fig tree for failure to bear fruit out of season just to satisfy His hunger – in our thinking.
What really happens? A combination of Micah’s prophecy and Mark’s Gospel sheds some light on the dilemma. Prophetically, Micah hears the Messiah say, “My soul desired the first-ripe fruit” (Mic. 7:1) and, practically, Mark has Jesus seeing the leaves on the fig tree and going over to it to see “if perhaps He would find something on it” (v. 13). On the basis of what Jesus sees in the maturity of the leaves, He has reason to expect the first ripe fruits with which to satisfy His hunger. The fig tree is cursed for the pretense of its leaves, not for its lack of fruit. Hypocrisy is more than being what a person is not; it is also failing to produce what is promised. A wise counselor told a young man, “You have such a gift with words. Do not let your eloquence become a substitute for substance.” Spiritual style can produce “nothing but leaves” (v. 13) if it raises expectations, but fails to produce fruit to feed the hungry.
The prophetic future: Jesus’ other miracles were performed for the benefit of people not destruction, so there has to be significance in this miracle. He has come to Jerusalem as King and will later be rejected by Jerusalem, crucified and put to death. The cursing of the fig tree (which is often used as a symbol for Israel) prophecies the future of the nation (Lu 19:41-44) after their rejection of Him. He declares they have made God’s house a den of thieves instead of the house of prayer for all people. They were making profit of something that was for the benefit of all people and Luke tells us that the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees sought to destroy Him.
Fruit in season:
As Christians, there is no time that we are not to be Christian. We do not lay aside our Christianity to be something other than Christians. This story while dealing primarily with Israel is important to us as Paul points out in 2 Tim 4:2 that we are to be ready always to preach, teach, exhort and witness for the Lord. It means we are to be ready to be God’s witness whether we feel like it or not. Peter tells us the same in 1 Pet 3:15. The question for us is: “Are we fruitless in our Christian walk?