Reading: Mark 10-11
And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, He (Jesus) was hungry: 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. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And His disciples heard it (Mark 11:12-14). And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto Him, Master, behold, the fig tree which Thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in His heart, but shall believe that those things which He saith shall come to pass; He shall have whatsoever He saith(Mark 11:21-23).
Of all the recordings of Jesus’ miracles, the narrative of the ‘cursed’ fig tree stands out in the minds of many as one of the most confusing. Taken strictly at face value, it paints an odd picture. If the time of figs was not yet, why did Jesus seek the fruit on the tree in the first place, and why did He become angered when He didn’t find any? Lastly, what was the point of cursing the tree? We know that Jesus was holy and righteous, and all of His actions aligned with God's will, but was it really God’s will to seek to destroy a tree just because it wasn’t fig season?
To understand this living parable, we must first remember that Jesus never acted without reason. He sought fruit on the fig tree because the tree had an abundance of leaves. Fig trees bear fruit and leaves simultaneously. Therefore, a leafy fig tree would, at the very least, contain immature fruit. When Jesus found the tree barren, He knew it was ‘corrupt.’ Under the authority of God, Jesus cursed the tree, making it so no one in the future would be misled by the covering of leaves to believe they had found fruit.
In parable form, the leafy fig tree represented the selfindulgent worship of the Pharisees and the Sadducees that had taken over the Temple of God. The ‘leaves’ of pomp and circumstance lead people to believe that God was there, but looking under the surface cover revealed a total absence of spiritual ‘fruit.’ With His curse, Jesus exposed the corruption of the fig tree; with His life, death, and resurrection, He would strip bare, for all the world to see, the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of Israel and all who followed in their stead.
There is one last lesson that Christ had for His disciples as they stood there on that dusty road next to the withered tree. This lesson didn’t utilize riddles or parables, yet it is undoubtedly still one of the hardest lessons they (and we) have ever tried to grasp. Faith in God is ALL that we need, ever, in any situation. True faith makes the impossible, possible. True faith means that we live fully inside God's will and that His wants, wishes, and desires are reflected in our every thought and action – without doubt, without fear, and with unwavering belief. This is the faith that Jesus has come to ignite in our hearts. This is the faith that can lead us home.
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent(John 6:29).
Thought for Today: When prayer becomes an extravagant production, chances are good that it is reaching everyone’s ears but God’s.
Cross Reference: For Mark 10:6: See Gen. 1:27; 5:2. Mark 10:7-8: See Gen. 2:24. Mark 10:19: See Ex. 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20. Mark 11:9: See Ps. 118:26. Mark 11:17: See Is. 56:7; Jer. 7:11.
Word Studies:10:1 by the farther side of = beyond; people resort = multitudes gather; 11:8 strawed = spread, scattered.
Pray for StaffGilbert Palafox • Government Officials: Rep. Michael Quigley (IL), Sen. Martin Heinrich (NM) • Country: Egypt (86,895,099) North Africa • Major Languages: Arabic, English, French • Christians are not permitted to evangelize Muslims • 90% Muslim; 9% Coptic; 1% Other Christian • Prayer Suggestion: Lift up your prayers to God with your whole heart (Ps. 119:58,145).