March 20/21 – Mark 11:12-33
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.” ~ Mark 11:13-14 (NIV)

When Jesus cursed the fig tree, He wasn’t being unreasonable. An Israelite of Jesus’ time would recognize the fig tree as a symbol of Israel’s prosperity, which was linked to Israel’s fellowship with and obedience to God. (Fig trees can grow and produce fruit without human help, so they make an excellent symbol for God’s blessing on Israel.) God promised blessings when Israel was faithful (see Deuteronomy 28), and several Old Testament passages use the expression “everyone lived under their own vine and under their own fig tree” to show that the nation was peaceful and prosperous under God’s covenant blessings (1 Kings 4:25; 2 Kings 18:31; Micah 4:4). But when Israel chased after idols, God’s discipline included the destruction of their vines and fig trees (Jeremiah 8:13; Hosea 2:12). So, the barren fig tree that Jesus encounters is the perfect symbol for disobedient Israel who has rejected her Messiah and can, therefore, bear no fruit (see John 15:5-6). Therefore, Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree is a living parable.
The day before Jesus cursed the fig tree, He had been welcomed into Jerusalem with shouts of “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mark 11:9), but He knew the crowds would turn on Him. There was the appearance of fruit but no fruit. Directly after He cursed the fig tree, He went into Jerusalem and drove the merchants and the moneychangers out of the Temple because they had created a racket bilking large profits out of foreign worshippers. So, even in the Temple, there was the appearance of fruit, but no fruit—green leaves with nothing beneath them, just like the fig tree. But how could Jesus expect a tree to bear fruit out of season?
The common fig actually bears two crops each year. The main crop ripens on the tree’s new growth in the fall, but the first crop (called the breba crop) ripens in the spring on the previous year’s growth. Fruit from this smaller first crop was what Jesus expected to find, and because the leaves were out, it should have been there—just as the people of Jerusalem should have accepted Jesus as Messiah, not just put on the show of the triumphal entry with no genuine faith. Israel should have produced the breba crop—the first fruit to come from the Messiah’s mission on earth. They were God’s chosen people, the nation the Messiah would be born into and from which He would cultivate the main crop—the rest of the world. Yet when Jesus came, most of Israel rejected Him. They had no faith in Him, so they bore no fruit.
There is no fruit without faith. In John 15:5 (NIV), Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” We must have faith in Jesus and “remain in Him” (follow Him in relationship) in order to bear fruit. Most people in Israel had no such faith; their religion was all show. But if we have faith and we pray, fruit appears. Jesus used the withered fig tree the next day to teach His disciples the importance of having faith and praying with that faith (vv. 22-25). They believed, and the world has been changed as a result. They bore much fruit.
So, when Jesus cursed the fig tree, He wasn’t angry because He was looking forward to breakfast and none was there; this was an illustration. Israel hadn’t borne fruit and would not, though they were good at keeping up appearances. This is why Jesus cursed the fig tree and why He dismissed the religious leaders when they questioned Him about His authority (vv. 27-33). With one counterquestion about John the Baptist, Jesus exposed just how barren they were—they cared more about how they were perceived by others than they did about telling the truth or discovering it. Again, the appearance of fruit, but no fruit. As believers, may we be different.
As you go to your Savior today, ask Him to reveal any areas of your life where you are merely “keeping up appearances.” Turn those areas over to Him. He will help you live with authentic faith that bears much fruit.
Melissa, Thank you for bringing clarity to the fig tree. Holy Spirit, guide and direct me to be a fruit producer. I don't just want to just have the appearance of being a Christian, I want to produce Godly fruit. I so want to hear you say, "Well done good and faithful servant."