THE PARABLE OF THE WITHERED FIG TREE

(Mark 11:12-14, 20-25; Matthew 21:18-22)

12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 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. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.”  And his disciples heard him say it.

20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look!  The fig tree you cursed has withered!” 22 “Have faith in God,”[1] Jesus answered. 23 “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt[2] in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” [3]

“NOTHING BUT LEAVES”

This difficult story about the unique destruction of a fig tree has baffled many believers.  As a miracle, it seems out of character.  It seems so unlike Jesus to curse a tree simply because it failed to satisfy his hunger.  Apart from the drowning of the pigs (Mark 5:13), it was Christ’s only use of his power to destroy something in the natural world.   Furthermore, it seems unreasonable for Jesus to look for fruit when “it was not the season for figs”.  Since Mark says it was not time for figs, it appears that Jesus was not looking for them.  When the fig leaves appear in the spring, they are accompanied by small knobs or ‘buds’ called taqsh by the Arabs.  These early figs are a foretaste of the main crop that comes later in summer.  But this tree had “nothing but leaves”.  If the leaves appeared without the knobs, it was an indication that there would be no figs that year.

AN ACTED PARABLE OF JUDGMENT

Note that Mark’s story of the cleansing of the temple was placed between the two parts of the story of the fig-tree.  Each of these incidents was symbolic and prophetic, and each incident reinforced and interpreted the meaning of the other.  Both stories emphasized the importance of bearing fruit and neither the fig tree nor the temple had any fruit.  The fig tree was a symbol of the nation of Israel[4] whose religious leaders were soon to foolishly reject Christ in an act of self-destruction.  In the context of his coming death, he used the fig tree as a vivid illustration and a dramatic warning of the fate of unfruitful Israel. 

The withering of the fig tree was an acted parable that foreshadowed the national judgment that came upon Israel and its temple in AD 70.  The temple in Jerusalem was the heart and centre of Israel’s religious life.  There were “leaves” of religious activity in the magnificent temple but little spiritual fruit.  Israel was spiritually dead.  It had an official religion of legalism and ceremonialism without righteousness.  Israel had a decorative but useless religion that no longer satisfied the nation’s spiritual hunger.  However, the entire nation was not set aside (Romans 11:1, 26). 

GOD LOOKS FOR FRUITFULNESS

Just as he carefully inspected the temple before cleansing it, he inspected the fig tree before cursing it.  He did not act hastily as we sometimes do.  The time of Israel’s judgment had come (Luke 13:6-9).  His action against the temple, paralleled by his cursing of the fig tree, was a dramatized parable of judgment against a spiritually fruitless and hypocritical religion.  The commercialization of the temple had corrupted the nation.  It had failed to be a “house of prayer for all nations”.  Jesus cleansed it of the dishonest traders and profiteering money-changers that had defiled the Court of the Gentiles and made it difficult for the Gentiles to seek God. 

Jesus looks for fruitfulness in the lives of his followers (John 15:1-8).  While we are saved by faith and not by good works, there should be good works that indicate a transformed life (Matthew 25:31-46).  Has my life only the leaves of religious profession without the useful fruits of righteousness?  Love in action demonstrates the love of God in Christ to a suffering world and is evidence of true discipleship.  Remember the risen Lord’s powerful message to the self-satisfied church in Laodicea that said of itself, “I am rich and do not need a thing”.  Yet its fruitless and faithless religiosity made Christ feel sick (Revelation 3:14-22).  Life without fruit is worthless and results in spiritual disaster (Luke 6:46).

THE POWER OF FAITH IN GOD

Jesus emphasized the unlimited power of God available to faith: “Have faith in God,” or better, “Be constantly having faith in God” (Wuest) i.e. live in an attitude of dependence on God.  Faith as defined in the bible is not a question of forcing oneself to “believe” what one does not actually believe.  What is important is not faith in faith, or faith in prayer, or faith in feelings, but faith in God.  Genuine trust in God is based on God’s Word (John 15:7; Romans 10:17).  It is the quality of faith that is important.  “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed,” Jesus taught, “you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).  “Removing mountains” was a well-known idiom or figure of speech for a difficult or impossible task.  Jesus set no limit to the possibilities of prayer: “With God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27).  We see faith at its best in the life of Jesus, especially his obedience to his Father’s will (John 4:34).

THE POWER OF BELIEVING PRAYER

Peter’s surprise that the fig tree withered so quickly should challenge our own expectations about how God works.  Jesus told Peter that the tree was an illustration or object lesson that the prayer of faith to a great God makes for great possibilities.  It is not a matter of praying hard enough and believing God is obliged to answer, no matter what we ask.  We do not have a blank cheque to pray for anything we like.  Prayer is not a means of persuading God what we want him to do, but a means of finding out what God wants us to do, whether it is sweet or bitter.  It has been said that the purpose of prayer is not to get man’s will done in heaven but to get God’s will done on earth.  This type of prayer is totally different from “naming and claiming” or seeking God for personal advantage and self-indulgence (James 4:3).

“The prayer of a righteous man”, James said, “is powerful and effective” (5:6).  Prayer can achieve the seemingly impossible, if it is God’s will, and we do not “doubt” (James 1:6).  We can only move the mountains that God wants removed, not those that we want moved.  We need to understand God’s purposes in a given situation and submit to them.  Jesus earnestly prayed, “Not as I will but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).  While we may confidently ask “anything”, John qualifies this with “according to his will”.  When prayer is made in this way, we have “confidence” that God “hears us” and grants our requests (1 John 5:14-15).  To “believe that you have received”, means to understand and obey the will of God.  We need to develop a prayer life based on the assurance that prayer will be answered in God’s way and in his time, as he sees best. 

THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS

Prayer requires a right relationship with others.  Jesus established a clear link between answered prayer and forgiveness.  While it is difficult for us to set aside hurt and anger, and genuinely forgive, forgiveness is liberating and powerful.  In this parable Jesus said, “When you stand praying, forgive”.  If we have experienced God’s forgiveness then we must be forgiving of others.  An unforgiving spirit shows that we do not understand the grace of God that he freely offers us and that we expect God to accept us on our own merits.  Resentment and anger towards others will spoil our relationship with God.  Unforgiveness is a bitterness that poisons our souls.  We cannot move a mountain when we are hindered by a mole-hill of unforgiveness (Matthew 6:14-15; 18:15-35). 

FOR REFLECTION

• Prayer is not like Aladdin’s lamp with God as the agreeable genie.  Prayer that prevails requires two conditions: faith in God and the forgiveness of others.  Does this explain unanswered prayer?
• Jesus encouraged his disciples to pray believing that God can do the seemingly impossible.  What mountain exists in your life?  Let us pray for a faith that will move spiritual mountains!
• What fruit can be seen in our churches?  What of my practice compared with my profession?  Let us seek to “bear fruit in every good work” (Colossians 1:10; cf. John 15:1-8).
• If we embrace unforgiveness we victimize ourselves and others.  Yet the power of forgiveness is immeasurable.  It can release the wrongdoer from guilt and change that person’s life.
• Despite all that the disciples had seen Jesus do, they were surprised at the withering of the tree.  Do we limit God by not expecting him to act in our day?
• If Jesus judged the Jewish earthly temple, how will he act towards the new temple that is his “body”, the Christian Church? (Luke 12:48; 1 Peter 4:17-18)
• The fig tree “withered up from the roots”.  Whenever a church or an individual dries up, it is normally from the roots.  Let us cultivate our spiritual roots.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, teach us how to forgive that the Holy Spirit to make us fruitful followers of the Master.  We thank you that our prayers will be answered for our good and your glory.  Amen.

Jim Peacock M. A. (Hons), Diploma of Education.