http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1956
The Barren Fig Tree
Upon encountering the story of Jesus cursing the barren fig tree, the
average Bible student is slightly taken aback by the “strangeness” of
the events that occur. Mark’s account records the story as follows:
Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.
And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps
He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but
leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In
response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.”
And His disciples heard it.... Now in the morning, as they passed by,
they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering,
said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered
away” (11:12-14,20-21, emp. added).
One prominent question naturally arises from a straightforward reading
of the text. Why would Jesus curse a fig tree that did not have figs on
it, especially since the text says that “it was not the season for
figs”? In response to this puzzling question, skeptical minds have let
themselves run wild with accusations regarding the passage. Steve Wells,
the author of
The Skeptics’ Annotated Bible, labeled this
story as an absurdity and said in a sarcastic tone: “Jesus kills a fig
tree for not bearing figs, even though it was out of season. He did this
to show the world just how much
God hates figs” (2006,
emp. added). Louis Cable, another skeptic, responded to the story with
this statement: “Now to curse a fig tree for not bearing fruit in March
is not unlike kicking a dog because it can not speak English thereby
punishing it for the inability to do the impossible” (n.d.).
Is it the case that Jesus capriciously, out of anger, cursed the fig
tree for not bearing fruit, even though the tree was incapable of
producing? With a little research, one quickly ascertains that such is
not the case. Not only does an excellent reason exist for the curse upon
the fig tree, but an equally good spiritual application should be
considered as well.
When Jesus approached the fig tree, the text indicates that the tree had plenty of leaves. R.K. Harrison, writing in the
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia,
explains that various kinds of figs grew in Palestine during the first
century. One very important aspect of fig growth has to do with the
relationship between the leaf and the fruit. Harrison notes that the
tiny figs, known to the Arabs as
taksh, “appear simultaneously in the leaf axils” (1982, 2:302) This
taksh
is edible and “is often gathered for sale in the markets” (2:302).
Furthermore, the text notes: “When the young leaves are appearing in
spring, every fertile fig will have some
taksh on it.... But if a tree with leaves has no fruit, it will be barren for the entire season” (2:301-302).
Thus, when Jesus approached the leafy fig tree, He had every reason to
suspect that something edible would be on it. However, after inspecting
the tree, Mark records that “He found nothing but leaves.” No
taksh
were budding as they should have been if the tree was going to produce
edible figs that year. The tree appeared to be fruitful, but it only had
outward signs of bearing fruit (leaves) and in truth offered nothing of
value to weary travelers.
In addition, anyone even slightly familiar with the character of Jesus
knows that He did not spend His time on this Earth eradicating barren
fig trees as an ecological service to Palestinian farmers. What, then,
was the point of such abrupt action against the tree? When one notices
the context of the event, Jesus’ intention seems to become apparent and
two fold. First, in its immediate context, the barren fig tree seems to
apply to the pretentious religion of the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem.
Following Jesus’ curse upon the fig tree, the text says that Jesus went
to Jerusalem and began to drive the money changers out of the temple
(Mark 11:15-19). The activities in the temple that once had been
fruitful and wholesome had become empty of value and useless. Allen
Black commented: “The cursing of the fig tree symbolizes God’s judgment
on Israel for not bearing the fruit he wanted from the temple. It
foreshadows the cleansing of the temple and ultimately the prophecy of
its destruction in chapter 13” (1995, p. 200).
Second, in a general sense, Jesus often insisted that trees which do
not bear good fruit will be cut down (Matthew 7:19; Luke 13:6-9). The
fig tree did not bear fruit, was useless, and deserved to be destroyed:
the spiritual application being that any human who does not bear fruit
for God will also be destroyed for his or her failure to produce.
Jesus did not throw a temper tantrum and curse the fig tree even though
it was incapable of producing fruit. He cursed the tree because it
should have been growing fruit since it had the outward signs of
productivity. Jesus’ calculated timing underscored the spiritual truth
that barren spiritual trees eventually run out of time. As for personal
application, we should all diligently strive to ensure that we are not
the barren fig tree.
REFERENCES
Black, Allen (1995),
The Book of Mark (Joplin, MO: College Press).
Cable, Louis (no date), “Some Famous New Testament Forgeries,” [On-line],
URL: http://www.inu.net/skeptic/ntforge.html.
Wells, Steve (2006),
Skeptic’s Annotated Bible, [On-line],
URL: http://www.Skepticsannotatedbible.com.
Harrison, R.K. (1982), “Fig, Fig Tree,”
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans).
