"The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went out to find 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.' And His disciples heard Him say it." (Mark 11:12-14) We have to understand from the very beginning that this fig tree is a metaphor for a fruitless life. It also stands for the hypocrisy of looking righteous on the outside while being empty on the inside. The tale of the fig tree is a solemn harbinger of bad tidings for Jesus' own nation, which He has cultivated for three years, but which has not borne fruit. And it's a warning to anyone who has heard the truth of the gospel but who has rejected it and has not allowed it to bear fruit in their lives.
Figs begin to sprout before the leaves, so naturally a fig tree in full leaf would be expected to have ripe fruit on it, even though it's a little too early in the season. A fig tree normally produces one early crop and then one or two later crops, and it is this early crop Jesus is looking for. But when He inspects the tree He finds it has advertised itself falsely. Its barrenness symbolizes its failure to be what God intended it to be. Something is wrong with it. Some essential process that should have taken place has not taken place. It has managed to miss its purpose in life, and because it has had every opportunity to fulfill its destiny, Jesus curses it for not doing what it was meant to do.
Those who believe Jesus will not judge the world are clinging to the idea of a "gentle Jesus, meek and mild". They are ignoring all the Scriptural references to a day of wrath. They are ignoring the fact that at His second advent He is portrayed as a conquering king who will destroy His enemies and establish absolute authority over all nations. Jesus can and will judge the world by the word of God, just as thoroughly as He judges the fruitless fig tree in today's passage.
Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem when He speaks words of doom to the fig tree. At Jerusalem He finds the outer court of the temple filled with the evidence of man's greed and hypocrisy. The religious leaders of His day are putting on a false front of righteousness while being empty of godliness on the inside. Their outward appearance indicates they should be bearing fruit, but they are barren. Because they are barren, they deceive the citizens. They have left the citizens as sheep without a shepherd. Their job is to lead the populace according to the word of God, but instead they are taking advantage of their own countrymen. They are hurting them instead of helping them. They are just like the fig tree that is all leaves but no fruit.
After throwing out the money changers and the sellers of doves, Jesus taught the people, at which time the religious leaders decided their murderous plans for Him must be put into action immediately. They can see how the people hang on Jesus' every word. The people are drawn to Jesus because finally a Shepherd is feeding them! Finally a Shepherd is leading them to the still waters where they can thirstily drink in the righteous words of a holy God. Jesus' enemies see Him as a threat to their authority and to their way of life. He is turning everything right side up that has been upside down for a very long time, and they don't like it. They want things to go on as they've been going on. Moreover, they fear an uprising against Rome. The people are drawn to Jesus by the thousands, so much so that the religious leaders think the populace will declare Jesus the king of Israel, incurring the wrath of the Roman government which has the power to come in and take away their temple and the freedoms they currently enjoy. Jesus has never spoken against the Roman government or tried to incite a rebellion or portrayed Himself as a political threat to Caesar, but the religious leaders aren't going to let that keep them from presenting Him to the authorities as one who intends to gather an army and lead a rebellion.
After cleansing the temple, Mark tells us, "When evening came, Jesus and His disciples went out of the city. In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, 'Rabbi, look! The fig tree You cursed has withered!'" (Mark 11:19-21) Most scholars interpret the tale of the fig tree in regard to the nation of Israel. For three years Jesus has been cultivating the nation, but it has not borne fruit. The religious establishment looks alright on the outside (it is leafed out) but Jesus found no fruit on it. Because He is about to be rejected by the Pharisees, scribes, priests, and teachers of the law, judgment is coming on the nation. Within forty years a rebellion against Rome actually will arise, and Rome will stomp down on it with all her might. Jerusalem will fall. The temple will be destroyed. More than a million people will be slaughtered, with tens of thousands more taken to the Roman arenas for sport or sold into slavery. Because Jesus did not find the early fruit He was looking for in Israel, scholars feel that the tale of the fig tree is an ominous sign of things to come.
I would say that in our times the tale of the fig tree, in a larger sense, applies to every person of every nation. If we have been given the opportunity to bear fruit (we have heard the gospel) but are barren (the gospel has had no effect on us), judgment is certain. If we are hypocrites who say and do all the right things and are "leafed out" on the outside, but are empty of godliness on the inside, wrath will fall on us. When we put on a form of godliness but are barren on the inside we hurt not only ourselves but those around us. We become blind leaders of the blind. We become a bad influence on those who believe we are the real thing. Jesus had much to say against the hypocrites of His day, and a great deal of His criticism had to do with the way the hypocrites were harming those around them. It's bad enough for a person to destroy himself by rejecting the truth of God's word; it's an especially grievous sin when a person drags others down with him.
If we are the true fig trees of Christ's garden, we should be bearing fruit. We should be walking the walk as well as talking the talk. We should be filled with love for God and for our fellow man. If we inspect ourselves and don't find any of this fruit, we need to reevaluate whether we are truly His. If we are bearing no fruit, we must take stock of the condition of our souls, for only in Christ can we bear anything worthwhile. In the words of Christ Himself: "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." (John 15:5)
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