The Withered Fig Tree

Christ while on his way from Bethany to the Temple approached a fig tree to partake of it’s fruit. Unfortunately it was not the time of year for the tree to bear it’s fruit. We are told that Christ cursed the tree and it withered and died. I find this act of vandalism to be out of keeping with Christ’s teaching.

Q. Christ while on his way from Bethany to the Temple approached a fig tree to partake of it’s fruit. Unfortunately it was not the time of year for the tree to bear it’s fruit. We are told that Christ cursed the tree and it withered and died. I find this act of vandalism to be out of keeping with Christ’s teaching. Was there a justifiable reason for such an act, please, it troubles me.

A. This has been called the Lord’s only negative miracle and it confuses many, but when you think of the fig tee as a model of Israel it makes perfect sense.

Using Mark’s account of this event helps because it’s one of the few places where he actually provides more detail than Matthew. It can be found in Mark 11:12-14 & 20-21. The fig tree was in leaf so it appeared to be alive, but had no fruit. (It wasn’t in season yet.) Israel appeared to be alive as well, and just like the tree the nation was bearing no fruit for God. In Israel’s case it should have been the season because the Messiah was in their midst, but they weren’t ready for Him.

Jesus cursed the tree and said it would never bear fruit again. In Matt. 21:43, Jesus said that the Kingdom would be taken away from Israel and given to a people who would produce its fruit. He was talking about the Church and from that day to this Israel has produced no fruit for God, but the Church has produced much.

In Mark 11:20 the disciples remarked that the tree was withered from the root. This is backwards. Normally evidence of a withering tree begins with the leaves and works its way down to the root. This was to demonstrate that Israel was dead at its roots, meaning that their religious leaders were the cause of their disease.