He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it. … The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!” [Mark 11:13-14, 20-21 (NLT)]
Mark tells of a time when a hungry Jesus cursed a fig tree and caused it to wither and die simply because it had no figs. As the only destructive miracle done by the Lord, His action is difficult to understand, especially since we’re told “it was too early in the season for fruit.” The same power that brought Lazarus back to life and turned water into wine easily could have given the tree ripe figs, so why did Jesus kill the fruitless tree?
Jesus never acted haphazardly and what seems at first to be a pointless act of power becomes a living parable when we put it in context. Taking place during Jesus’ last week of earthly life, Jesus and the disciples were walking from Bethany up to Jerusalem. After cursing the tree (11:13-14), Jesus went into Jerusalem and cleansed the temple of money-changers and merchants (11:15-17). That evening, while the chief priests and scribes plotted Jesus’ death, He and the disciples returned to Bethany (11:18-19). It is the next morning that the withered tree is discovered (11:20-21). The timing of these events was no accident.
Not living in 1st century Judea, we find our figs at the grocery and know nothing about their cultivation. Because both wild and cultivated fig trees were plentiful in Palestine, Jesus and the disciples knew that a fig tree produces edible small fig knobs before its leaves ever appear. Called taqsh, these knobs are the precursors of figs and often were eaten by travelers and the poor. Even though it wasn’t the season for mature fruit, any fig tree “in full leaf” would have displayed a crop of taqsh. The absence of taqsh meant the tree never would never produce fruit. Jesus wouldn’t have cursed an immature tree or one without leaves and He didn’t curse the tree simply because it had no figs. He cursed that leaf-filled tree because it was guilty of false advertising! While its leaves promised knob-like figlets (taqsh) there were none.
Both the cleansing of the temple and the cursing of the unfruitful fig tree have to do with judgment. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, the fig tree is symbolic of Israel and the tree’s condition often represented the people’s spiritual fruitfulness, peace, prosperity, and well-being. The fig tree died in judgment but flourished when Israel was righteous and holy.
With its rituals and sacrifices, Israel looked fruitful but, like the fig tree, it lacked fruit—the fruit of righteousness that God demanded. His house of prayer and worship had been turned into a marketplace filled with thieves while Israel’s empty worship was a fruitless sham. With their sacrifices, tzitzit and tefillin, public prayers, adherence to the oral Law, and concern about spiritual cleanliness, they had the trappings of religion but, like the leafy fig, they were all show without substance. Both Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree and His cleansing of the Temple signify God’s impending judgment for religious hypocrisy. Moreover, the dead tree even points to the Temple’s destruction in 70 AD (predicted by Jesus in Matthew 23:38 and 24:2).
The message found in the destruction of this fig tree is not limited to the 1st century Israel; it is meant for us all. The cursing of that tree tells us that God expects His people to bear fruit. It is a warning that fruitlessness leads to judgment. Like that fruitless tree, could we be more show than substance—all leaves but no fruit?
Do these verses mean I can’t wear my pearl earrings, diamond wedding ring, or gold cross to church? Do I have to say “farewell” to Nordstrom’s and start shopping solely at outlets and discount stores? Although my hair is short, it’s hard to believe my grand’s lovely French braids are inappropriate at church or anywhere else. What did Paul and Peter mean with their admonitions about women’s attire and modesty?
Jeopardy introduced me to the word “performative” but, in an article about how scandals are hurting organized religion, the New York Times introduced me to another new word, “orthopraxy.” While “orthodoxy” means correct belief, doctrine, or teaching, “orthopraxy” has to do with correct practice, behavior, or action. Orthodoxy says, “Hear my words!” but orthopraxy says, “Watch my behavior!” With the flood of scandals throughout the Christian church, it’s easy to point our fingers at the disgraced Christian celebrities, megachurch pastors, and Roman Catholic priests whose orthodoxy didn’t match their orthopraxy—people who espoused devotion to God and adherence to His word while disregarding it in their own lives. Let’s remember, however, that whenever we point a finger at someone, three other fingers point at us! Although the Times article was about the disconnect between orthodoxy and orthopraxy in the church at large, there’s often a disconnect between the two in our personal lives, as well.
Described as a “preaching genius…like no other preacher you have ever heard,” the late Rev. Fred Craddock was well-known for including stories in his sermons. He told one that took place during the early 60s in a diner in the deep South. Although the white Craddock sat in a booth and was served with courtesy and consideration, he silently watched the diner’s manager treat a Black man at the counter with rudeness, disdain, and open contempt. Although offended by the man’s racist behavior, Craddock remained silent. It was when he walked out of the diner after finishing his meal that the preacher heard a rooster crow. A signal of his betrayal, the crowing told the preacher that, by ignoring one of the “least of these”, he’d ignored Jesus! His silence was as much a betrayal of the Lord as were Peter’s denials!
Having previously warned people that not everyone who claimed to follow Him would enter the Kingdom, Jesus told the Parable of the Sheep and Goats in which He likened the last judgment to a king separating the sheep from the goats at the end of the day. Placing the sheep to His right and the goats to His left, the King invites the sheep into the Kingdom. The reasoning behind His selection is disarmingly simple: “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.” [Matthew 25:35-36] Having failed to do those things, the goats are sent into eternal punishment.
My son has a beautiful pomegranate tree in his yard but, when he first purchased the property, he didn’t know what it was. Although showy red flowers eventually appeared, it wasn’t until the flowers developed into deep-red globe-shaped fruit that he knew it was a pomegranate. The tree was recognized by its fruit and it is by our fruit that Christ’s followers are recognized.
Devotions of the Heart 