Cursing of the Fig Tree: Edit history

Biblical Text

The account appears in Mark 11:12-14, 20-25 and Matthew 21:18-22. According to Mark, on the day after the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus was coming out from Bethany and, being hungry, went to a fig tree in full leaf, but found nothing on it except leaves. Mark adds, "for the time of figs was not yet" (Mark 11:13). Jesus said, "No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever" (Mark 11:14). The cleansing of the Temple follows, and the next morning the disciples see that the tree has dried up from the roots. When Peter remarks on this, Jesus teaches about faith, prayer, and forgiveness (Mark 11:22-25).

Matthew places the event on the morning after the cleansing of the Temple and states that the tree withered "presently" (Matthew 21:19), that is, immediately. The event does not appear in Luke or John, although Luke 13:6-9 contains the parable of the barren fig tree.

Background

The fig tree is a common fruit tree in Palestine. In the Old Testament, the image of each person sitting "under his fig tree" represents peace and plenty (Micah 4:4). Fig trees put out leaves in spring, and the main harvest comes in late summer. Because this event took place around Passover, it was not the season for figs. Some explain that early fruit forms around the time the leaves appear, so that a tree in full leaf could reasonably be expected to bear something, but scholars are divided on this point.

Significance in the Context of Scripture

The Old Testament prophets likened Israel to a fig tree or its fruit when proclaiming God's judgment (Jeremiah 8:13; Hosea 9:10; Micah 7:1). Many commentators regard this event as a prophetic symbolic act, that is, a message conveyed through action rather than words. They pay particular attention to the structure of Mark, which places the account of the Temple cleansing between the two parts of the fig tree narrative. On the basis of this structure, they read the event as signifying judgment on the Temple-centered religion of the time, which had the outward appearance of piety but bore no fruit. Whereas most of the miracles in the Gospels involve healing and restoration, this event is unusual in that it ends in withering.

Interpretations and Debates

• Scope of the judgment: Many interpreters understand this judgment as directed at the Temple system and its leadership at the time. Some interpretations extend it to a permanent rejection of the entire nation of Israel, but others reject this view on the basis of passages such as Romans 11:17-24.
• Faith and prayer: Matthew places emphasis on the disciples' astonishment and on the teaching on faith. Pentecostal and charismatic churches frequently cite this passage as a basis for teaching the prayer of faith. Some, including the Word of Faith movement, use the passage to support the claim that spoken declarations carry power. Critics contend that this reading takes the passage out of context, and the debate is closely tied to the controversy over prosperity theology.
• Ethical questions: Some have asked why Jesus cursed the tree when it was not even the season for figs. Bertrand Russell cited the incident as an example in his critique of Christianity. Commentators respond that the event was not an expression of personal feeling but a symbolic act.
• Distinction from other passages: The parable of the fig tree in Matthew 24:32, which teaches readers to discern the times by watching the tree put forth leaves, is a separate passage. Some dispensationalist interpreters connect that parable with the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, but that passage is distinct from this event.

In the Korean Church

In Korean Protestant churches, this event frequently serves as a sermon text warning against "a faith that is full of leaves but bears no fruit." Following Mark's chronology, it is sometimes meditated on as an event of the Monday of Holy Week, and it is also treated as one of the day-by-day texts during the special early-morning prayer meetings (teukbyeol saebyeok gidohoe) held in Holy Week (special early-morning prayer meetings). The passage that follows, Mark 11:22-25, is widely cited in sermons emphasizing prayer offered in faith and forgiveness.