Matthew 22-21:18 NIVUK
[18] Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. [19] Seeing a fig-tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, ‘May you never bear fruit again!’ Immediately the tree withered. [20] When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. ‘How did the fig-tree wither so quickly?’ they asked. [21] Jesus replied, ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig-tree, but also you can say to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and it will be done. [22] If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.’
There is no doubt about it: seeing withered trees or crops or plants feels distinctly tragic.
I have seen it on a few occasions.
While travelling along the road from Constanța to Tulcea, I saw numerous withered sunflowers. Knowing the effect this would have on poor subsistence farmers, that was very hard to see.
I also saw it recently in Tunisia. We were travelling north from our hotel to Tunis, the capital, when we passed numerous olive groves. Tunisia had just had its first rainfall in four years, so most of them were leafy and verdant. However, for whatever reason, not all the trees had a supply of life-giving water: some of the ground was cracked and hard; the trees that were planted in it were withered and dead.
It is a painful thing to see.
And then we come to this text. I make no excuses here: for those who do not have a Middle Eastern mindset, this is a passage we think is odd and skip over quickly to something more meaningful.
However, that is a huge mistake.
These verses have something to say to us all. And it is not at all easy. Or comfortable.
But all the same, we must hear it.
To properly understand this text, we must first understand the deeply symbolic importance of the fig tree in the Jewish mindset.
Of course, its first mention is right after the fall: Adam and Eve use fig leaves to sew clothes together that will cover their shame, now that sin has invaded the world and stolen their dignity (Genesis 3:7).
Right away, we see the association between fig leaves and covering over sin and failure. This is something we will pick up on later.
Fig trees are also seen as symbolic of God’s blessing and provision in the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 8:6-9). This promise was ultimately fulfilled under King Solomon (1 Kings 4:25). It was then brutally manipulated as a promise of how the king of Babylon would provide for those who betrayed their kingdom and left voluntarily for exile (2 Kings 18:31-32; Isaiah 36:16-17). The prophet Micah then used the same picture as an image of the blessings that would come with the Messiah (Micah 4:1-5).
So what we see is a beautiful picture of Divine provision and prosperity. However, it is not unconditional. This blessing is given only as a reward for obedience.
The fig tree is also something of an ancient prophetic bellwether, being a picture of the people’s obedience: when it is fruitful, the people are faithful to their God (Hosea 9:10; Joel 2:22); when it is fruitless, they are not (Joel 1:7, 12; Haggai 2:19).
There is also the staggering faithfulness of Habakkuk, in that if this blessing and prosperity from God is withdrawn, which it was in his time, then he commited himself to still be faithful to the God who, in the words of a wonderful modern song, ‘gives and takes away’ (Habakkuk 3:17-18).
So what does the symbol of the fig tree mean in this case?
I believe there is one interpretation that fits the Old Testament pictures of the fig tree and these startling teachings from Jesus:
Matthew 20-7:15 NIVUK
[15] ‘Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. [16] By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles? [17] Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them.
Luke 9-13:6 NIVUK
[6] Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig-tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. [7] So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, “For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig-tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?” [8] ‘ “Sir,” the man replied, “leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig round it and fertilise it. [9] If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.” ’
The fig tree is a picture of God’s plentiful provision for His people, and His perfectly legitimate expectation for something in return: fruit.
What fruit in particular?
Paul told the Galatians:
Galatians 23-5:22 NIVUK
[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. https://bible.com/bible/113/gal.5.22.NIVUK
So right away, we see the fig tree not just as a symbol of provision, but also expectation and accountability. After all, why would a fruit farmer plant a fig tree? For the view at sunset?
No! For its fruit!
That is what we see in this event.
However, things really do take a quite surprising turn. Get ready for the shocking twist in the tale.
So these verses begin with The Expectation of Fruit:
Matthew 19-21:18 NIVUK
[18] Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. [19] Seeing a fig-tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, ‘May you never bear fruit again!’ Immediately the tree withered. https://bible.com/bible/113/mat.21.18.NIVUK
Jesus sees a fig tree. Jesus expects there to be figs.
Sounds reasonable, right?
But look at this little piece of information from Mark:
Mark 13-11:12 NIVUK
[12] The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. [13] Seeing in the distance a fig-tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. https://bible.com/bible/113/mrk.11.13.NIVUK
It was not the season for figs.
So was Jesus reasonable in expecting there to be fruit?
Most of us would say, ‘No, He was not.’
But ask yourself this question: when was Jesus ever anything but reasonable? When was He anything but just, or anything but fair?
So why did He expect fruit out of season?
That all seems odd.
Until you realise that He was sending a message to His disciples, and anyone else watching at this early hour.
We saw earlier on how the fig tree is a symbol of God’s provision for His people, in particular the Jews. It also came to be a potent symbol of the Jews themselves. Elsewhere, while using a different metaphor, Jesus was abundantly clear that God expected them to produce fruit for Him. See in particular the Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19 - a vineyard is a well-known picture of the Jewish people, as we can see in Isaiah 5:1-7). Also see the Parable of the Talents, for a different metaphor (Matthew 25:14-30). And, of course, the Parable of the Fig Tree earlier (Luke 13:6-9).
Let there be no doubt: God is looking for a return on His investment in us. That return is not in cash, but in fruit. John the Baptist was clear on this, even before Jesus began His ministry:
Luke 8-3:7 NIVUK
[7] John said to the crowds coming out to be baptised by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? [8] Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. https://bible.com/bible/113/luk.3.7.NIVUK
But the idea of fruit being ripe out of season? What could that mean?
Consider for a minute the situation the Jews were in at the time. They were dominated in every way by the pagan Roman army. They were taxed heavily by them. They were bullied and harassed by them. And, to make matters worse, their leaders were cosying up to them.
Rebellions had been quelled – and brutally. Arrests were common place.
This was not at all a good time to be an ordinary Jew.
Yet the point of these verses is that God is looking for fruit even then. He is looking for our lives to show the difference He has made in them even then. There are no excuses for our circumstances or our resources or our upbringing. Jesus expects fruit in all seasons.
And that brings us on to the reaction that follows. From the expectation of fruit, we move on to The Disappointment of No Fruit:
Matthew 19-21:18 NIVUK
[18] Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. [19] Seeing a fig-tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, ‘May you never bear fruit again!’ Immediately the tree withered. https://bible.com/bible/113/mat.21.18.NIVUK
Jesus’ expectations are dashed because this fig tree is all leaf and no fruit.
This is something that is biologically possible. Some fig trees can take between two and six years to grow fruit.
The interesting thing, though, is that if a fig tree will eventually bear fruit, then small so-called fruitlets will appear on the end of the branches. These show that fig tree will one day bear fruit, just not now. However, when Jesus inspects the fig tree, the Bible is clear: He found nothing, not even the potential for future fruit.
Moreover, this particular fig tree should bear fruit if there were leaves. So the tree is in bloom out of season, but has not fulfilled its purpose: it has not produced what it was meant to do and is currently deceiving those who pass it by with the promise of something it has not delivered.
Never has there ever been a clearer picture of hypocrisy and false religion.
That emptiness. That feeling that things should have been better. That loss of expectations confounded.
That horror of feeling like everything is such a waste.
That is why Jesus cursed the fig tree.
But maybe you’re still wondering why Jesus cursed a tree that technically should not even be producing fruit as it wasn’t in season. These verses explain why:
John 15:1-6 NIVUK
[1] ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. [2] He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. [3] You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. [4] Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. [5] ‘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. [6] If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. https://bible.com/bible/113/jhn.15.1.NIVUK
These verses talk of the effort that God, the Divine Gardener, puts in to ensure that we, His people, bear fruit. It talks (certainly in the original Greek) of Him moving our branches to get more sunlight, pruning back dead wood, making sure nutrients are available to us.
So yes, it is perfectly reasonable for Him to expect us to bear fruit.
The fruit that He is seeking requires neither the right conditions, nor the right environment, nor the resources to grow.
He even promises to work with us to grow that fruit (Philippians 2:12-13).
God is doing everything He can for us to be fruitful.
If we are not, then we are responsible, not God.
So when He doesn’t find fruit, He has every right to be disappointed.
And this is not a one-off instance. This is a warning that echoes through some of Jesus’ most pointed parables:
John 5-15:1 NIVUK
[1] ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. [2] He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. [3] You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. [4] Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. [5] ‘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. https://bible.com/bible/113/jhn.15.5.NIVUK
Matthew 43-21:40 NIVUK
[40] ‘Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ [41] ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,’ they replied, ‘and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.’ [42] Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘ “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes” ? [43] ‘Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
Matthew 30-25:24 NIVUK
[24] ‘Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. [25] So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.” [26] ‘His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? [27] Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. [28] ‘ “So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. [29] For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. [30] And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Luke 9-13:6 NIVUK
[6] Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig-tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. [7] So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, “For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig-tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?” [8] ‘ “Sir,” the man replied, “leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig round it and fertilise it. [9] If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.” ’
We must understand, for our own good, that our purpose here is not to grow rich, or to live fast, die young and have a great looking corpse, or even to make a name for ourselves. All of these things lead us to completely waste our lives. They are meaningless. They are empty. They are worthless.
Our purpose is to bear fruit. Nothing more. Nothing less. Jesus Christ has invested so much in us so that we might bear fruit.
And so that is what we must do, above all else.
But how can we do that?
Well, that’s why we will move on from the expectation of fruit and the disappointment of no fruit, to the last section: The Faith That Produces Fruit.
Matthew 22-21:20 NIVUK
[20] When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. ‘How did the fig-tree wither so quickly?’ they asked. [21] Jesus replied, ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig-tree, but also you can say to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and it will be done. [22] If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.’
You see, there is something strange about this passage. In fact, it’s so strange that in the Mark’s version of this teaching, the passage is split in two parts: the cursing of the fig tree (Mark 11:12-14), and then later the disciples marvelling at it being withered (Mark 11:20-26).
So are these verses connected?
Well, yes they are, by the fig tree, of course.
But I believe that Jesus is subtly hinting at something else.
You see, this event took place around the same time as the clearing of the Temple, when Jesus stormed into the Courtyard of the Gentiles and iberated it from the clutches of those who used it for an illegitimate money-making venture. He criticised them for turning the house of prayer into a den of thieves – exactly the kind of crime that would bring Jerusalem to its knees.
But then, oddly, He uses the withering of the fig tree as an example of faith: of the kind of thing that will be possible for the disciples if they truly believe.
And during this teaching, He tells them that they will receive answers to their prayers if they believe.
Or, as He said elsewhere to them:
Matthew 17:20 NIVUK
[20] Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.’ https://bible.com/bible/113/mat.17.20.NIVUK
Nothing will be impossible.
Including producing fruit out of season.
You see, producing fruit in any season depends not just on our efforts, but our faith in the God who promises to work with us. It is telling that the fruit we produce is not the fruit of our own hard work but the fruit ‘of the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:22-23). We cannot – simply cannot – produce this fruit out of season on our own. We need the Holy Spirit to do so.
And that is why producing this fruit out of season, in desperately trying times, when everything seems to be against us, is what makes the difference. When people see it, they know full well that it is supernatural. They see something different in us.
They see God.
So the question is: when we suffer, what do people see in us?
The streetlights in our street were off for several weeks. From the chatter on social media, I gathered that they were caught in an argument between the local council and the electricity company over who was responsible. They were, eventually, fixed.
Now, if those lights were on during the day time, we would complain. It would be a waste of precious resources. It would be needless. Streetlights are for the night time, not the day.
Then we see these verses:
Matthew 16-5:14 NIVUK
[14] ‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. https://bible.com/bible/113/mat.5.14.NIVUK
Light needs darkness to shine. If there is no darkness, we do not see the light. Therefore, it stands to reason that if we are to shine for Jesus, it has to be in a dark place.
Then we come to these troubling verses: Jesus cursing a fig tree that did not produce fruit out of season. It shocks us at first. It jars us. But there is nothing remarkable about a fruit tree producing fruit in season. Every fruit tree does that. It’s what they are there for.
But one producing fruit out of season? That would really be something. That would be supernatural: a miracle.
And that is who God wants His people to be. God wants our good deeds to shine, to cause others to praise their Father in Heaven because they are miraculous; they are supernatural; they cannot be explained any other way than by God’s mighty hand at work in our lives.
He gives us all resources for it. He provides us with all we need. He prepares us for it.
The question is: do we? Are we any different? Do we show the difference God has made in us when the chips are down?
Or are we just like everyone else?
There are two really telling elements to this event.
Firstly, as Mark is very clear about, it happened in close proximity to the Clearing of the Temple. Maybe others might excuse the ‘ducking and diving’ that was going on there by saying that times were tough, and that they had to make a living somehow.
Jesus strongly disagreed. The Clearing of the Temple was as clear a statement as any that, even under pagan occupation and crippling taxation, they should live with honesty and integrity: there was simply no excuse for what they were doing. It was unacceptable.
Secondly, it’s also really telling what happened to Jerusalem only a few decades after Jesus was taken to Heaven: it was sacked by the Romans and the very Temple He had cleared was destroyed. The ‘fig tree’ of Jewish nationhood, and, to a degree, identity, withered.
They had not produced fruit in keeping with repentance. They paid the price for it.
Maybe you think this is a harsh warning. But think about it like this: do you have anyone in your house with a food allergy or intolerance? They are becoming more prevalent these days. If you do, then you will be used to reading food packaging to spot if the food has an allergen in it that could potentially affect your loved one. They are generally in bold, and act as a warning of the consequences they could have. So you listen to that warning, don’t you?
You pay heed.
Here is a much bigger warning. Jesus is looking for fruit from us, in all seasons of life. The fruit is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. He is perfectly within His rights to seek it, as He has given us everything we need to produce it.
The question is: what will He find in you?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, forgive me for all the times I have let You down when life was hard and haven’t shown the fruit of Your Spirit. Help me to repent and to seek Your help so that people see more of You in me. Amen.
Questions
1. What does the fig tree represent?
2. Was Jesus fair to expect fruit out of season? Why? Is it fair that He expects the same from us?
3. How will you make sure that you show the fruit of the Spirit, especially when times are tough?
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