What Am I Missing – Lesson 6 – Why Does Jesus Curse a Fig Tree?

Introduction: What Are We Missing?

Throughout our Sunday School series, What Am I Missing?, we have been learning how to read the Bible more carefully. Biblical writers often communicate through details we might overlook, words they repeat, and the way they arrange events. These choices help us understand what they want readers to notice.

In Lesson 4, Genesis interrupted Joseph’s story to tell us about Judah and Tamar. Comparing the accounts helped us see why they belonged together. Mark uses a similar approach in the passage we are studying today. He begins telling us about Jesus and a fig tree, moves to an incident in the temple, and then returns to the tree.

That arrangement helps answer an unusual question. Why did Jesus curse a fig tree for having no fruit when Mark specifically says it was not the season for figs? We will consider what the tree’s leaves meant, why Jesus confronted people in the temple, and what these events teach when we read them together.

Jesus Inspects the Temple Before Returning the Next Morning

Mark 11 takes place during the final week before Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus had spent approximately three years teaching, performing miracles, and preparing His disciples. He was approaching Jerusalem as Passover drew near. Each year, Jewish families remembered God’s deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt. On the night before that deliverance, the Israelites had marked their doorposts with the blood of sacrificed lambs, as God commanded. Their households were spared when judgment came upon Egypt (Exodus 12).

Jerusalem was especially crowded at Passover because worshippers came to offer sacrifices at the temple. The temple was the center of Jewish worship, where sacrifices prescribed in the Law of Moses were offered. As Jesus entered the city, people spread garments and branches along the road and cried, “Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Mark 11:9). They were welcoming Him with words from Psalm 118 associated with God’s deliverance.

Mark tells us what Jesus did after arriving:

Mark 11:11 11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

Jesus looked around the temple, then left with His disciples for Bethany, a nearby village. Mark records no confrontation that evening. The next morning, as they returned toward Jerusalem, Jesus noticed a fig tree.

Jesus Finds Leaves but No Figs

Mark 11:12–14 12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: 13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

Jesus was hungry. He approached a leafy fig tree hoping to find something to eat, but discovered nothing but leaves. He then declared that no one would eat fruit from it again. The disciples heard what He said.

The detail about the season makes this puzzling. Why look for figs when it was not yet time for the harvest? Fig trees were familiar in Israel. People ate their fruit fresh or dried it to preserve it. Many fig trees lose their leaves in the colder months and produce new growth when the weather warms. Some also begin developing small early figs before the main harvest, sometimes before or around the appearance of leaves.

A tree already covered in leaves could therefore give a traveler reason to look for something edible even before the regular fig harvest. That helps explain why Jesus approached it. We cannot say that every leafy tree would have edible fruit at that time; varieties and growing conditions differed. Mark tells us only that the leaves led Jesus to investigate and that He found nothing.

Why did He pronounce judgment on the tree? Mark begins answering that question by moving to what Jesus did at the temple.

Jesus Drives Buyers and Sellers Out of the Temple

Mark 11:15–17 15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; 16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. 17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Jesus overturned tables, drove out buyers and sellers, and prevented people from carrying goods through the temple. Why were they conducting business there? Worshippers were required to bring certain sacrifices, including animals and birds. Those arriving from distant places might purchase an animal in Jerusalem rather than transport it for many miles. Moneychangers also exchanged currencies used by travelers for money suitable for temple payments.

Buying animals and changing money could serve legitimate needs. Jesus was confronting what was happening in the temple courts. He explained His actions by quoting Isaiah and Jeremiah. Those quotations tell us more about His complaint than the overturned tables alone.

Jesus Quotes Isaiah About a House of Prayer for All Nations

Isaiah lived more than seven hundred years before Jesus. In Isaiah 56, God spoke about foreigners who joined themselves to the LORD and wanted to worship Him. God promised to receive them.

Isaiah 56:7 7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

The temple complex included an outer court accessible to Gentiles, people who were not Jews. By quoting Isaiah, Jesus reminded His listeners that God’s house was intended as a place of prayer for all nations. The activities He confronted had turned its courts away from that purpose.

Jesus’ second quotation carried an even stronger warning. He said, “ye have made it a den of thieves.” That came from a message Jeremiah had delivered centuries earlier.

Jesus Quotes Jeremiah About People Who Trust in the Temple While Sinning

Jeremiah preached in Judah before Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and its temple, roughly six hundred years before Jesus. People were still attending the temple, but many were stealing, murdering, committing adultery, and worshipping false gods. They behaved as though the temple guaranteed their safety regardless of how they lived.

Jeremiah 7:9–11 9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; 10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? 11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.

A den of robbers is a place robbers retreat to after committing their crimes. Jeremiah accused the people of treating the temple as a shelter while continuing in disobedience. He also reminded them that God had judged an earlier place of worship, Shiloh (Jeremiah 7:12–14). The temple itself would not protect them from judgment.

By quoting Jeremiah, Jesus connected the temple practices of His day with that earlier warning. People could continue religious activities while acting against God’s commands. Mark 11:18 says the chief priests and scribes began looking for a way to destroy Jesus. His words directly challenged the religious leaders.

That evening Jesus and His disciples left Jerusalem. When they passed the fig tree the next morning, the disciples discovered what had happened.

Peter Finds the Tree Withered from the Roots

Mark 11:20–21 20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.

The tree Jesus had spoken against was withered. Peter remembered what Jesus had said and drew attention to it. Mark has now finished the incident he began before telling us about the temple.

The Tree and the Temple Explain Each Other

This is where we use something learned in Lesson 4. When a writer begins one account, tells another, and then returns to the first, we should compare them. Mark has surrounded the temple incident with the two parts of the fig tree story.

The tree had leaves that made it worth examining, but Jesus found no fruit. The temple was filled with activity, yet Jesus found practices that contradicted God’s purpose for worship. In both places, Jesus examined what was happening and pronounced judgment. The withered tree gives us a visible picture of the warning associated with His actions in the temple.

This connection also has an Old Testament background. The prophets sometimes used fruitless trees to describe God’s judgment on His people. Jeremiah 8:13 says, “there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade.” Hosea remembered Israel as desirable early fruit on a fig tree (Hosea 9:10), then warned that its root would dry up because of its unfaithfulness (9:16).

Readers who knew those passages could recognize the connection between fruitlessness and judgment. Mark’s arrangement makes that connection harder to miss. Jesus’ words over the tree and His confrontation at the temple belong to the same warning about the worship taking place in Jerusalem.

Jesus Was Warning Israel About Coming Judgment

The warning was especially serious because of Israel’s history. God had chosen Israel to be His people, given them His Law, and established the temple as the center of their worship. Through the prophets, He repeatedly called them to obey Him. Now Jesus, the promised Messiah, had come to Jerusalem and found that the religious leaders were misusing the very place God had given them for worship.

Jeremiah had warned an earlier generation that God would judge Jerusalem and its temple. Jesus was now warning His own generation of coming judgment. In Mark 13:1–2, Jesus told His disciples that the magnificent temple buildings would be destroyed. Approximately forty years later, in AD 70, Roman armies captured Jerusalem and destroyed the temple.

The withered fig tree helps us understand the judgment Jesus was announcing against Jerusalem and its corrupt religious establishment. The city and temple would face destruction, just as they had in Jeremiah’s day. This judgment also had devastating consequences for the Jewish people who lived there.

The lesson concerns the judgment Jesus announced against Jerusalem and its religious establishment. It does not mean that God had finished His purposes for every Jewish person or abandoned all His promises concerning Israel.

Jesus Teaches the Disciples to Pray with Faith and Forgiveness

Peter was amazed by the tree, and Jesus used the occasion to teach the disciples:

Mark 11:22–24 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

A mountain thrown into the sea pictures something far beyond ordinary human power. Jesus taught His disciples to depend upon God when they prayed. This teaching belongs with Jesus’ own example of praying in submission to His Father’s will (Mark 14:36). In verse 25, He also instructed His disciples to forgive others when they stood praying.

Prayer now connects both scenes. Jesus had quoted Isaiah’s description of the temple as a house of prayer, and He went on to teach His disciples about trusting God and forgiving others as they prayed.

What Were We Missing?

At first, the account may appear to be two unrelated events: Jesus curses a tree, then clears people out of the temple. Mark’s arrangement shows us why they belong together. The tree invites examination because of its leaves but has no fruit. The temple is busy with religious activity, yet its practices have departed from God’s purpose. The tree withers after Jesus pronounces judgment, making the warning visible.

We also need to remember the Old Testament passages behind Jesus’ actions. Isaiah explained what the temple was intended to be, while Jeremiah warned that the temple could not protect a disobedient nation from judgment. The prophets had also used fruitless trees to describe God’s judgment upon His people.

Mark brings these ideas together through the way he tells the story. The fig tree gives us a picture of judgment, while the temple incident helps explain why that judgment was being announced.

This reinforces something we learned earlier in our series. When a biblical writer interrupts one story with another, we should examine why the two accounts were placed together. Sometimes their arrangement helps us understand something we would otherwise overlook.

What Fruit Does God Find in Our Lives?

Israel had received remarkable blessings from God. He had given the nation His Word, established His worship among them, and sent prophets to teach and correct them. Those privileges also brought responsibility. God expected His people to respond to Him with faith and obedience.

Christians have also received wonderful privileges. We have God’s completed Word, the opportunity to gather for worship, and the responsibility to tell others about Jesus Christ. We attend church, pray, study Scripture, give, and serve. These are good things God calls us to do, and they should be producing something in our lives.

In John 15:5, Jesus said, “He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” Just as a branch depends upon the vine, we depend upon Christ for spiritual growth. Galatians 5:22–23 describes some of that fruit, including love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.

We can examine that fruit in ordinary situations. Does reading Scripture change how we speak to people? Are we becoming more patient and willing to forgive? When God’s Word exposes a sin, do we confess it and take steps to change? Does our worship encourage us to love God and serve others more faithfully?

Mark has taught us how two stories can explain each other. The fig tree helps us understand Jesus’ warning to Jerusalem, and the temple explains why that warning was necessary. What appeared to be a strange incident on the road to Jerusalem was part of Jesus’ announcement of coming judgment.

It also leaves us with a question about how we are responding to what God has given us.

When God examines my life according to His Word, what fruit does He find?