The Cursing of the Fig Tree

This is perhaps the only “negative” miracle of Jesus recorded in Scripture. This is found in two of the gospels: Matthew chapter 21, verses 12-27; and Mark chapter 11, verses 1-33.

To understand this miracle, we need to understand what occurred prior to this miracle. Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey. Why is that? This fulfilled a prophecy of Jesus doing so which we find in Zechariah chapter 9, verse 9.

What were the people saying about Jesus as he entered the city? “Hosanna to the Son of David,” “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!’ “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

They were quoting from Psalm 118: “LORD, save us! LORD, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Ps 118:25-29).

Today, we use the word Hosanna synonymous with Praise. Yet, in Hebrew, the word Hosanna means “save, rescue, savior.” The people were saying and acting out this passage in Psalm 118. They were saying they recognized Jesus as the fulfillment of this scripture and their Messiah to bring in his kingdom for Israel.

So, why did Jesus get angry with the tree and why did he drive out moneychangers?

Fig trees give two fruits: small nodules in Spring on the new shoots just as the leaves are coming in and then figs in the Fall, around September near Rosh HaShanna on the shoots from the previous year.

Here, with the leaves already on the tree, there should have been nodules where the leaves attached to the stem, but there was nothing. So, something was wrong with this tree and would not yield a fig harvest.

Jesus saw this representing what he saw at the temple. The Jewish leaders looked good, but they were pushing out converts, i.e., Gentiles whose only place to worship was the Court of Gentiles.

The temple was designed with separate spaces which takes one closer and closer to God. The high priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year where he was to meet with God. Priests could enter the Holy Place which contained specific furniture representing the traits of their coming Messiah and make the sacrifices on the bronze altar outside the temple. Levites could only enter the Court of Priests and aid in preparing the animals for sacrifice. Jewish men could only enter up to the Court of Israel, a space just outside the Court of Priests going all the way around the temple itself. Jewish women could only enter the Court of Women which was a large area on the other side of the Nicanor gate and the steps where the Levites would play musical instruments and sing. This was the area which had large lights which were utilized during certain feasts. Gentiles could only be in the Court of Gentiles which was outside from where any Jew could enter. There was a balustrade beyond which no Gentile could go or be met with sudden death from temple guards.

The Court of Gentiles became packed during festivals. This is where all the vendors set up for sacrifices and money changers sat. According to the historian Josephus, during a Passover week, up to 250,000 lambs would be sacrificed.

Why did Jesus overturn the tables here? This was the only place where Gentiles could worship. They were kept from worshipping due to all the chaos and selling of animals. Their place of worship had been turned into a chaotic marketplace.

Gentiles were some of the most responsive to Jesus. His kingdom was open to both Jews and Gentiles. Here, Gentiles were being excluded.

As Jesus and his disciples returned from the temple, the disciples now noticed the fig tree had withered and they were amazed. This fig tree represented the leaders of Israel, as Scripture refers to Israel as a fig tree, and most notably the Jewish leaders:

“I will take away their harvest, declares the Lord. There will be no grapes on the vine. There will be no figs on the tree, and their leaves will wither. What I have given them will be taken from them” (Jr 8:13).

Jesus fulfills this scripture. Religious leaders were in the way of the coming kingdom. They thought and acted like God’s salvation was exclusive to them because they followed the Law. Jesus said they look good on the outside, just like the fig tree, but they were not producing fruit. Something was wrong on the inside of them.

Jesus reacted to their myopic view of scripture where they over-interpret some parts but then ignore others. They were ignoring their responsibility to being God’s light to the world.

God had told Abraham his descendants were to affect the whole world: “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all people on earth will be blessed through you” (Gn 12:2-3).

God had told Israel they were to be God’s priests to the entire world: “you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex 19:6).

God had revealed through the prophet Isaiah that Israel was God’s servant to show God’s glory: “He said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor’” (Is 49:3).

Why did Jesus not explain this to the Jewish leaders? He tested their hearts to see if they would listen. They refused, so he did not go further with them. They closed off the community. They focused on their own worship and on each other, never looking outward. This led them to cause all their people to lose the greatest blessing Jesus was offering them.

Are we not like these Jewish leaders today? Today, have we become dead fig trees? As a church, have we become so focused on ourselves that we have forgotten the Great Commission? Jesus is giving the opportunity to be transformed. Others see us and should want to worship God as well because of how they see him working in us.

How did the Jewish leaders miss that Jesus was their promised, long-awaited, Messiah? The word Messiah comes from the Hebrew word Mashiach; in Greek, Christos, and means “anointed.”

Hebrew: Yeshua HaMashiach : Jesus the Messiah; Jesus the Anointed One

Greek: Jesus Christ: Jesus the Messiah; Jesus the Anointed One

In the books of the Law, Messiah is noted as a priest:

“Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and carry it into the tent of meeting” (Lv 4:5).

The word “anointed” is mashiach, from which we get the word messiah. In the Historical Books and Psalms, Messiah is noted as a king:

“David asked him, ‘Why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?’” (2Sa 1:14).

“These are the last words of David: ‘The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse, the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, the hero of Israel’s songs’” (2Sa 23:1).

“There I will make the horn of David to bud. I have ordained a lamp for my anointed” (Ps 132:17).

Again, the word “anointed” is mashiach, i.e., messiah.

The prophets were anointed by the Holy Spirit:

“The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord” (1Sa 3:19-20).

“Samuel said to them, ‘The Lord is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand’” (1Sa 12:5).

This is where the idea that the Messiah will be prophet, priest, and king originates. He came as a prophet (Holy Spirit descended upon him; Jn 1:32), he is currently our High Priest making intercession for us (Hb 8:1-2), and will come back and rule as king (Rv 11:15).

Daniel then paints the Messiah as the Conquering One:

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and people of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (Da 7:13-14).

“Know and understand this: From the time the world goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two ‘sevens’, the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood. War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him” (Da 9: 25-27).

This led to the teaching of two coming messiahs: one who would come, suffer, and die and then one who would come to conquer.

What was the Messiah expected to do?

“The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.’ Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away” (Is 35:1-10).

“But your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise—let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy—your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead” (Is 26:19).

“In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see” (Is 19:18).

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor” (Is 63:1-3).

According to the Torah, the Messiah will be a male descendant of the Jewish King David, human - he will have a human birth and human parents, a perfect teacher of God’s law, a great political leader - inspirational and a good judge, able to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, ruler over humanity - but he will rule with kindness, the bringer of peace to the world, and able to unite humanity. Ultimately, it is believed that the Messiah will establish God’s kingdom on Earth.

The Jewish leaders were focusing so much on the conquering aspects of their Messiah they ignored all his other attributes. They focused on what they wanted from God and did not ask what God wanted from them.

May we not do the same.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens