Why did Jesus curse the FIG tree
By Dave Reid
In Matthew 21:19, why would the Lord
Jesus, of all people, curse a fig tree? Has that question ever bothered you? It
just doesn't seem characteristic of Christ, does it? Is this the same Jesus who
healed the lame, brought sight to the blind and gave life to the dead? How are
we to explain this seemingly negative miracle in which Jesus actually took away
the life of a "poor little tree"? From the account, it even appears that the
Lord took revenge on the fig tree for not having any fruit when He was hungry!
Is this the same Jesus who recommended turning the other cheek rather than
taking revenge? And what about the statement that He made in reference to the
withered fig tree--that it was possible to throw a mountain into the sea? What
did Jesus mean by that statement, and what do mountains have in common with fig
trees?
Finding the answers to these questions really begins with a
basic understanding of all the miracles of Christ. As we analyze the miracles of
the Lord Jesus, we find that they all were performed in order to convey truth.
They were not just demonstrations of God's power; they were planned and designed
to illustrate and dramatize the teachings of our Lord. Therefore, whenever we
examine any miracle of Christ, we should be looking for the meaning of the
miracle. What is the particular truth that God wants us to learn from the
miracle? Thus our main question concerning the cursing of the fig tree should
be, "What is the teaching of this miracle?" We'll find that the problem
questions we raised do have answers when we come to appreciate the meaning of
this little-considered miracle.
The teaching at the heart of the cursing of the fig tree
involves God's dealings with His people, the nation of Israel. In the time of
the Old Testament prophets, God likened Israel to a fig tree. (See Hosea 9:10.)
The Lord had chosen Israel to be His covenant people. They were to be His
special testimony to the surrounding nations and, like a fruitful fig tree, they
were to bring forth spiritual fruit to the honor and glory of God. When the Son
of God left heaven to come and live in the midst of His chosen people, He was
looking for that fruit--evidence of spiritual life. He was "hungry" for this
fruit, but He found nothing to satisfy His longing heart. He found plenty of
religious "leaves," which would indicate that there should be some spiritual
fruit--but there was none.
In the parable of the fig tree in Luke 13:6-9, the Jewish
people are unmistakably pictured in the barren fig tree. Notice that the three
years of our Lord's gracious public ministry are portrayed in this parable. All
that time He was looking for fruit! In the parable, every effort was made to
cultivate some fruit, but it was to no avail. In fact, the Jewish people turned
their backs on God Himself when they rejected Jesus as their Messiah. As John
1:11 says, "He came to all that was His own, but His own people did not receive
Him." How sad!
What was to be the result of this rejection of God's own
Son? Three years earlier, John the Baptist had said, "The axe is already laid at
the root of the tree, and every tree that does not bear fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire!" (Matthew 3:10). John's statement was not only true of the
condition and fate of individuals; it was characteristic of the Jewish nation as
a whole. At this critical point in its history, the nation of Israel was like a
fruitless tree, so it was to be cut down and removed! It happened! In 70 AD the
Roman army conquered the rebellious Jews and put an end to the nation of Israel
of that day.
All this, of course, was vividly dramatized in the cursing
of the fig tree. Is God ever out of control when He takes life? Of course not!
We may not always understand why God takes the life of an animal or a tree or a
person, but we can be sure it is not an indication that God has lost control of
Himself or His creation. In the miracle before us we do understand why the Lord
took life from the fig tree--it was to prophetically illustrate what would soon
happen to the fruit-less nation of Israel! Performing this miracle certainly did
not bring joy to the heart of the Lord. In the same way, the removal of the
nation of Israel from its place of privilege was certainly not a time of
rejoicing in heaven. Remember how the Lord wept over the coming fate of the
Jewish people when He cried, "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets,
and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children
together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were
unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!" (Matthew
23:37-38). God was long-suffering and patient with His wayward people, but they
would not return to Him. Whenever God's love and forgiveness are refused, God's
judgment must follow. A holy God must be true to His righteous principles.
Before we go further with the meaning of this miracle, let
us make a present-day application concerning salvation. The Bible teaches that
the evidence of true faith is spiritual fruit. Jesus said that believers would
be known by their fruit (Matthew 7:20). A checklist of spiritual fruit is given
in Galatians 5:22-23--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Is there spiritual fruit, the evidence
of true faith, in our lives? Or are we just wearing masks of religious
leaves--lots of pious talk and works which hide our true inner condition? The
curse of God remains upon everyone who trusts in self-righteousness and refuses
God's gracious offer of forgiveness and eternal life through Christ. Religious
leaves--even the thickest and most glossy leaves--will never get anyone into
heaven.
In Matthew 24:32 we have a parable about a fig tree given
in the Lord's Olivet discourse concerning the future. Since Israel is
represented by a fig tree in other passages of Scripture, is it not possible
that the nation of Israel is represented by the fig tree in this parable as
well? Will the fig tree of Israel live again? It's hard to deny that the rebirth
of the nation of Israel is a miracle taking place before our very eyes. And the
religious leaves are already showing! But what about fruit? A careful reading of
Romans 11:11-32 seems to indicate that the grace of God to Israel will be seen
in a most amazing way before the return of Christ. Spiritual fruit will
eventually be found in the reborn nation of Israel!
Now what about the mountain that the Lord mentioned in
verse 21? What is the connection between the withered fig tree and the removal
of the mountain? When this statement was made, the Lord and His disciples were
coming towards Jerusalem from the village of Bethany (v17-18). As they came over
the Mount of Olives, they had a spectacular view of the beautiful Temple, which
was built on a mountain ridge across the Kidron Valley from the Mount of Olives.
When the Lord said "this mountain," He was likely referring to the mountain on
which the Temple was built. The Temple Mount was the focus of religious Judaism.
This was the center of the religious leaves of the nation. Notice, in context,
all the fruitless religious activity around the Temple (v1-17). What was the
true spiritual condition of the religious money-changers (v12) and even many of
those who voiced their "hosannas" (v9)? "This mountain," with all its
religiosity, was a hindrance to the Lord's gracious ministry. In fact, this
religious establishment was viciously opposed to Christ and His teachings. (See
Matthew 26:3-4.) Like a mountain barrier, religious Judaism blocked the further
progress of God's kingdom program. Therefore the removal of this obstacle would
be like a mountain taken up and thrown into the sea. And so the unbelieving
nation of Israel was rooted up and thrown into the surrounding "sea" of Gentile
nations. "This mountain" of religious Judaism, which had rejected Christ and
then continued to harass and persecute the early Church, was taken out of the
way so that the Gospel could continue to go out to the whole world.
In verses 21-22 the Lord assures us that this has a
practical application for today. How often we face things that seem to be
mountainous barriers in our Christian walk. Think of the doubts and
discouragements, for example, that constantly rise up before us. What are we to
do about these obstacles which hold us back from further spiritual growth and
progress? Pray in faith, and see these mountains removed! We are not talking
here about the "burdens" of life or the "thorns in the flesh" which the Lord may
purposefully allow to come into our lives to increase our faith and dependence
on Him. Prayer will not necessarily remove these. (See 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.)
But when there are obvious obstructions and opposition to Christian growth, we
have here a promise that we can claim. There is no personal problem or ministry
muddle that is too big a mountain for faith. These mountains can be moved by our
prayers! The taking away of some mountains may not be very pleasant--like the
cursing of the fig tree. But the removal of menacing mountains, like fruitless
fig trees, is evidence of a miracle-working God who is on the side of growing
Christians!
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Is Israel the FIG tree in Matthew
24:32
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In Matthew Chapter 24, when Jesus was discussing with His disciples the signs that would occur before He would come again, He said that as the fig tree and other trees put forward their buds and leaves when summer is approaching, so when we see the signs he had previously mentioned as being in evidence towards the end, then we could tell that His return was near. Many claim that He was indirectly stating that when Israel was reformed, it would mean that He was close to returning as the fig tree was used as a symbol of Israel in the old testament, which indeed it was I believe. I'm not convinced that this is the case here however. It appears to me that Christ was simply using the analogy that as a tree sprouting buds signifies a change of seasons, so the signs of the end he had just mentioned to the disciples, signified His return was on schedule and not all that far away. Jesus then went on to say that the generation that saw these signs he had spoken about that would signal the soon return of Himself, would not pass away till He had indeed returned. Many prophecy teachers, some very well known, then concluded that a bible generation was 40 years so that meant Christ would return by 1988, that is, 40 years after Israel was reformed in 1948. When that didn't occur, after probably disappointing and disillusioning
many people, the generation periods were and still are being, altered to
accommodate these teachers. I have heard one Jewish teacher say "this generation" spoken of here by Christ meant this "people" or "race of people" would not pass away till Christ came again. This indeed would appear to fit more sensibly, within our present understanding anyway. There is of course no disagreement with the fact that Israel had to exist before Christ returns. At least that we can all agree on. But as to whether or not Jesus was implying the sprouting fig tree was Israel or as to the exact meaning or length of "the generation" that would exist to see the return of Jesus Christ, I personally cannot be dogmatic. The SURE facts are, Israel needed to be reformed before Jesus comes again. That has happened. The SIGNS Jesus gave that would exist before his return HAVE occurred and ARE occurring. No bible prophecy has ever failed, and Jesus WILL return to earth as He
said He would. My two cents worth...... Keygar! |
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