The Cursed Fig Tree

Matthew 21:19 – “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.”

The fig tree has the largest leaves of any tree in Canaan. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all mention Jesus’ judgment of the fig tree. Why would Jesus curse a tree? Because it bore no fruit!

A fig is a multiple fruit that develops from the enlargement of the receptacle and small flowers. Since the fruit appears without visible flowers, it is called a “fig.” Fig trees in Palestine can produce fruit twice a year. Figs begin to form in February, then the tree sprouts leaves. By April or May, the foliage is dense with fruit hidden beneath the leaves, though most fruit doesn’t ripen until June. The first crop, known as the “winter fruit,” grows on old branches that survived the winter. These early figs are the largest but few in number (Isaiah 28:4). The second crop, known as the “summer fruit,” grows in the leaf axils of new branches and ripens in late summer. Most of these figs are harvested from mid-August to October. Because the harvest seasons overlap and some fruit remains on the tree in other seasons, people could enjoy figs almost year-round.

The natural habit of a fig tree is that once leaves appear, the fruit also begins to grow. Once the leaves fall, the fruit disappears. In this passage from Matthew 21, it was near the time of Passover, which is around March or April. Therefore, it was unnatural for the fig tree to have leaves but no fruit. When a fig tree produces leaves but no fruit, it indicates that the tree has gone against its nature and will no longer bear good fruit.

All of Jesus’ miracles in His life demonstrated His love, but this one demonstrated His wrath. Yet, even in His anger, He showed mercy by directing it at a tree rather than a person, serving as a warning. The Old Testament often uses the fig tree to represent Israel, so some believe this was a curse on Israel. However, Jesus was not saying that the Jewish people would “never bear fruit again.” The majority of believers in the apostolic era were Jews, and today there are many Jewish Christians in Israel.

(Edited and compiled based on the Chinese Union Version Bible and Comprehensive Biblical Interpretation)