THE LESSON OF THE FIG TREE (Mark 11:12-21)
INTRODUCTION:
This Scripture has been a controversial passage that scholars have debated for centuries. First, the event that is recorded is the only miracle in the New Testament that involves destruction. Some have rejected this narrative because to them Jesus is acting as a spoiled child who did not get His way. Still others have rejected this passage because to them what Jesus did was unthinkable when He cursed a poor, innocent tree simply because it was fruitless. How do we answer these objections when we hold that the Scripures are the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God. To the second rejection our response should be that this objection comes from an unhealthy eagerness to find fault. If we assume that all creation aside from humans has no soul and was created for our use (as we do every day), then where is Jesus’ sin?
This same thinking applies to an earlier description of a herd of pigs. Turn them into pork sausage and bacon and we think how nicely they have fulfilled their destiny. But sacrifice them for the salvation of a poor lunatic demonized by a legion of demons, use them to liberate him from their destructive nature and the whole thing is shocking. In this passage, if the fig tree continued to be barren and useless, it would be cut down and used for firewood and no one would object. But when Jesus withers the tree with a word to teach an eternal spiritual lesson, the critics cry out. Jesus did not spitefully curse this tree because it didn’t provide what it promised. The food was not the issue, Jesus had gone without food before. The reason Jesus cursed the fig tree was because He wanted it to be an illustration of what was happening to Israel. And a stark illustration it was. Let’s pray and then get into this passage of Scripture.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Mark 11:12-21, our passage for this morning. If you are able, please stand, in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
Mark 11:12-21,
“On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening. Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves; and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple. And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a robbers’ den.” The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching. When evening came, they would go out of the city. As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. Being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.”” (Mark 11:12–21, NASB95)[1]
A FRUITLESS FIG TREE (Mark 11:12-14)
This passage begins on the next day, the day after Jesus had ridden the donkey’s colt into Jerusalem. If the “triumphal entry” was on Monday as I proposed last Sunday, then this is Tuesday morning and again we find Jesus and His disciples walking from Bethany to Jerusalem. As they were on their way, Jesus became hungry. Even though the Lord Jesus was God incarnate, Jesus was also fully man and because of this He felt things like hunger, thirst, and weariness just as all human beings. Why He was hungry we are not told, just that He was hungry. In the distance Jesus saw a fig tree that was in leaf, and He headed that way to see if there was something on it He could eat.
Fig trees are native to Israel, and the trees and the fruit are often mentioned in the Scriptures. Let me explain a little about fig trees and how they produce so you better understand what is happening here. Mark informs us that it was not the season for figs, if this is the case why did Jesus think there might be something to eat on the fig tree? The main fig harvest was in the late summer and early fall, but small but edible unripe figs appear in the Spring, about the time of Passover. These small unripe figs appear before the leaves do. Since the tree that Jesus was headed for had leaves, it would be expected to have the small figs.
Jesus reached the tree and despite its promising appearance, the tree had no fruit whatsoever. There were lots of leaves but no figs. When Jesus found that the tree had no fruit He cursed it. “He said to it, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again!’ And His disciples were listening.” (Mark 11:14, NASB95)[2] Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? Remember that Jesus as the Messiah held three distinct offices; He was a prophet, a priest, and a king. One of the most graphic forms of prophetic communication in the Old Testament was the object lesson. The prophet would take something from nature or everyday life and use it to teach a spiritual truth from God. The fig tree was often used in prophetic writings to symbolize Israel. Jesus found in this barren fig tree an object lesson that illustrated the sin of hypocrisy that was rampant in Israel. It had the appearance of fruitfulness, but it was barren. Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus strongly denounced the sin of hypocrisy. When Jesus confronted the Pharisees and the scribes and rebuked them it was because of their hypocrisy, they appeared to be spiritual and righteous on the outside but there was no spiritual fruit. They were just like this tree all leaves but no fruit. By cursing the fig tree Jesus was condemning Israel because she did not live up to God’s standard of perfection and because they did not recognize God’s Messiah even though they claimed to know the Scriptures.
This object lesson should also be a lesson to us. One of the top ten objections to Christianity that one evangelistic ministry learned over many years is the belief that the church is filled with hypocrites. People who are watching the lives of church members throughout the week said they were turned off to Christianity because they believed Christians did not live out their profession of faith. It is true, the church is full of sinners. That being said it must also be stated that while all hypocrites are sinners, not all sinners are hypocrites. Hypocrisy is just one of many sins. It is not always true when critics of Christianity say, “So and so is a professing Christian, and we saw him sin during the week; therefore, he is a hypocrite.” That is not necessarily true. If I claim not to do something that is sinful and then you see me do it, I am guilty of hypocrisy. But if you see me do something sinful that I never claimed I do not do, I am a sinner but not a hypocrite. This distinction needs to be made and understood.
When Jesus cursed the fig tree He was addressing the hypocrisy and unbelief of Israel. What was the source of this hypocrisy? The answer appears when we see that there is a direct link in this passage between the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple. That is why, I believe Mark inserts the cleansing of the temple between the cursing of the fig tree and the discovery of the withered tree the following day.
A MISUSED TEMPLE (Mark 11:15-21)
Having pronounced the curse on the fig tree, Jesus and His disciples continued on toward Jerusalem. As the approached the city they would have seen the temple, its cream-colored marble gleaming in the morning light. Huge Passover crowds were already streaming up the steps to the great court of the Gentiles. This was the Herodian temple, and it was a huge complex and one of the wonders of the ancient world. It was divided into four parts, the court of the women, the court of the Jews, the temple itself with the holy place and the most holy place or the holy of holies, and the court of the Gentiles which was the largest part of the temple complex. The court of the Gentiles was a huge paved area the length of three football fields and about 250 yards wide. The design of the temple complex included this place for Gentiles to congregate because God had promised Abraham that he would be a blessing to all nations. The people of Israel had the mission of proclaiming the truth of God not just to themselves but to all people. Coming into the court of the Gentiles amongst the throngs of people you would find the tables of the money changers. The money changers exchanged foreign money (that had idolatrous images on it) and could not be used in the temple, so it was exchanged for Tyrian coins. They had to pay a charge for this service. This arrangement was a lucrative business for the establishment—that is the chief priests and the scribes. The money changers were not the only business in the court of the Gentiles, stalls had been set up to hold cattle, sheep, and goats, cages holding doves and pigeons, and also tables selling wine and salt for the sacrifices.
The operations in the court of the Gentiles had become known as the Bazaar of Annas, so named for the greedy high priest before whom Jesus would first be tried after His arrest. The Romans had deposed Annas, but He still retained the title of high priest and wielded tremendous power and influence behind the scenes. Along with his equally wicked son-in-law Caiaphas, the current high priest Annas ran the temple’s business, acquiring extreme wealth in the process. They sold franchises to the merchants for exorbitant prices and then skimmed off a huge percentage of the profits that the merchants made.
All this combined turned the temple of God into a place of abuse and extortion. The sound of praise and prayers had been replaced by the bawling of cattle, the bleating of sheep and goats, the cooing of doves, and the loud haggling of the merchants and their customers. Filled with righteous anger at the crass desecration of His Father’s house, Jesus stepped into the court of the Gentiles and “began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves;” (Mark 11:15, NASB95)[3]
In an instant Jesus turn the Bazaar on Annas into complete chaos. He so threatened the merchants that they fled as He flipped over the tables of the money changers and sent their coins rolling on the ground with the money changers, no doubt, desperately scrambling after them. He also yanked the seats out from under the dove merchants and sent them scrambling out of the temple. The Lord Jesus displayed the same zeal as He had the first time He had cleared the temple which had reminded His disciples of Psalm 69:9, “For zeal for Your house has consumed me...” (Psalm 69:9a, NASB95)[4]
Not only had He sent the merchants and their animals and wares out of the temple, Jesus also stopped people from using the temple courts as a short cut for carrying goods into the city. Mark writes, “and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple.” (Mark 11:16, NASB95)[5] This was an amazing display of singular authority and strength on the part of the Lord, who no doubt encountered significant resistance from the merchants. It forcefully demonstrates that the Lord Jesus hates those who pervert worship, especially for their own greed.
Jesus did not just drive the merchants out, but as the chaos began to dwindle, Jesus gave His reason for what He had done, and He used the Old Testament to do so. Mark writes, “And He began to teach and say to them, ‘Is it not written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations”? But you have made it a robbers’ den.’ ” (Mark 11:17, NASB95)[6] The first quote, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations” is from Isaiah 56:7 where God declares, “For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” (Isaiah 56:7, NASB95)[7] Prayer is a huge part of worship, and the temple was where people came to commune with God and to meditate on His majesty and glory. It was a place not only for the Jews, but for all the peoples or all the nations. There was not other place for those Gentiles who converted to Judaism to go and worship. There were no other temples to the One true God.
But the noisy, smelly, busy “robbers’ den” that the temple had become was the exact opposite of the place where quiet, thoughtful, instructional, prayerful worship of God could take place. Jesus likening the temple to a “robbers’ den” is a reference to Jeremiah 7:11 which says, “’Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,’ declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 7:11, NASB95) Robbers often hid in caves or hideouts, from which they would come forth to rob and plunder the unsuspecting. That is what the temple had become; instead of the highest place of teaching, prayer, and worship, it was the lowest—a domain of plunder run by greedy thieves, the hypocrites hiding in the temple.
The religious leaders were shocked and outraged by the single-handed devastation of the temple marketplace by Jesus. Mark writes what happened when they heard what had happened, “The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.” (Mark 11:18, NASB95)[8] Jesus was again forcing them to act, and their hatred was escalated by Jesus’ growing popularity as the common people were astounded by His teaching. Fearful of the threat that He was to them economically and to their prestige among the people they intensified their efforts to destroy Him.
Mark Informs us that when evening came they would go out of the city and return to Bethany where they were staying. The next morning, Wednesday morning as they were returning to Jerusalem, Mark writes, “As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. Being reminded, Peter said to Him, ‘Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.’ ” (Mark 11:19–21, NASB95)[9] Peter’s word affirm that what Jesus curses will be destroyed. The hypocrisy of the religious leaders was exposed when Jesus called the temple a robbers’ den. The destruction of the corrupted, hypocritical religious system centered on the temple began on Tuesday. That destruction would accelerate on Friday when God would tear the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies from top to bottom. And the total destruction would be completed four decades later by the Romans.
The barren fig tree had been cursed, and it was worthy only to be cast into the fire as firewood. Mark is careful to tell us that it was withered from the roots, emphasizing the totality of its destruction. Such a graphic illustration and a warning—a fig tree with full foliage but no fruit is now dead and sagging. A picture of what was about to come on the nation of Israel because the missed the glory of God returning to the temple. They were more concerned about their wealth and prestige then they were about the righteousness of God..
CONCLUSION:
Beware of the sin of hypocrisy! How do we spot it? It comes when from the outside everything looks healthy, yet when we look closer there is no fruit. The Pharisees and the scribes looked righteous on the outside, but it was only self-righteousness and because of this there was no fruit. Jesus repeatedly condemned the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, once in Matthew 15:7-9 Jesus quoted from Isaiah 29:13 and said to religious leaders, “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ ” (Matthew 15:7–9, NASB95)[10] This is to be a lesson to us that we not only look healthy and lush on the outside, but when people get close they seen the fruit. Are you producing fruit? “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22–23, NASB95)[11] Are our lives an invitation to meet a holy God? When He examines us will He find fruit?
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.