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Study Section 13: The Fig Tree and Second Temple Cleansing

13.1 Connect.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus went up to the fig tree and cursed it because it had not
figs on it? The passage says that it was not the season for fruit on the tree. It seems rather
harsh to curse a poor tree for not bearing fruit outside of the season. Yet Jesus cursed the
tree and the next day his discipled noted that it was dried up and dead.

Do you think this was some kind of object lesson for the disciples? Perhaps Jesus was trying to teach
them something about bearing fruit in their lives. Let’s look further into this incident and see if we can
figure out the answer to some of these questions….

13.2 Objectives.

1. The student should be able to explain why Jesus cursed the barren fig tree and better
understand what Jesus was communicating to His disciples by using the tree as an object lesson.

2. The student should be able to explain how the Jewish leaders were dishonoring the Lord by the
selling of goods in the Temple. We will better understand why Jesus rebuked those selling in the
temple.

3. The student should be able to discuss the Olivet Discourse which took place in the Temple and
explained many future events.

13.3 The Fig Tree and the Second Temple Cleansing (Mark 11:12-14 and Matthew 21:18-19;
Matthew 21:12-16, Mark 11:15-19, and Luke 19:45-48; Mark 11:11 and Matthew 21:17)

According to Mark’s Gospel, Jesus and the disciples again traveled to Jerusalem the next
morning, Monday. Evidently Mary and Martha slept in, for Jesus did not get breakfast in
Bethany. Actually, the day did not begin with a meal in Jewish culture, so this would have been
a “snack” along the way. On the journey to Jerusalem, Jesus notices a fig tree in leaf, so He
went over to it to get some figs for breakfast. When He reached it, it had no figs, only leaves.
At that point, Jesus spoke a curse against the tree in the hearing of the disciples. So we have to
ask the question, since it is not the season for figs, why did Jesus curse the tree?

The fruit of the fig tree generally appears before the leaves, and, because the fruit is green it blends in
with the leaves right up until it is almost ripe. Therefore, when Jesus and His disciples saw from a
distance that the tree had leaves, they would have expected it to also have fruit on it even though it was
earlier in the season than what would have been normal for a fig tree to be bearing fruit. Also, each tree
would often produce two to three crops of figs each season. There would be an early crop in the spring
followed by one or two later crops. In some parts of Israel, depending on climate and conditions, it was
also possible that a tree might produce fruit ten out of twelve months. This also explains why Jesus and
His disciples would be looking for fruit on the fig tree even if it was not in the main growing season. The
fact that the tree already had leaves on it would have seemed to be a good indication that there would

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