Jesus and the Fig Tree
by
Britt Gillette
Throughout the
centuries, people have longed to know which generation will witness the return
of Jesus Christ. Interestingly, the answer to that question appeared in the
form of a fig tree nearly two thousand years ago.
Jesus Curses the Fig
Tree
Both the Gospels of
Matthew and Mark tell the following story of Jesus and His encounter with that
fig tree:
"In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was
hungry, and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there
were any figs on it, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, 'May you
never bear fruit again!' And immediately the fig tree withered up. The
disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, 'How did the fig tree
wither so quickly?' Then Jesus told them, 'I assure you, if you have faith and
don't doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to
this mountain, 'May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,' and it will
happen. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matthew 21:18-22, NLT).
Although not spoken to
His disciples in the form of a parable, this story about the fig tree and its
lack of fruit strikes at the heart of the gospel message.
The Meaning of the Curse
The disappointment of
Jesus with the fig tree is an extremely significant event. At first glance, one
might think Jesus is merely upset with an actual tree that failed to feed Him
when He was hungry. But the fig tree and its fruit play a much larger role.
They are symbols of the nation of Israel and its
faith.
In Jeremiah 24, the
people of Israel are compared to figs, both good and rotten. When Jesus cursed
the fig tree, He symbolically placed a curse on Israel. The reason for the
curse is straightforward. The fig tree (Israel) failed to bear fruit (faith),
even though its leaves indicate it was in season (the appointed time for the
coming of the Messiah). Due to its lack of fruit, the fig tree withered.
Likewise, Israel's lack of faith when presented with her Messiah led to her
eventual destruction at the hands of the Romans in ad 70.
What Is Good Fruit?
Jesus cursed the fig
tree because of its refusal to bear fruit, and in so doing, He makes it clear
that He expects His followers to bear fruit as well—and not just any kind of
fruit, but, specifically, good fruit.
If Jesus expects us to
bear good fruit, it's essential to know what constitutes good fruit in the
first place. What is good fruit? And how do we bear it? Paul defines "good
fruit" in his letters to the Galatians and the Philippians:
"But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce
this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23, NLT).
This is the fruit we
should produce: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control. Why? Because ultimately, the good fruit we bear
comes from faith in Jesus Christ:
"May you always be filled with the fruit of your
salvation--those good things that are produced in your life by Jesus
Christ--for this will bring much glory and praise to God" (Philippians
1:11, NLT).
Good fruit should never
be confused with the world's definition of good works. Good fruit is born in
the heart and blossoms outward into the world. Its only motive is Jesus Christ.
But good works as defined by the world can have many motives, sometimes even
evil motives. Yet, no matter how justified we feel in our own eyes, God will
always measure our inner motives, never our outward deeds. Placing our trust
and faith in Jesus Christ will inevitably produce the good fruits Paul
mentioned in his letter to the Galatians. When we exhibit these good fruits,
the world will witness through our lives the glory that is Jesus Christ.
Good Fruit vs. Bad Fruit
To make sure we're
producing good fruit and not bad fruit, we need to know how to tell the
difference. Before He placed the curse on the fig tree, Jesus warned His
disciples to beware of false prophets and teachers. In fact, He used fruit as a
metaphor for identifying the righteous from the evil, explaining that if a tree
doesn't bear fruit, it will be chopped down and thrown into the fire:
"Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless
sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. You can detect them by
the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You don't pick
grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles. A healthy tree produces good
fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can't produce bad
fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. So every tree that does not
produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, the way to
identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced"
(Matthew 7:15-20, NLT).
A good tree will bear
good fruit, and a bad tree will produce rotten fruit. Therefore, you can always
identify the righteous and the evil based on what they produce.
God's great commandment
is to believe in the one He has sent. Those who do will bear good fruit as a
natural result. This is because Jesus is the branch on which all good fruit
grows, and His righteous branch can't help but bear good fruit. Long ago, the
prophet Isaiah identified the Messiah as the branch of Jesse:
"Out of the stump of David's family will grow a shoot--yes, a
new Branch bearing fruit from the old root" (Isaiah 11:1, NLT).
If the generation that
rejected Jesus had instead made Him the basis of their faith, the very root of
their spiritual sustenance, then they would have borne good fruit that is
pleasing to the Lord.
So what do good fruit,
bad fruit, and a barren fig tree have to do with the timing of the Second
Coming of Christ? To find out, we must first understand why the fig tree had to
wither.
The Withered Fig Tree
Why did the fig tree
have to wither in the first place? Why did the generation which witnessed the
birth of Christ lack faith in God's promise of the coming Messiah? They
committed to memory the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, and they
knew the exact year in which the Messiah would appear in Jerusalem. Yet,
because they lacked faith, they failed to recognize the time of His Coming. As
a result, an entire generation failed to produce fruit for the Messiah. But
why?
Although the Jews didn't
plan to reject the Messiah, God did have a plan. His plan was to spread the
salvation of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. Israel's lack of faith was
integral to this process, providing the catalyst for God to offer this
salvation to the Gentiles as well. As a result, the salvation God had
previously reserved for the Jews alone was offered to the entire world:
"For since the Jews' rejection meant that God offered
salvation to the rest of the world, how much more wonderful their acceptance
will be. It will be life for those who were dead! And since Abraham and the
other patriarchs were holy, their children will also be holy. For if the roots
of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too. But some of these branches
from Abraham's tree, some of the Jews, have been broken off. And you Gentiles,
who were branches from a wild olive tree, were grafted in. So now you also
receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in
God's rich nourishment of his special olive tree. But you must be careful not
to brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. Remember,
you are just a branch, not the root. 'Well,' you may say, 'those branches were
broken off to make room for me.' Yes, but remember—those branches, the Jews,
were broken off because they didn't believe God, and you are there because you
do believe. Don't think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if
God did not spare the branches he put there in the first place, he won't spare
you either. Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe to those who
disobeyed, but kind to you as you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you
stop trusting, you also will be cut off. And if the Jews turn from their
unbelief, God will graft them back into the tree again. He has the power to do
it. For if God was willing to take you who were, by nature, branches from a
wild olive tree and graft you into his own good tree—a very unusual thing to
do—he will be far more eager to graft the Jews back into the tree where they
belong" (Romans 11:15-24, NLT).
When Israel rejected
Jesus Christ, she opened the door to salvation for the Gentiles. But God never
forgot His promise to Israel, and He promises the day will come when Israel
will fully embrace the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
A Second Chance for
Israel
Just as Paul stated in
his letter to the Romans, the Lord hasn't forgotten Israel. She will have one
more chance to bear fruit for her Messiah, and this opportunity is the key to
understanding the hour of Christ's return. Jesus illustrates this when He tells
a parable about a planted fig tree:
"Then Jesus used this illustration: 'A man planted a fig tree
in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but
he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, "I've waited
three years, and there hasn't been a single fig! Cut it down. It's taking up
space we can use for something else." The gardener answered, "Give it
one more chance. Leave it another year, and I'll give it special attention and
plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, you can cut it
down."'" (Luke 13:6-9, NLT).
For three years, Jesus
spread His message throughout Israel, performing miracles, exhibiting
unprecedented knowledge of the Scriptures and offering ample evidence of His
claim to be the long-awaited Messiah. Yet despite three years of testimony,
Israel refused to believe in the one who was sent.
According to this
parable, Israel will get one more year with "special attention and plenty
of fertilizer." If she still fails to bear fruit, she will be cut down
(destroyed).
As Jesus reveals, Israel
will be given a final chance to exhibit faith in Him in the last days, just
prior to His glorious appearing. To do so, Israel must first become a nation
once again, a miraculous feat that took place in May 1948. The reestablishment
of Israel as a nation is the foremost sign to our generation that Christ's
return is imminent. And that's why the fig tree is the key to understanding
which generation will witness His Second Coming. Through the nation of Israel,
God has given the world a sign that is impossible to ignore. Nevertheless, most
of the world has chosen to ignore it.
The Sign of Our
Generation
In the Olivet Discourse
(Matthew 24), Jesus revealed to His disciples that the primary sign of the end
of the age and His soon return would be the restoration of Israel as a nation.
However, He didn't plainly say so. Instead, He once again used the fig tree as
a metaphor for the nation of Israel:
"Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its buds become tender
and its leaves begin to sprout, you know without being told that summer is
near. Just so, when you see the events I've described beginning to happen, you
can know his return is very near, right at the door. I assure you, this
generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place.
Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever"
(Matthew 24:32-35, NLT).
The fig tree is Israel.
It's been six decades since Israel was once again declared a nation against all
worldly odds. In Matthew 24, Jesus promises that the generation that witnesses
the reestablishment of Israel will not die off until the end of the age comes
to pass. Given the Bible's impeccable track record, we have every reason to
expect His imminent return. Jesus will return soon, within our generation, and
a wise person will prepare accordingly.
Just as the time of His
first coming was clearly revealed to the previous generation, the season of His
return has been clearly revealed to ours. The previous generation was
unprepared for His arrival. Ours should be watching with a patient and enduring
faith, fully confident in the glory we are about to witness. Christ is coming.
The fig tree is in bloom, and ours is the generation.
Britt Gillette is
founder of BrittGillette.Com, a website examining the relationship between
Bible prophecy and emerging trends in technology. For more information or to
sign up for his email alerts, please visit http://www.brittgillette.com.
