Mark 11:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

NIV: Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.

NASB: Seeing from 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.

CSB: Seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he went to find out if there was anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs.

NLT: He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit.

KJV: And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.

NKJV: And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

This passage is more meaningful than a random case of tree-killing. Jesus is hungry, and the tree is not producing fruit as it should. While it is not the season for figs, fig trees would produce small, edible buds before beginning to grow actual figs. A tree that doesn't grow those buds won't later produce full fruit. Seeing that the tree has nothing to offer, and no anticipated harvest, Jesus denounces it (Mark 11:20). In Jeremiah, God foreshadows Jesus' words over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37) when He says of Judah, "When I would gather them…there are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves are withered, and what I gave them has passed away from them" (Jeremiah 8:13). Israel is also compared to figs in Jeremiah 29:17, Hosea 9:10, and Joel 1:7, all in the context of God's judgment on His people.

Jesus' action against the tree is a sign that God is about to judge Israel (Mark 13:1–2). The tree looks good: it is leafed out, but it produces no figs, so it is useless. The temple looks good: rebuilt by Herod the Great some fifty or sixty years before, but the religious leaders choose not to bear fruit in this season. The Jewish religious and political leaders have worked against Jesus from the start (Mark 3:6) and now want Him dead. The night before, He had gone to the Temple Mount and looked around, possibly seeing the closed booths of the money-changers and bird merchants in the outer court, taking up space set aside for Gentiles to worship God (Mark 11:11). The Sanhedrin authorizes these booths, and the component factions of the Sanhedrin—priests, scribes, and Pharisees—reject Jesus as the Messiah.

For those who need trees to produce food, a tree that does not bear fruit is useless. It will have the most beneficial impact if it dies and something more fruitful takes its place. In this case, the faltering spirituality of Israel is in the process of being replaced by the new covenant of the church.

Mark likes to sandwich one story around another. In this case, the story of the cursed fig tree surrounds the story of Jesus cleansing the temple of money changers, merchants, and others who have clogged up the Court of Gentiles on the Temple Mount (Mark 11:15–19). As the fig tree is useless for providing fruit, so the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem are useless in fulfilling their task of leading their people into a sincere worship of God and blessing the Gentiles. And so, both the tree and Jerusalem will be destroyed.

Mark 11:12–14 is another example of Mark's habit of placing two related stories around a third, subtly related idea. These connections become clear when the stories are seen together, such as Jairus' sick daughter wrapped around the ''daughter'' with an issue of blood (Mark 5:21–43). Jesus approaches the fig tree and finds it unfruitful, so He judges it (Mark 11:12–14). He then finds the temple corrupt and judges it (Matthew 11:15–19). The next morning, the disciples find the fig tree is dead (Mark 11:20–25), a fate Jerusalem will share in AD 70. Matthew joins both parts of this story of the fig tree in Matthew 21:18–22.

Jesus and the disciples arrive in Jerusalem a week before the crucifixion, and Jesus begins the last days of His public ministry. They spend their nights on the Mount of Olives and their days in Jerusalem (Luke 21:37). Jesus accepts the accolades designed for a king (Mark 11:1–11), attacks materialistic tradition that keeps people from worshiping God (Mark 11:15–19), gives an object lesson about the fate of fruitless Jerusalem (Mark 11:12–14, 20–25), and reveals the Jewish religious leaders' hypocrisy (Mark 11:27–33). Despite the support of the crowd, Jesus is pushing the leaders toward the crucifixion.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.