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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadBob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - Mark 11:12 - 11:14
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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar_11:12-14
12On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13Seeing 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. 14He said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" And His disciples were listening.
Mar_11:12 Jesus used a common need (i.e., food) as an opportunity to teach a powerful lesson of judgment and rejection.
Mar_11:13 "a fig tree" Remember the name of the city of Bethphage means "house of figs." There were obviously many of these fruit trees in the area.
▣ "in leaf" There has been much discussion among commentators about this fig tree and why Jesus came to it.
1. it was in a sheltered place and had leaves early, so perhaps it might also have small figs
2. the leaves show promise, but no fulfillment, just as Israel did
3. Jesus was not looking for the figs, but the precursor "knobs" that are also sometimes eaten (cf. F. E. Bruce, Answers to Questions, p. 56 or Hard Sayings of the Bible, pp. 441-442).
I think it was a symbolic act of judgment (cf. Luk_13:6-9), like the cleansing of the Temple, of the Judaism of Jesus' day, headquartered in Jerusalem. It foreshadowed the destruction in a.d. 70 by the Roman general (later Emperor) Titus and the eschatological judgment because of their unbelief in Jesus (cf. v.14).
▣ "it was not the season for figs" It was the Passover season and usually not even full leaves had appeared yet. This phrase shows the symbolic nature of the event. Notice also Jesus spoke out loud so the disciples could hear. Israel was often symbolized by fig trees (however, usually grape vines, cf. Jer_29:17; Hos_9:10; Joe_1:7; Mic_7:1-6). The fact that the tree had many leaves showed that it should have produced fruit. Israel did not! This account of the fig tree is split into two sections with the cleansing of the temple placed between to signify that it refers to the judgment of God on the first century Jewish religious system and its leaders (as did the cleansing of the temple). It is uncertain whether all Israel or only the illegal leaders (i.e., those Sadducees who had purchased the office from the Romans) were so condemned. This judgment on Israel is emphasized in Luk_13:6-9 and Mar_12:1-12.
Mar_11:14 This is a strong permanent judgment!
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