“Let no man eat fruit of you forever.”  Jesus talking to a tree?  A little background information is in order.  Like so many other things that were done and said by people living in the Middle East, an explanation helps the Western mind to understand the relationship between what Jesus and His disciples did and said, the circumstances surrounding those acts and statements and how they apply to the New Testament Church.  This series is designed to help the student of the Scriptures in that respect.  As is always the case, the teachings gleaned from such a study will be embraced only by those who truly seek the Lord’s Truths and having hearts to believe and obey them.

In Mark 11 we find Jesus and His disciples entering Jerusalem where He was greeted by people who were lining the road on which He arrived and placing their outer garments along with palm branches down so that the donkey He was riding on would walk on them.  The people, knowing Who He was, shouted, “Hosanna.  Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord.  Blessed is the kingdom of our father David; blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest.”  Jesus was on His way to the Temple.

After seeing what was going on there He and His disciples left Jerusalem and walked to the nearby town of Bethany.  The next morning as they were returning to Jerusalem He was hungry.  Seeing a fig tree off in the distance He noticed that it had leaves.  He approached it expecting to find some fruit.  He was disappointed in that the tree had leaves but no fruit, for it was not time for the tree to produce its regular growth of figs.  Because the tree had no fruit He cursed it.  This makes no sense to the rest of the world.  Why would He curse a tree for not having fruit out of season?  This is totally unreasonable to those who do not understand the fruit producing cycle of fig trees and the lesson such production cycles have in store for those who wish to spend eternity with the Lord and His Son in Their Kingdom.

The following day as Jesus and the disciples were leaving Jerusalem Peter noted that the tree Jesus had cursed the day before was dead and withered from its roots.  Jesus responded by telling the disciples to have faith in God.  His disciples did not understand the spiritual significance of the fig tree and its dual production cycles in their lives and in the lives of those whom they would touch throughout the remainder of their ministries.  Let us explore the wonderful lesson the withered tree has to teach us.  And let us thank God for those who do the research that lets honest Truth seekers in on the lesson.

While Jesus was on earth He was continually teaching His disciples.  One of His teaching methods involved the use of parables.  Parables were used both to enable people to understand and to prevent people from understanding–to confuse as well as to clarify.  An example of the former is recorded in Matthew 13 where He had spoken to a multitude of people who had followed Him out into the countryside.  When asked by His disciples why He spoke to them plainly, but used parables to the others,  Jesus replied that He had spoken in parables because “… these people’s hearts are waxed gross and their ears are dull of hearing and their eyes they have closed ….”  He knew the people did not want to hear the Truth (vss 10-15).  He deliberately confused them because He knew that they followed Him in order to be fed, healed and delivered from demonic spirits.  They were not interested in holiness and godliness, which He commands from His saints.  So what about the fig tree?

One strange thing about fig trees is that they produce two different types of fruit in two different seasons.  Another strange thing is that they produce the first batch of fruit before their leaves come forth.  Fig trees have two production seasons.  If the first fruits do not appear (before leaves appear), there will not be a second, much larger, crop of fruit.  The first fruits produced are few in number, very sweet and very expensive.  These are Biblically referred to as the “firstfruits” (Jam. 1:18/ Rev. 14:4).  The man Jesus of Nazareth is called “THE firstfruit unto the Lord.”  Those who follow in His spiritual footsteps are the firstfruits “who are His at His coming (return)–1 Cor. 15:23.  These are they who will rise to meet Him in the air, descend with Him and His angels to the Mount of Olives, walk into Jerusalem where they will establish the Kingdom of God on earth.  Read The Kingdom of God.  Key word–Kingdom.

When Jesus and His disciples approached the fig tree having leaves they expected it to had some firstfruits on it.  However, they found a tree that, though it appeared to be productive, but was in fact useless.  And not only useless, but hypocritical in that it looked fruitful, but was not.  Having leaves but no fruit meant that it was all show and no go.  Because it had no firstfruits, it would not be producing any future fruit.  Because it had leaves it appeared to have a crop of firstfruits and would later produce a larger crop of regular figs.  That tree was a living lie.

The fruitless tree was an example of profession without production.  Behind its leaves it was hiding a negative truth.  From a distance it looked fruitful.  But upon close examination Jesus found it to be representing something it was not.

Then there is the question of Jesus and the disciples preparing to take something that did not belong to them–the firstfruits of the tree.  Another explanation is needed.  The Mosaic Law allowed anyone traveling through an area and finding themselves to be hungry to take as much fruit, vegetables, etc. as they could carry in both hands–a “double handful” of the produce.  This custom still persists in the Middle East.  Following the harvest of the main production of figs, any figs left on a tree is available for the poor who can eat as much as they want.

The lesson of the fig tree is obvious.  Those who claim to be God’s people but who do not obey His Law are like the fruitless fig tree–suitable only for death.  And die they will if they do not turn from their wicked ways and obey the commandments of Almighty God.  Read The Three Resurrections.  Key word–Resurrections.  Pay special attention to what is written about  the second resurrection.  L.J.