Home Topics Index Download
Transcript 178C — The Cursing of the Fig Tree [Mk 11:12-14]
HC: Good evening. Welcome to Open Forum.
CALLER: I would like to ask a question about Mark 11:12-14.
HC: Mark 11:12-14. There we read, "And on the following day, when they came to Bethany, He was hungry. 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. And He said to it, 'may no one ever eat fruit from you again' And His disciples heard it."
CALLER: What was His purpose behind doing that? I could perhaps understand it if it was time for fruit to be on the tree, but it wasn't, evidently.
HC: You see, in the Bible the fig tree is a figure of Israel, national Israel. This can be shown in a variety of ways. Now back in Isaiah 6, God had already cursed Israel, and said that except for a tiny remnant chosen by grace, Israel would remain blind and hearing they would not hear, and seeing they would not see.
The same curse was emphasized by Jesus. He used the same language of Isaiah 6. And later on, the apostle Paul, in the last chapter of Acts, quoted the same words. In other words, God prophesied, already 600 or 700 years before Christ came, that when He came, Israel, national Israel, would be essentially in unbelief and would not turn to Him.
And so the fig tree that He is cursing is a figure of Israel. He comes to it, and all he finds is leaves. There's no fruit. Israel was a nation in the days of Christ. It was a nation, but there was no fruit. They essentially were opposed to Christ as Messiah, because it was not the season for figs. Well, Israel would not be bearing fruit because God had already anticipated, in Isaiah 6, that they would be cursed in this way so that they would not bear fruit.
Now there is a further curse here, and it's got very sad implications. He said, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again", the implication being that Israel would never again bear fruit. Now this is excluding the remnant chosen by grace. That is the exception that God constantly refers to in the Bible. But as a nation, as a nation we will never expect a turning to the Lord Jesus Christ by the nation of Israel.
Now significantly, when we look at the nation of Israel today, we see this prophecy, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again," being fulfilled before our eyes. Almost miraculously, Israel is a nation, for the first time, after 2000 years. And you would think if there were ever a time that they would really call attention to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is one of their own, and turn to Him as their Messiah, you would think this would be the time. But they've been here since 1948, and they are no more interested as a nation in Christ as Messiah than any nation in the world. They are not bearing fruit. And the implication of this is that they will not bear fruit as a nation. The fig tree has been cursed for ever.
Thank you for calling.