The Fig Trees

During the last week of the Savior’s life He used the fig tree as part of two different teachings.  The first was when He cursed the fig tree that did not bear fruit.  We read, “And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away” (Matt. 21:19).  Later in the same week as He taught the disciples on the Mount of Olives about the signs of the times, He said, “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors” (Matt. 24:32-33).  What did the Savior want us to learn by these teachings, and is there any relationship between these? 

               The cursing of the fig tree was unique in that He was using His power to curse instead of bless, and clearly there was an important lesson He was trying to teach His followers.  He seemed upset that the tree had leaves and yet no fruit. According to the student manual, “The leaves on the fig tree indicated that it should have had fruit, but it did not. With its misleading appearance, the tree symbolized hypocrisy, and its fate perhaps represented what awaited those who professed righteousness, yet plotted the Savior’s death.”  Surely the sin of hypocrisy received His sharpest criticism, and the event hearkens back to His words on the Sermon on the Mount: “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit” (Matt. 7:16-17).  Here was a tree that had no fruit—and that’s exactly how He judged it.  And the fact that it had leaves seems to have indicated that it professed to have fruit but did not, perhaps a representation of what He taught in the previous verse: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matt. 7:15).  It’s interesting that the parable of the fig tree also focused on the leaves of the tree, and although the teaching about recognizing the signs of the times is somewhat different than what we learn from the cursing, I think there is something similar between them.  Both the parable and cursing teach us to use discernment and pay close attention to spiritual things.  With the parable we learn that we are to watch carefully to what happens around us so we can recognize when prophecies are being accomplished.  Christ had just taught them about some of the terrible events that would take place prior to His Second Coming, and He wanted us to be vigilant in watching for them.  With the cursing we learn that we must similarly use discernment in order to see hypocrisy for what it is and recognize who really brings forth good fruit.  In a way, they both teach us to “discern between the righteous and the wicked” as Malachi invited us (Malachi 3:18).  In our time with so many spiritual dangers around us, more than ever we need to remember the lessons of the fig tree and observe the people and events that happen in the world with discernment.