'Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Read Full Chapter >>>

Fruit or Leaves?

On Holy Tuesday, Jesus encounters a fig tree—full of leaves but bearing no fruit. He then rebukes it, and immediately it withers. Jesus doesn’t do this passively or out of irritation; this was a symbolic and prophetic act.

The fig tree was a symbol of Israel’s spiritual condition and representative of the hearts of the religious leaders of His time—leaders Jesus would soon go on to call “serpents,” a “brood of vipers,” and “whitewashed tombs full of bones and uncleanness.”

Though these religious leaders maintained their laws, rituals, and the appearance of holiness, they lacked genuine spiritual life. Like the tree, they bore no fruit.
Just as the fig tree was judged for its barrenness, so too would the religious establishment be held accountable for rejecting the very Messiah their Scriptures foretold.

Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t leave the lesson there. From judgment, He moves to faith.

When the disciples express amazement at how quickly the fig tree withered, Jesus responds with a promise in verse 21—reminding them (and us) not to doubt, and to remember the power we have through faith in Him.

This is the model of faith we are to walk in—not a faith that seeks selfish outcomes, but a faith that trusts the will of God, prays according to it, and believes He is both willing and able to act. This is also rebuke to a nation that had lost true faith. Their leaders had the Scriptures, the temple, and the traditions—but they lacked the faith that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6).

As we continue through Holy Week, this section of scripture is a fitting place for us to examine our own religion. Do we care more about “fruit” or about “leaves”?

But as we examine ourselves and meditate on Jesus’ journey to the cross, we are reminded not to be condemned by the areas where our faith may fall short, but instead we are called to have faith in Him - a faith that can cast mountains into the sea!