Mark 11:13
- Since this story of the fig tree comes both before and after Jesus’ cleansing of the temple, it serves as a framing device that gives us clues as to how to interpret the cleansing of the temple.
- The fig tree pretended to have figs, but it turned out to be false advertising.
- Just as the green leaves of the fig tree appear to have good fruit, so the temple appears to have good fruit, but when Jesus gets there, he finds no good fruit.
- Just as the green leaves of the fig tree could be seen from a distance and good fruit could be expected, so the temple in Jerusalem would serve as a place where all the peoples of the world could come to meet the God of Israel.
- In the same way, today we should consider whether our lives only give the appearance of being believers, or whether our lives also bear good fruit.
Mark 11:14
- These words do not make the fig tree barren, it was already barren. These words are a continuation of what already was.
- Jesus did many miracles, but this is the only time he does a negative “miracle of judgment”.