Introduction

Today, we will go over the passages which talk about Jesus cursing the fig tree. What we will find is that Jesus is One Greater than Jehu. That God is sovereign over salvation and judgment. And that the overnight withering of the fig tree is a sign of the end of the Levitical priesthood.

One Greater than Jehu

Remember last time we went over the Luke 13 parable of the fig tree. A certain man is looking for fruit on his barren fig tree. In Mark 11 and the parallel passage of Matthew 21, Jesus himself is a certain man seeking the fruit of a fig tree, and he finds none. So, he curses it. The barren fig tree he encounters here is a figure of Old Covenant Israel. I think everything we have already gone over teaches us this, but we have even more in these passages to further supplement, and illuminate other facets of this reading.

I should not that I am somewhat tentative in suggesting some of these things. I don’t have a 100% handle on them. But I think I’m swinging in the right direction. I think something is there, and so I want to put them out for others to refine them or be refuted.

So, one thing to notice in both Mark 11 and Matthew 21 is the general shape of the story. In both accounts, Jesus enters Jerusalem triumphantly, looks for fruit, finds none, curses the fig tree, and cleanses the temple. The order is somewhat shuffled in each account. But these three actions are all relevant. They are all pointing to the wickedness of Israel in not bearing fruit, and their subsequent judgment. Jesus arrives at the fig tree, finds no fruit, curses it. Jesus arrives at the Temple, finds no fruit, clears it.

But the larger shape is similar to Jehu’s story in 2 Kings 9-10. Jesus’ entry, cursing, and clearing is a recapitulation of Jehu. Jehu is a messianic type. Jehu was also recognized as king of Israel, also had a triumphal entry, and also cleared the house of God, an Israel ruled by Ahab and Jezebel. Jesus is doing the same thing here by clearing the Temple. And then He does it in an even greater and more final way 40 years later by destroying the Temple. I think the shape of this story teaches us that one greater than Jehu is here.

When Jehu is anointed king, we read, “Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, ‘Jehu is king!’” (2 Kings 9:13)

When Jesus makes his entry into Jerusalem we read, “Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, ‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!’ ‘Hosanna in the highest heaven!’” (Mark 11:8-10, see also Matthew 21:8-9)

Both kings have this triumphal entry. And just as Jehu the King came in judgement on the house of Israel, so too Jesus the King comes in judgment on the house of Israel. His cursing the fig tree was a preliminary judgment to his clearing the Temple courts, and His clearing of the Temple courts was a preliminary judgment to His destroying the Temple completely. An even more Jehu-like judgment on Jerusalem through Vespasian and Titus’ Roman armies.

If you read the story of Jehu, you see his zealousness. He is intense in bringing judgment on the house of Ahab. We are told several times that he is known for riding furiously. Similarly, Jesus’ clearing of the Temple was one of his most furious moments of earthly ministry. So much so that after he clears the Temple courts, his disciples remember Psalm 69:9, “Zeal for Your house has eaten me up.” Interesting for it’s Jehu connections, but also for it’s eating connections, given the context of the fig tree.

Jesus came to Jerusalem on a donkey, as the lowly servant king, to offer Himself as the Sacrifice for His elect. But later, In Revelation 6 and 19 He comes again on a white war horse, with his heavenly army, to wage war against the nations, including Israel, as an avenger of blood, and vindicator of the righteous. One of His first acts of judgment as the ascended King in heaven was to destroy the the Nation of Israel, much like Jehu’s first act of judgment as King.

I believe Jesus alludes to this in his parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22. The king prepares a wedding for his son. Sends his servants out to invite people to it. Those invited weren’t willing to come. He sends out more servants to invite more people. Jesus says, “But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.” (vv. 5-7) He then invited new people to the wedding feast.

What’s going on here? I think the most intelligible reading is that the king is the Father. The son is Christ. The servants are the prophets. The ones unwilling to come and who murdered the servants are the Jews. The king sending an army to destroy those who refused to come was the judgment that happened from AD 66-70. The new invitees are the Gentiles. And the wedding feast is the gathering of the New Covenant Church. There is probably a double fulfillment thing here, where this could also be in reference to final judgment, and the final wedding feast. But I think the primary or first application of this parable is to the unbelieving Jews who didn’t want to come to the wedding feast, the new covenant Church.

So, when John sees Jesus on a white horse, along with an army of angels behind Him in Revelation ready to make war on the nations. I think we can understand this as his war against old Covenant Israel, and then secondly as the advancement of His kingdom following this event. The One Greater Than Jehu is executing His vengeance on the Nations, but judgment begins at the house of the Lord, at the House of Israel.

Something that further solidifies this reading are the events of history. We have two non-Christian historians tell us that there was an army seen in the sky over Jerusalem, right before Jerusalem was annihilated.

Josephus, a Jew, says, “On the one and twentieth day of the month Artemisius, [Jyar,] a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared: I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sun-setting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities.” (Josephus The Wars of the Jews 6.5.3)

And Tacitus, a pagan Roman, says, “In the sky appeared a vision of armies in conflict, of glittering armour.” (The Histories 5.13)

There is so much wild stuff in the period from 66-70 AD recorded by Josephus and other non-Christian sources that are basically testimonies to the fulfillment of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse and the Apocalypse of John, which is just a protracted version of the Olivet Discourse. But here I think the inhabitants of Jerusalem saw their King in the sky followed by His heavenly army, ready to make war on them through the instrumentality of their own chaotic and violent civil war, and finally the Roman army. The inhabitants of Jerusalem saw what John saw in Revelation 6 and 19.

The cursing of the fig tree means the judgment of Israel. We see that there are fractals of Jehu, along with the wedding feast parable, and the visions from the Apocalypse of John, that all point to Christ returning as a Warrior Jehu-King to destroy His enemies, the unfruitful, barren, unfaithful, adulterers, and murderers of that generation.

Not The Season for Figs

Let’s zoom in on the cursing of the barren fig tree.

“Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany [House of Misery], He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” (Mark 11:12-14)

Now, the strange thing to me when I read this is that Jesus curses the fig tree for not having figs, when it wasn’t the season for figs. How do we make sense of this?

If we understand the fig tree to be Israel, and we understand what Paul teaches about God’s sovereignty over election regarding Israel in Romans 9-11, then I think it becomes clear. It’s another version of the creation saying to the Creator, “Why have you made me thus?” Why does Jesus find fault in the fig tree of Israel, for who can resist the season of year it is? Israel’s inability to see and accept their Messiah is sovereignly orchestrated by God for His purposes, and yet they still are responsible for their rejection of Him, and receive the punishments of their unbelief. The Bible testifies all over the place to God’s sovereignty in salvation, but also man’s responsibility for sin. And I think that is what is happening here.

In John 12, John says the Jews couldn’t believe because God caused them not to believe.

“Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:

‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,
Lest they should see with their eyes,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.'” (vv. 39-40)

In other words, the Jews couldn’t believe because it wasn’t the season for Jews to believe. The fig tree didn’t produce figs, because it wasn’t the season for figs. Yet, Jesus holds them accountable. He holds the fig tree accountable. But one of you will say to me, why does He find fault, since no one can resist his will? But who are you, oh man, to reply against God?

But Paul doesn’t leave the Jews without hope. He tell us in Romans 11 that the season for Jews to believe will happen eventually. And when it happens it will be because God will circumcise their hearts. God will give them eyes to see. And God will then find fruit on the fig tree. And it will be an even greater blessing to the nations, than their falling away was.

An Overnight Withering

After cursing the fig tree, clearing the Temple, and on the next day, we read this.

“Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.’” (Mark 11:20-21)

The fig tree withering over night is a contrasted event from the rod of Aaron blossoming over night. Both miraculous events signifying the miraculous fruitfulness or fruitlessness of Israelite ministry. This was brought to my attention by Matthew Henry. The fig tree of Israel withers over night. The rod of Aaron bloomed over night. The blossoming rod of Aaron, a tree so to speak, indicated God’s choosing of the house of Levi for the priesthood, and the fruitfulness of their ministry. That God’s providence and power was with Israel and their priesthood was signified in the overnight sprouting of Aaron’s rod. But the overnight withering of the fig tree represented God’s withdrawal of favor. That the Levitical priesthood is no longer going to be a fruitful ministry. Remember what Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches…apart from Me you cannot bear any fruit…You cannot do anything.” (paraphrase) Israel has withdrawn from God, so God is withdrawing from Israel, therefore it withers away. There is a new priesthood that supplants the old. The Melchizedekian priesthood of Christ is a better priesthood and only in that priesthood can one bear fruit.

Conclusion

The cursing of the fig tree indicated the end of the Old Covenant era. All of these things are tied up with the coming judgment on the unbelieving Jews in Jerusalem. The end of the Old Covenant priesthood. The beginning of the New Covenant priesthood. The sovereign casting away of unbelieving Israel. And the One Greater than Jehu, the Warrior King, coming in judgment on the barren fig tree of Jerusalem. Next episode we will explore Jesus’ teachings in response to Peter’s observation of the withered fig tree.