Why the Fig Tree Had to Die
“May you never bear fruit again.”
We often focus on Jesus' miracles of healing and provision, but what can we learn from the miracle that brought death to a tree? The answer might surprise you.
In Matthew 21, Jesus is hungry, and he sees a fig tree with leaves, but no figs. Then he speaks to the fig tree and says, “May you never bear fruit again.”
And immediately, the tree withers. And this happens right before Jesus goes to the cross.
When Jesus does his miraculous works, there's usually an important point he's trying to make. And this is no exception. This was a declaration about the Old Covenant system, the law, and its inability to produce heart transformation.
Throughout Scripture, the fig tree often symbolized Israel. But in this case, it represented Israel under the laws of the Old Covenant – a system of external laws and ceremonies and sacrifices.
The tree had an impressive display of leaves, which normally would indicate fruit, but the tree was completely barren. It's a perfect picture of what was happening at the temple.
There was plenty of religious activity, sacrifices, ceremonies, prayers, but little genuine heart transformation. The Old Covenant was ultimately incapable of producing the fruit God desired.
That's like Romans 8:3:
“For what the law was powerless to do, because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son.”
The law could identify sin and demand righteousness, but it couldn't change the heart. It sort of worked from the outside in instead of from the inside out.
This is why Charles Spurgeon once said,
“The law is a good-looking glass, good for discovering the dirt on your face, but it cannot wash you.”
Jesus cursing the fig tree was a declaration that the old covenant system was coming to an end. He was pronouncing judgment on an entire religious system that needed to be replaced by the New Covenant. The author of Hebrews would later write in Hebrews 8:13,
“By calling this covenant new, he has made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.”
Under the new covenant established by Christ's death and resurrection, God writes his law on our hearts rather than on tablets of stone. The prophet Ezekiel foretold this when he wrote,
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
Are you feeling like your heart is all leaves and no fruit? Are you caught in religious performance rather than heart transformation?
Our role is not frantic striving, but faithful abiding. Not self-improvement, but a focus on Jesus and his promises. The world tells us to try harder and do more and be better, but the gospel says it's about what Jesus has done, not about what we can do.
Remember that God has not called you to maintain the appearance of righteousness through religious performance. Your fruitfulness comes from your union with Jesus. As you abide in him, the Spirit will inevitably produce in you the fruit that no amount of law-keeping could ever accomplish.
Jesus, you alone are the giver of life and the one who transforms hearts. I'm sorry for often settling for outward appearances and empty religious activity. Thank you that we can instead trust you. Please cause me to look at you instead of myself. I want to bear genuine fruit in my life for your glory.
Song: O Praise the Name