Matthew 21:19

‘And seeing a fig tree by the way side, he came to it, and found nothing on it, but leaves only. And he says to it, “Let there be no fruit from you from now on for ever.” '

In an abbreviated account Matthew now describes how on seeing a fig tree by the side of the road He came up to it and found that it had nothing but leaves, and at this He says, “Let there be no fruit from you from now on for ever.”

We should first of all note that the idea is not said to be that He did not find figs, (indeed Mark says that it was not the season for figs), but that He found ‘nothing but leaves'. The tree gave an indication of fruitfulness but was totally barren. Thus the point is that He found no indication of fruitfulness at all. But as it was ‘not the season for figs' why did He expect to find some?

One suggestion is that He did hope to find on the fig tree some remnant of old figs, (He was used to eating rough and would be a hardy eater). But that would not explain the reference to leafiness.

More likely is the suggestion that it was His hope that because of its leafiness He would find something edible on the tree, such as the barely edible green knops that come before the actual figs arrive. Seeing leaves on a fig tree is usually an indication of some kind of fig growth.

But equally likely is the suggestion that this was a special type of fig tree, the early fig tree that produces green figs, and would normally be expected to produce fruit of a kind early on. Thus once the leaves began to grow, figs would be expected. Such trees have been known to produce figs in April, as is evidenced from a number of sources.

Isaiah 28:4 mentions ‘the firstripe fig before the summer, which when he who looks on it sees, he eats it up while it is in his hand'. That may have referred to something similar to what we have described. Whichever way it is the point is that the tree evidenced a total lack of fruitfulness. This would not in fact be surprising. Unless a fig tree is carefully tended it is quite common for it to grow to be an unfruitful tree, and this tree seemingly just grew by the wayside.

Thus Jesus used the fact that it was a fruitless tree to make it into a living example, and simply speeded up its expected demise. It is not suggested that He is angry, (we read that into it because we get like that), and His words should be noted. No fruit from it from now on ‘for ever'. This would appear to confirm that it is old unbelieving Israel as such that He has in mind. For no fruit acceptable to Jesus can result from such an Israel. The indication was that the final opportunity for those in old Israel who will not become fruitful by responding to Him and become part of the true vine (John 15:1) has gone for ever.

‘And immediately the fig tree withered away.'

The word rendered ‘immediately' need not indicate that it was instantaneous. The point is rather that the fig tree withered away within a period discernible to the disciples. It indicates ‘within a short time' (compare its regular use in this way in Mark where it cannot possibly always mean ‘at once'). We should note that Jesus is not said to have ‘cursed' the fig tree. In Mark that is Peter's language. But He has certainly hastened its end in such a way that Peter saw it as being like that (another example of Peter's impetuosity). The probable reason for this was in order to illustrate that because it was all show and really unfruitful, old Israel's end was near in the same way.