Why did Jesus Curse the Fig Tree? What Can We Learn?

God is about life everlasting. If something doesn’t produce, He knows Satan had something to do with it, since he roams the earth, the first heaven.

A fig tree has a life span of over 100 years. They need little fertilizer to grow, and they are self-pollinating. It produces recent growth from the roots. It’s an amazing tree!
In both the books of Matthew and Mark, they describe the fig tree incident. Keep in mind Matthew was there. Jesus sees the fig tree. He’s hungry and there is nothing on it but leaves. Mark narrates the story, as figs were out of season. He wasn’t there when this happened, but it doesn’t change the story that Jesus cursed the thing. Later, Matthew and Mark write about the lesson of the fig tree.
“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branches become tender and put out its leaves, you know that summer is new so also when you see all these things you know that is near, at the very gates, truly I say to you this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Matthew 24:32. In Mark’s version, it mirrors Matthew’s words from 21: 20-22 but later in the storyline.
Luke brings up the parable of a certain man who had a fig tree but it hadn’t produced fruit. The owner of the vineyard wanted to cut it down, but the keeper of the vineyard told him to leave it alone and he would fertilize it. If it bears fruit, well, if not, cut it down.
In Matthew and Mark, the disciples marveled at what happened. And Jesus talks about faith that moves a mountain. The issue with the fig tree was that it failed to produce sufficient fruit to sustain Him. We can remove anything that lacks life or resembles a strong mountain on the earth when we have faith.
A Facebook page “Revival Now” features an article on Norvel Hayes and other influential ministers from the Charismatic movement like Bobby Conners and Bob Jones. His daughter had 42 growths on her back. People had been praying for her for years. Norvel was spending time with the Lord one night and the Lord told him that all he had been doing was putting up with his daughter’s issue, not taking care of it.
“Jesus responded, ‘I haven’t heard you curse those growths like I cursed the fig tree! You take my name and you curse the root of those growths and knots on your daughter’s body. And if you’ll have faith in Me and no doubt, they will disappear off her body.’” Norvel did as he was requested. He stopped praying for the problem and instead cursed the growth in Jesus’s name. It’s interesting how the number forty holds significance (There is something about that number!)
Okay, let’s go to the Forty-day thing. Mem, the thirteenth Hebrew letter’s Gematria is 40, and the word actually means water. What does water do? Water cleanses us, and restores us back to what we were before we were dirty. Cleans our pores out with soap so our bodies are fresh and clean. It transforms us.
As do the 40 days when we are fasting for something. It changes who we are during that fast because the longer we fast, the more we see God’s goodness and sustainability.
Norvel’s daughter’s healing took 40 days for a specific reason.
As I look at the scripture and the story of Norvel’s daughter, I see the connection of something in a homework study I have from a writing group I am in. The homework assignment is to imagine what God saw when He created me.
I was born with a syndrome that affects the bone structure of my body, causing major organs to not develop sufficiently. I have lung and heart issues that didn’t affect me in my younger years (or did and I just adjusted to it at the time). Because alcohol, smoking, and other things showed up in my DNA that were not conducive to what God had imagined for me to be as His creation.
Remember, I mentioned about the 1st Heaven being Earth? This is where God allowed Satan to roam, as well as a section of the second heaven where the courts are located. The first mention of the Courts in Heaven is in Zechariah 3:1-10 when Satan brings up Joshua to God in the Bible.
Let’s revisit the full chapter in Zachariah to better understand Jesus’ reference to the fig tree and his reason for cursing it.
This is a vision of Zachariah, many that he has in this book.
”Then He showed me Joshua, the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, ‘The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebukes you. Is not this a brand (a burning stick) plucked from the fire?’ Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. The angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Remove these filthy garments from him’ and to him (Joshua) he said, ‘Behold I have taken your iniquity away from you and I will clothe you with pure vestments.’ and I (Zachariah) said, ‘Let them put a clean turban on his head,’ So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.
“And the Angel of the Lord solemnly assured Joshua, ‘ Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.
Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant, the Branch. For behold on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. On that day, declares the Lord of host, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and his fig tree.’” Zachariah 3:1-10.
In 1 Kings 4:25. it talks about Solomon’s Wealth and Wisdom, it states that “And Judah and Isreal lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree all the days of Solomon.” Even Jesus found Nathaniel under the fig tree!
The fig tree plays an important part. So what was the reason for Jesus cursing that one tree? It produced no results. As Mark points out, it may have been out of season, and Jesus was aware of this. But He was hungry. Was there a conceivably more profound significance to that fig tree?
Jesus knew what sustained Him. He knew he could find food anywhere and create it Himself. I believe this was a lesson for us to comprehend what faith truly is and when we don’t doubt how immense our faith can become.
Finally, both Gospel accounts deliver the same message: the value of true faith, the repercussions of spiritual barrenness, and the need for sincere worship and righteousness. The differing sequence and emphasis in the two Gospels may be attributed to the unique intentions of their respective authors.
These two chapters on the fig tree offer multiple topics for further exploration, which I will discuss in future blog posts.
My focus is that by Jesus cursing it to death, the fig tree was withering away down to its roots. Its roots had no life.
In the sacred realm of prayer, I find resonance with the story of the fig tree’s curse. Just as Jesus confronted the barren fig tree, I too confront the issues within my body that hinder the image God had in mind when creating me. In my spiritual journey, guided by the Seven Spirits of God, I find parallels between my healing and Jesus’ transformation.
The fig tree, once cursed, withered and ceased to bear fruit. Similarly, my body, plagued by afflictions, departs from the divine vision God held when shaping me. In prayer, I seek restoration, a return to the intended image of wholeness and vitality.
Just as Jesus’ curse manifested in the fig tree’s withering, my prayers hold the promise of a healing transformation. I envision my body responding to this divine call, shedding afflictions like the fig tree shed its leaves. The Seven Spirits of God illuminate my path towards wholeness and well-being.
Through prayer, I can use the same divine authority that Jesus exhibited when cursing the fig tree. With unwavering faith, I beseech God to recreate me according to the original blueprint, to restore me to the image imagined in my creation. Like the fig tree in Luke, I expect my body’s rejuvenation and growth through God’s divine plan.
Consider the changes our bodies have undergone since the fall of man. Eden was closed and humans were given the Earth to produce food for future generations. In addition, Satan was now in control. Despite Satan’s fall from God’s kingdom, he still had access to Earth and certain parts of heaven. He had twisted God’s creation for the earth. These are the things that have transformed our bodies into what they are now.
As I’ve stated before, what the Seven Spirits of God are when they reign in us are:
The Spirit of the Lord- Brain
The Spirit of Wisdom-Eyes
The Spirit of Might-Ears, Nose, Throat,
The Spirit of Council- Heart and Lungs (the lungs are part of the Spirit of Might also)
The Spirit of Understanding -Stomach area and glands
The Spirit of Knowledge- The female sexual organs and small intestines
The Spirit of the Fear (Reverence) of the Lord- Male sexual organs, large intestines, Lumbar region.
In this reflection, I can’t help but draw a parallel between the root of the fig tree and the base of our spiritual existence. At the root lies the Spirit of the Fear (reverence) of the Lord, and much like the fig tree, it is where our journey begins. Like the fig tree, without proper spiritual nourishment and alignment with God’s order, our ability to bear fruit is compromised.
Satan’s distortion of God’s design is evident in the concept of Chakras, which reverses the divine order and seeks to manipulate the spiritual energies within us. This distortion, much like the fig tree that bore no fruit, inhibits our ability to fulfill the divine purpose. The colors of the Seven Spirits, reminiscent of the rainbow, represent the spectrum of God’s divine attributes and intentions for us.
I pray for a transformation that aligns with God’s original design, freeing me from distorted paths and energies. My prayers, like Jesus’ curse on the fig tree, promise a healing transformation that awakens and nurtures spiritual roots in divine order. Through faith and divine guidance, I call upon Jesus’ authority to undo distortion, align spiritually, and restore my true self.
What kind of fruit should we, as followers of Jesus, bear? In Galatians chapter five, the fruit of the Spirit is discussed: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When we pray, the Spirit of the Lord dwells in our brain and thoughts, originating from the heart as the Spirit of Council.
Romans 1:21 discusses those who suppressed the truth revealed in the flesh when the Spirit of Council is not ruling their hearts. Contrary things include adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries. It’s overwhelming for the heart!
I hope we’ve just started exploring an alternative path toward restoring our bodies as God intended. In the future, I aim to provide a more in-depth examination of the occurrences within our bodies from the moment of birth in my blog posts. I am not holding my parents accountable for the condition of my body. They couldn’t recognize the knowledge I gained over the years, and it’s not their fault or their ancestors. I hope to use my scripture studies to reverse the health issues affecting me, my children, and my grandchildren.