Passion Week Tuesday - The Withered Fig Tree and Faith

On Monday of Passion Week, a hungry Jesus approaches a leafy fig tree to see “if perhaps He would find anything on it” (Mark 11:13). Leaves usually came with fruit. But upon finding the tree strangely fruitless, Jesus curses it from ever bearing fruit (Mark 11:14).

The next morning on Tuesday, the disciples see the same fig tree now “withered from the roots up” (Mark 11:20-21): Jesus’ curse had totally blighted it. In light of the symbolic significance of fig trees (a symbol for Israel – Hosea 9:10; Joel 1:7), where this cursing takes place (near Jerusalem), and when it takes place (as Jesus faces the jealousy and murderous anger of the Jewish religious leaders), Jesus’ point in cursing the fruitless fig tree is clear. Israel has become spiritual fruitless and will be judged for rejection of Christ. In fact, a figless fig tree was a common sign of judgment on Israel in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 8:13; Joel 1:10-12; Amos 4:9).

But Jesus’ lesson doesn’t end with judgment. He uses Peter’s astonishment that the fig tree withered from Jesus’ words alone to make another point about His power: We must “[h]ave faith in God” (v. 22). We must have faith in His power to do what we cannot do. We must have faith in His word.

So, Jesus encourages His disciples to believe in His all-powerful word and thereby tap into His power to do the impossible (Mark 10:27). And He pictures doing the impossible with the metaphor of uprooting a mountain and casting it into the sea (Mark 11:23) – a common Jewish expression used for the great abilities of spiritual leaders. Jesus never cast a mountain into sea. But by trusting in His word, He promises to do spiritually great things for us.

And we express our trust in Him by praying (Mark 11:24), which Jesus encourages us to do believing that we have received everything we ask for. What a tremendous promise!

Now, this verse has to be harmonized with others which teach that God answers prayers that align with His will (1 John 5:14). But what Jesus wants to do here is reassure us that faith has power because it accesses His power. So, this promise is meant to ignite our passion for prayer, not dampen it. As we see the generous heart of Christ, we will be motivated to pray with faith.

Specifically, we will be motivated to pray to Him to do the impossible – to open the eyes of sinners to the light of Christ (Acts 26:18), to forgive us of our sins (Mark 11:25), to help our unbelief (Mark 9:24), to bear the Spirit’s fruit in us (Galatians 5:22-23), and to do a whole host of spiritual things promised in His word…things which we could not do apart from Him (John 15:5).

Even with a small, mustard-seed of faith, we can move mountains; we can do the impossible (Matthew 17:20). Not because of our faith and not because of our prayers. But because of the object of our faith and prayers – Jesus Christ.

So, believe in Him. Don’t doubt Him in your heart. Instead, take His promises at face value and pray them – repeatedly – trusting that He will gladly answer you at the right time and in the right way.

And remember – His death has secured all the promises of God for you…now and forever.