Page 3 - BV15

3

WHY DID YESHUA CURSE THE

FIGTREE?

Yeshua's enigmatic cursing of the fig tree on the road from Bethany has
baffled students of the Bible for centuries! WHY did the tree have leaves
when it was "out of season" and not yet time for new growth? And why
did the Messiah curse the fig tree when He FULLY REALIZED-- before
He even approached it -- that it would have NO fruit? Read about the
ORIGIN of the fig tree and the HIGH ESTEEM in which it was (and still
is) held by some of the oldest civilizations on earth! Discover the mind-
boggling SYMBOLISM that surrounds this tree, and WHY the fig tree is
also representative of the Church of God today! The WITHERING of that
fig tree was an IMPORTANT HIGHLIGHT in the stream of events being
fulfilled during our Savior's last days on planet earth before being
crucified, and stoned, on the Mount of Olives -- probably within a very
few yards of the fig tree itself!

John D. Keyser

In the 21st chapter of Matthew, we read of a very unusual event in the last days of
our Savior's life here on this earth:

Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city [Jerusalem], he was
hungry. Seeing a FIG TREE by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it
except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you NEVER bear fruit again!"
Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed.
"How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked. Jesus replied, "I tell you the
truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to
the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain [Olivet], 'Go, throw yourself
into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask
for in prayer." -- Matthew 21:18-22.

Was this highly unusual occurrence just a lesson in faith, or was there more to it
than that? And why did the Messiah pick a FIG TREE for this lesson? Before answering
these questions, let's look at Mark's account of the event:

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the
distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached
it, he found nothing but leaves, because IT WAS NOT THE SEASON FOR FIGS.
Then he said to the tree, "May no one EVER eat fruit from you again." AND HIS
DISCIPLES HEARD HIM SAY IT...In the morning, as they went along, they saw
the fig tree WITHERED from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus,