Why would Jesus curse a fig tree? Well, because the two halves of the story of the fig tree occur on either side of Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple, the two events are obviously linked. On the morning that Jesus went into the Temple, He found no fruit on it and cursed it. On the day after His cleansing of the Temple, the fig tree had withered away.

So, what’s the connection? It should be obvious: the Temple was no longer bearing the fruit of worship and prayer, and because of that, it too would be cursed and destroyed. Jesus would go on to say this explicitly, predicting that not one stone of the Temple would be left standing on another (13:2). And the Roman army did in fact tear down the Temple some 40 years after Jesus spoke these words. In fact, the destruction was so complete that scholars still debate about exactly where the Temple stood on the top of Mount Zion.

And what was it about the Temple that made Jesus so upset? The chief priests and the scribes had allowed merchants to set up shop in the Court of the Gentiles, the only part of the Temple where non-Jewish people were allowed to worship and pray. It thus seems that the religious leaders were more concerned with their own profits than they were with evangelism and mission.

And it is still the case that a church that is focused only on itself and its own programs is at great risk of failure. On the other hand, congregations that are focused on spreading the gospel beyond their doors, congregations that strive to bring more people into the Kingdom of God tend to thrive and flourish.

So, maybe we all need to take a look at our own congregations’ priorities. Are we outwardly or inwardly focused? In our worship and prayer, our evangelism and mission and service, is our main concern the glory of God and the good of others? Or are we more interested in institutional survival and our own preferences? Or to put it another way, do you think Jesus is pleased with the fruit our congregations are bearing? Or does He need to clean house?

Mark 11:12-20 (NASB)

12 And on the next day, when they had departed from Bethany, He became hungry.
13 And seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
14 And He answered and said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.
15 And they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to cast out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves;
16 and He would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple.
17 And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations ‘? But you have made it a robbers’ den.”
18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for all the multitude was astonished at His teaching.
19 And whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.
20 And as they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up.