A Barren Fig Tree
As I was reading through Mark 11, I was stopped by a moment I’ve read before but never quite felt the weight of until now. It’s the scene where Jesus sees a fig tree in the distance, green and leafy, and walks over to it, expecting to find fruit. But when He reaches it, there’s nothing there.
“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.’”
(Mark 11:13–14, NIV)
The next day, the tree is withered from the roots.
It was the phrase “in leaf” that lingered. You see, in fig trees, the appearance of leaves usually means the fruit is also present. So for Jesus to see a leafy tree and walk toward it with hope, only to find it barren, meant that the tree had made a promise it couldn’t keep. It wore the appearance of fruitfulness but had none to offer. It looked alive, but it was empty.
That image struck a nerve in me.
Because how many times have I been that tree?
Appearances That Deceive
This wasn’t just about a tree. It was a parable in motion, a prophetic act that mirrored what Jesus would do next: cleansing the temple. Right after this moment, He overturns tables and calls out the religious leaders for turning a house of prayer into a den of thieves.
The fig tree had leaves but no fruit. The temple had rituals but no reverence. The leaders had titles but no truth.
And I had to ask: What about me?
When I'm the Barren Tree
This story is not about shame, it’s about honesty. So I sat with these questions:
Am I leafy but fruitless? Do I appear to be flourishing outwardly; serving, posting, performing, but inwardly feel disconnected, dry, and distant from God?
Am I rooted in performance instead of presence?
Do I equate busyness with spiritual growth, when the fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, are noticeably absent in my daily life?
Have I allowed the soil of my heart to dry up while still putting on a leafy front?
The sobering part is this: the tree didn’t wither from the leaves. It withered from the roots.
Which made me reflect: What am I rooted in right now? Approval? Image? Activity?
Or am I truly rooted in Christ,drawing nourishment from His presence, His Word, His Spirit?
What Figs Meant Back Then
Figs weren’t just food in ancient Israel. They symbolized peace, prosperity, and righteousness. In fact, “sitting under one’s own fig tree” was a way of describing a life at rest in God’s provision (Micah 4:4). The fig tree often represented Israel itself, and its fruitfulness, or lack thereof, spoke volumes.
So when Jesus curses a tree that looks healthy but bears no fruit, He’s saying something deeper: This isn’t just about trees. This is about people. About us.
It’s a warning, yes, but also an invitation.
What Jesus Was Really Hungry For
Jesus wasn’t just hungry for food. He was hungry for faith. For authentic fruit. Not the kind that impresses people, but the kind that pleases the Father.
He longs for transformation over performance. Intimacy over image. Substance over show.
And the fruit He’s looking for?
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
(Galatians 5:22–23)
These aren’t the kind of things you can fake. They grow in the soil of surrendered lives.
The Good News: Barren Doesn’t Mean Hopeless
Yes, Jesus cursed the fig tree. But that’s not the end of the story, and it doesn’t have to be the end of mine either.
This passage isn’t here to condemn, it’s here to convict. And conviction is a gift. It’s an invitation to return to the Gardener, to ask Him to break up the dry ground, to water what’s withered, and to restore fruitfulness in places I thought were long dead.
Because the beautiful truth is this:
God can restore a barren place.
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