Matthew 21:18-22

Cursing of the fig tree (Mark 11:12 and Mark 11:20). St. Mark makes it clear that the fig tree was cursed on Monday morning as they left Bethany, but that the effect of the curse was not noticed till Tuesday morning.

This, the only miracle of wrath worked by Jesus, is also a revelation of God's mercy, for whereas the countless miracles of mercy were all wrought upon men, this one was wrought upon a tree. 'He parches the tree' (says Theophylact), 'that He may teach men wisdom.' 'He exercises His power '(says Euthymius), 'not on a man, because He is a lover Of men, but on a plant.' The whole incident is an acted parable. There is no reason to suppose that Jesus was really hungry, or expected to find figs. St. Mark says expressly that the time of figs was not yet. Probably His words and actions were entirely symbolic, like those of the prophets (Jeremiah 13:1; Jeremiah 27:2; 1 Kings 22:11, etc.).

The one fig tree, standing apart from all other trees, is the Jewish nation, and whereas it alone had leaves, while the other trees were bare, it signifies that whereas Israel made great professions of righteousness and of the service of God, the other nations of the earth made none. Both Jew and Gentile were, indeed, equally unfruitful, but the Jew added to his unfruitfulness the appearance of fruit, for it is the peculiarity of the fig tree that its fruit appears and is well developed before there is any sign of leaves. When, therefore, leaves appear on a fig tree, ripe fruit may justly be expected. The fault of the fig tree, therefore, was not that it had no fruit, which was not to be expected at that season, but that it pretended to have it, and had not.
The curse of perpetual barrenness pronounced by Jesus upon the fig tree, i.e. upon Israel, has received a signal fulfilment. In the time of Christ it was an active missionary religion, making thousands of proselytes in every province of the empire, and leavening religious thought far beyond its own borders. Now it enrolls no proselytes.