I know that all the accounts of Jesus in the Bible serve as pictures of who He is. There is one story that I LOVE, and I understand the lesson being illustrated, but I don’t understand how it fits into Jesus’ character. In Luke, he’s hungry, he sees a fig tree that has no fruit, and he curses it (“No one will ever eat from you again.”). Later, the disciples see the tree, and it has withered and died. Is this purely for the purpose of the lesson being taught (ask with belief and you shall receive), or is it also meant to show something about Jesus?
Thanks for your question.
It is apparent that Jesus taught his disciples a great lesson by means of the cursing of the fig tree, but is this the only reason he cursed the tree? The record does not state that this was even one of the reasons. I don't assume anything. Jesus said to the tree...and his disciples heard it. He wasn't addressing them yet at this point.
I don't know that he intended to be overheard by the disciples. Perhaps he was just getting rid of a worthless tree, nothing more to it than that. But when the disciples expressed their shock at what was done, he used the incident to teach. Perhaps teaching his disciples was his purpose all along, but we can't (or shouldn't) read that into the record.
So we don't know why Jesus cursed the fig tree much less all the nuances of why the incident is recorded for us in the scriptures. I am thrilled that it was recorded and thus I know that all things whatsoever I shall ask in prayer, believing I shall receive.
Did you learn something else from this record? If so, good, but I can't speak to the question of whether or not that was one of the reasons for the incident to have been recorded.
Bless,
Ken Brown