Matthew 21:18-19
“Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, ‘Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.”
This passage comes on the heels of a confrontation that Jesus had in Jerusalem with the scribes and chief priests. Jesus had, the day prior, overturned the tables of the money changers and those who sold doves and as a result, many blind and lame came into the temple and were healed of Him and children went into the temple and cried out “Hosanna to the Son of David.” The religious leaders became indignant with the resulting activity in the temple after Jesus violently turned the temple back into a house of prayer. Owing to the fact that the religious leaders felt violated and that they believed what was being said of Jesus was blasphemous, they confronted the Lord about what was happening. When Jesus did not yield to their ire, but further perpetuated it by pointing out that what had ensued was a fulfillment of prophecy, they became murderous!
Before we continue, it is imperative to note that symbolically, Israel is represented by two types of trees in the Bible. The olive tree represents religious Israel and the fig tree represents political Israel.
That being said, when we examine Matthew 21:19 with this understanding, we can see that Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree not only applied to that tree, but it also applied to political Israel as an independent power. In order to be in a place of authority, a person, a group, a nation, must be under a higher authority. The highest authority is God of course so it would be proper for authority to descend from God to nation to government, to region, etc. onward. After Jesus cursed the fig tree in verse 19, the religious leaders came again to Him and asked Him by what authority and who gave Him the authority He was acting upon {verse 23}. When Jesus engaged in quip pro quo with them, they could not discern where the authority came from. Thus, Jesus symbolic prophecy given to the fig tree began manifestation because the religious leaders of Israel {who speak on behalf of the whole of Israel} did not recognize nor yield to the authority of neither man or God. Approximately 40 years after the resurrection of Jesus, Jerusalem came under siege and was sacked by the Romans who, among other damage, destroyed the temple. And, as history proves, Israel as a state failed to exist from that moment until its restoration after World War II in 1948. Over the years, Israel as a nation has had to yield and submit her political power to marauders of Islam and Christianity and is, to this day unable to maintain her sovereignty over her own lands, holdings, and people. In this way, what was spoken by Jesus continues to manifest, for Israel has been and is, in large part unable to offer peace and satisfaction to those passing by who could otherwise be sustained by her.
Comments