Mark 11:12-14

Cursing of the Fig Tree

11:12 Now ¹  the next day, as they went out from Bethany, he was hungry. 11:13 After noticing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he went to see if he could find any fruit ²  on it. When he came to it he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 11:14 He said to it, ³  “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. ⁴ 

[11:12]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[11:13]  ² tn Grk “anything.”

[11:14]  ³ tn Grk “And answering, he said to it.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant and has not been translated.

[11:14]  ⁴ sn Mark 11:12-14. The incident of the cursing of the fig tree occurs before he enters the temple for a third time (11:27ff) and is questioned at length by the religious leaders (11:27-12:40). It appears that Mark records the incident as a portent of what is going to happen to the leadership in Jerusalem who were supposed to have borne spiritual fruit but have been found by Messiah at his coming to be barren. The fact that the nation as a whole is indicted is made explicit in chapter 13:1-37 where Jesus speaks of Jerusalem’s destruction and his second coming.