The Fig Tree Warnings: Repent or Perish

There are some, especially among free-grace theologians, who state that the fruit of the Spirit is not necessary as evidence of new birth in a person’s life. These same people teach that repentance is just a change of mind rather than godly sorrow and trusting Christ to walk away from sin, and even teach that apostates are still saved, that is, people who once said they believed, but now deny Christ. John the Baptist explicitly connects fruit as proof of genuine repentance in Mathew 3:8, and as we shall see, so does Jesus.

In this video we will examine Jesus’ parable, lesson and warning where He uses fig trees to speak about fruit in the lives of those who claim to be believers. 

In Luke 13:1-5 we read of people telling Jesus of the Galileans who were slaughtered by Pilate while offering sacrifices at the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus replied;

2 ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or the eighteen who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them – do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.’ (Luke 13:2-5)

The area of Galilee was under the jurisdiction of Rome’s puppet ruler, Herod. There was a history of sedition and rebellion against Rome and it appears that Herod and Pilate disagreed with how these people should be punished. It seems that when a group of these men came to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the temple, and therefore under Pilate’s jurisdiction, he had his soldiers slaughter them while offering a sacrifice, thereby mixing their blood with their sacrifice. In Luke 23:12, after Jesus was arrested, we read of Pilate sending Jesus to Herod because Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, and after Herod’s soldiers dealt violently with Jesus, Herod and Pilate became friends, when prior to this they were enemies.

Those who mentioned the slaughter in the temple were implying that these Galileans were greater sinners, but Jesus contradicts them and tells them they too must repent or perish. Jesus then speaks of eighteen men who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them. Pilate had seized sacred money from the temple to build an aqueduct to the pool of Siloam, and most likely this incident happened at that time. Many believed these men died because they were helping Pilate build with stolen sacred money, or Corban money (Mark 7:11). Again Jesus refutes this claim and warns his listeners to consider their own relationship with God and repent or perish.

Then Jesus tells them this parable:

6 … “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ 8 “ ‘Sir, the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ” (Luke 13:6-9)

Various commentators through Church history have speculated about the symbolism of this parable. Some believed it was referring to Israel as a nation and the three years represent three stages of revelation given to the Jews, firstly the Law, secondly the prophets, and finally that of Christ Himself. In this context the parable is stating that Israel had a form of godliness, as in the leaves, yet had not produced the fruit that God required.

Others have speculated that the three years represent the three years of Christ’s ministry. Keep in mind that Jesus referred to Himself as the vine and the Father as the vinedresser in John 15:1-8. Some may suggest that Israel was traditionally part of the vine and that the fig tree represents Gentiles who are planted near the vine. 

In this scenario the ‘man’ represents Christ who is asking the Father to give the tree one more year to become a part of the vine. Although there may be some truth in these interpretations, I think the message is more simple and plain.

Please consider the following.

Firstly, Jesus told this parable immediately after answering a question about individuals who had died as we previously discussed. He asked them if they thought these men were worse sinners because they died this way and told them that if they did not repent they too would perish. Then He also spoke of the eighteen who died when the tower fell on them, and again repeated his warning to repent or perish. His message seems very clear in warning individuals to examine themselves and repent rather than symbolism concerning Israel as a nation or the fig tree as Gentiles.

Secondly, notice that the fig tree is planted in a vineyard. Vineyards were planted in the best soil and it was common to plant a fig tree in the corner to utilize any available space. So, in this case we can say that this tree had every opportunity to produce fruit. 

Thirdly, fig trees, especially those planted in the best soil, would produce fruit within three years and this tree had produced nothing. The man wanted to cut it down immediately but the vinedresser said no, rather, he would dig around it and fertilize it and give it another year to produce fruit. It is obvious to me that the vinedresser represents the Lord, and not necessarily only the Father. The parable is stating what 1 Timothy 2:4 and other Scriptures state that ‘God our Savior desires all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth’. The cutting down of the tree would be a final judgment, but the Lord wants to give it more time and He undergoes even more effort to produce that fruit.

This is the heart of God who patiently endures the contempt of unbelievers, as Paul wrote;

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance. (Romans 2:4)

Calvinists teach that God predetermined certain people for salvation and the rest to eternal damnation. But this parable of Christ shows a picture of God, not only displaying the riches of His kindness, forbearance and patience, but even giving special attention to unbelievers to bring them to repentance and salvation. He digs around the tree, a analogy of breaking up the dead soil, of trying to breathe life into it. Then He fertilizes it in the hope that it will now recognize His grace. 

How many times does God call, convict and reach out to the lost? He has put eternity in the hearts of men (Ecclesiastes 3:11), made Himself known in creation (Romans 1:18ff) given men ‘life, breath and everything else’ so that they would ‘reach out to Him and perhaps find Him, although He is not far from any one of us’ (Acts 17). The Lord created humanity in His image and likeness in order to give every individual the opportunity to be in a loving eternal relationship with Him. He temporarily laid aside His divine power and became a part of His own creation, He lived among us and was tempted in all things but without sin, He revealed the heart of God, and then He took the punishment for sin upon Himself, atoning for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).

The fig tree in the garden was not completely dead as Calvinists claim. Its roots were in the best soil, the Lord dug around it and fertilized it, it had leaves and life, and He gave it more time to respond to His love and care. If this tree was predetermined to either produce fruit or be destroyed, then this parable makes no sense. The truth is that the Lord desired the tree to produce fruit in accord with repentance and did all He could to bring about that result.  

But Jesus also used a fig tree to give a grave warning.  

In Matthew 21:18-22, and Mark 11:12-26 we have the story of Jesus cursing a fig tree. Matthew’s account is as follows.

18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. The he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. 20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. 21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go throw yourself in the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:18-22)

Firstly, a few words about fig trees.

Fig trees are fascinating because they are difficult to destroy. If you cut them off down to ground level they will grow again, and there are fig trees which are centuries old, some dating back almost 2000 years. Some fig trees grow very large and even strangle other trees to survive. In order to stop them re-growing, it is necessary to either poison them or dig out their roots. 

So, in this story Jesus goes to a tree to see if it had any fruit because 'he was hungry'. Mark’s gospel adds an interesting detail telling us that Jesus ‘found nothing but leaves, because it wasn’t the season for figs’ (Mark 11:13) Fig trees produce what are called ‘spring figs’ which grow on the previous year’s wood from March until May. 

Although these figs are not the main crop, which is ripe from around July to September, and are not as sweet, they are still very edible. They are also a sign of a healthy fig tree because a failing or unhealthy tree does not have leaves in March. Jesus saw the leaves, yet this tree had no spring fruit. The presence of leaves gave the promise of spring figs, but like people who have a form of religion or counterfeit Christianity, this was an illusion.

When Jesus found the tree fruitless, He cursed the tree, saying "May you never bear fruit again". Jesus then went on to Jerusalem, and the next morning the disciples observed that the tree had   'withered from the roots' (Mark 11:20). This statement shows that the destruction of the tree was absolute, it would not sprout again for all life had been taken from it.

When the disciples pointed this out to Jesus, He gave them a lesson about having faith in God, and in Mark’s gospel a verse about when we pray we must have forgiven those we held something against in order to receive forgiveness for our own sins (Mark 11:25). Why does Jesus connect the destruction of the tree with faith and forgiveness. 

Firstly, Hebrews 11:6 tells us that ‘without faith it impossible to please God’ and that Paul stated that the ‘righteous will live by faith’. Faith is grounded in trusting God and acting on His promises according to His will. Biblical faith has two components, a revelation from God, and acting on that revelation. In terms of salvation, the revelation may come in the form of conviction of sin, but also, a conviction that we must walk away from sin trusting the Lord for our future. 

In regards to forgiveness, if a person has come under genuine conviction of sin and seen themselves as a lost sinner, they will be ready to forgive those who have sinned against them. New birth is about death to the old sinful nature which has kept us in slavery, and a new life through a new birth as a child of God. Refusal to forgive would mean no new birth had occurred.

But note Jesus’ words in Mark which are often misused and misunderstood.

23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:23-24)

How often do we hear faith healers and prosperity doctrine fraudsters quote these verses. According to these people, all you have to do is believe you have received whatever you ask for in prayer and it is yours. Of course if you allow yourself to doubt, the deals off and you will not receive. So…why did Jesus use the analogy of ordering a mountain to throw itself into the sea? Have any of these people actually tried to get a mountain to throw itself in the sea? No, because such a thing would be impossible and you could never not ‘doubt in your heart’, unless of course the Lord Himself commanded that you give this order.

The issue is about praying in the will of God, as John explains.

14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him. (1 John 5:14-15)

James writes concerning prayer that, ‘when you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.’ (James 4:3) But often we do ask with right motives, especially when it is about physical suffering. And sometimes the answer from the Lord is as it was to Paul that, ‘my grace is sufficient for you’ and this can be difficult to accept. The Lord does not always give us the reason for denying us what we ask of Him, and this can be the greatest test of faith. At such times we must remember that trials and tests come to prove the genuineness of our faith which is of greater value than gold (1 Peter 1:6-7).

So why did Jesus curse and destroy the fig tree? 

Firstly, the fruit of the Spirit, which are listed in Galatians 5:19-23, can only be produced in those who have received the divine nature, for it is the Holy Spirit who transforms us by the renewing of our minds. If a person who claims to be a Christian is not being transformed, then it is very doubtful that they are truly born of God. 

Secondly, this is the only miracle I can think of, in the entire life of Jesus, where He used power to destroy rather than to heal or deliver, and I believe He used this tree to warn us of the destinies of those who refuse to have faith in Him and receive forgiveness of sin. Jesus was warning us of His role as Judge and the final destruction of the wicked.

For me, this story is an illustration of what happens to those who stand before Christ as Judge, faithless, fruitless, and unforgiven. His curse upon them will not mean that they spend eternity faithless and unforgiven, as those who hold to the doctrine of eternal conscious torment teach, but that they will be utterly destroyed as the tree was destroyed from the roots. This tree wasn't withered and revived continuously, rather, it was utterly destroyed. This is the doctrine of conditional immortality for which there are several videos on this channel.

In Summary

In His parable of the fig tree Jesus showed the heart of God toward the unsaved. The tree was planted in ideal conditions, the best soil possible to make it grow. It had already reached maturity yet not produced fruit. But rather than condemn it, the vine keeper gave it even more attention, a last effort to make it fruitful. John the Baptist warned people to produce fruit in accordance with true repentance. That primary fruit is turning from sin by faith and trusting the Lord for the future. That may mean walking away from a sinful relationship, or terminating a less than honest business practice, but whatever it is, we must come to Christ with open hands, surrendering to His will for our lives. 

When we do this in response to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, our old self is crucified with Christ, the rebellious nature that demanded to rule our own life is replaced by a new person, a new born, a new creation. Our first love will be Christ and our greatest desire to live for Him, and we will produce fruit which glorifies Him.

In His lesson concerning the fig tree which He cursed there is a grave warning, especially towards those who have a powerless and fruitless form of ‘christianity’. There are many professing Christians who are like this tree. They have religion and give the appearance of godliness, but like the tree it is just leaves covering a deeper problem. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is not just about good behavior. The Pharisees had good behavior, at least in public, but underneath they were dead men, with no love for Christ.

Some people have been raised in Christian homes, perhaps even home-schooled. They know the Bible, they know the rules, they may even have self-discipline, yet do not have the joy, love and peace which comes from a real relationship with Christ. Good behavior is commendable, but it can lead to pride and comparing ourselves with others. It fails to understand that ‘there but for the grace of God go I’. Spiritual pride is one of the deadliest sins and one that God actively opposes.    

If a person, such as the goats in Matthew 25, stands before God fruitless, without evidence of true salvation, they will be cursed forever. Do not believe or follow those who teach that spiritual fruit is not required as evidence of true salvation. Jesus contradicts them, therefore, ask yourself honestly if you are producing the fruit of the Spirit. I am not suggesting for a moment that you go sin hunting in your life, for we can all find many areas which need to be transformed. Rather, I am asking if you really love Christ, for if He is your first love you will be producing the fruit of the Spirit.

God bless.