He saw a fig tree by the road and went up to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again." Immediately the tree withered. Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? The Bible does not answer this directly, but both the cleansing of the temple and the cursing of the fig tree are two highly symbolic acts. At this time of year, the tree should have had fruit. The fig tree produces green fruit before the leaves appear, and if there was no fruit now, it would not bear fruit that year. This tree appeared to have a large harvest on the outside, but on closer inspection, it was completely fruitless – the tree was hypocritical. The fig tree is a picture of Israel, see Jer. 8:13; 24:1–10; Hos. 9:10; Mic. 4:4, and religious hypocrisy is something that always receives Jesus' sharpest rebuke.

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