I remember the first time I read about Jesus cursing the fig tree. It scared me. I thought, "What the heck? This isn't how Jesus is supposed to act! He's supposed to bless it and make it fruitful!" But nevertheless, Jesus did not uphold his normal standards of sheep-carrying, bread-making, kid-blessing healer. He was in the table-tossing, rebuking, fig-tree-cursing mood. I believe a lot of Christians have a problem dealing with the fig tree cursing passage, I would imagine because it's often looked at as standing on it's own and not in light of the passage sitting smack dab in the middle of it.
We walk into the temple courts on a sunny not-sabbath-day. The money changers are trading temple money for those who are unable, otherwise, to give offerings; people are everywhere. Figuratively speaking, it is a full and healthy tree, covered with bright leaves. Suddenly, you hear a noise. (This is not figurative.) A man is throwing tables around saying, "You guys have turned this place into a back-ally con-job. This is supposed to be a place where everyone can meet with God!" Jesus saw the same leafy fig tree, and the first thing he noticed was that it bore no fruit. (That was figurative, by the way...and literal in the next passage.)
Jesus taught everyone that this temple thing wasn't working out. He later taught that the temple was gonna be destroyed, referring to himself. He taught that he was the temple, that he was the only means to God now. This temple was no longer "It."
I had never thought about it before, but that concept really applies well to the literal destruction of the physical temple a few years later. Jews were still worshiping at the temple when they should have been worshiping through Jesus; I'm not saying that the temple was bad, but it was being used incorrectly. Oops! Romans just happened to come in and tear the temple down. What a shame. What-a-shame! I'm thinking the Jews thought God was pretty upset about it. Honestly, I doubt God was that bent out of shape about it; seeing as how his temple had already been destroyed, rebuilt and sucked up off of earth. This building was now just an empty shell.
Alex H
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I had stuggled with this passage for years too. My understanding of it was that Jesus was referring to himself as the Temple that would be rebuilt. Upon his death, the curtain was torn from the top town, and there was no longer a need for priests to bring the sacrifices into the Holy of Holies. The Fig tree was like a foreshadowing of that event. But, as you said, it was a foreshadowing of the Roman destruction of the temple. I have no real rebuttal...just a non-cheerleader "That's a good point" comment.
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