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Mark: He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again."... (11:14 NET)

 

Matthew: …He said to it, “Never again will there be fruit from you!”... (21:19 NET)

Mark: He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again."... (11:14 NET)

Matthew: …He said to it, “Never again will there be fruit from you!”... (21:19 NET)

Before entering Jerusalem Jesus sent His disciples to Bethphage to find things which were to be brought to Him (Matthew 21:1, Mark 11:1, and Luke 19:29). Bethphage means "house of unripe figs" [G967-Bethphage]. Figs picked too early will not ripen. Thus the house of unripe figs is a place where figs taken from the tree too soon are kept.

Fruit on a fig tree appears at the same time as the leaves:

Mark states it was not fig "season". Season is καιρὸς – kairos. When used in an agricultural context it means the right time to harvest [G2540-kairos]. For example:

Logically the man waited until the fruit was "in season" before trying to collect his portion.

Leaves by themselves are not a sign figs are ripe or "in season." Depending on climate this takes about two months. In Israel the first crop of figs are normally ripe around June and they would never be ripe at the time of Passover. Someone who is hungry would normally look for figs which were ripe (either on the tree or dried). Mark makes it clear Jesus sought figs which were "out of season." These figs would be green and unripe.

However, the existence of Bethphage, a house of unripe figs, shows that Jesus is not alone in seeking out those figs. There are others who actually harvest them. It is possible the tree Jesus saw produced fruit which someone else had already removed.

Matthew also describes an event with a fig tree:

In addition to making no mention of season, there are differences between taking and eating the fruit:

Mark: He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again."... (11:14 NET)

Matthew: …He said to it, “Never again will there be fruit from you!”... (21:19 NET)

Each conveys a similar message yet with a different perspective. Matthew places the emphasis on the tree never again producing fruit (immediately the tree withers). Never again will that tree produce figs. In Mark Jesus states a person will never again eat fruit from this tree. This command does not necessarily require the tree to die. For example, a similar command was given in the Garden of Eden:

This tree, like Mark's was not to be eaten from. Leaves from a fig tree also play a role in the fall of man:

The Gospel events highlighting fig leaves and missing fruit are deliberate actions by Jesus to recall the history of man. The first man and woman were not to eat fruit from a certain tree (which produced fruit); after they ate they used leaves from a fig tree to cover themselves.

Mark: fruit from this tree will never again be eaten; just as fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil will not be eaten.

Matthew: this tree will never again produce fruit and it immediately withers, losing its leaves.

The key in Mark and Matthew is the leaves on the tree. For all mankind, fig leaves should cause a remembrance of the first man and woman who took both fruit which was supposed to be left on the tree and leaves from a fig tree to try and cover themselves.

What became of tree of the knowledge of good and evil and/or the fig tree which provided the leaves? Like the fig trees in the Gospel, never again will they be used or eaten from.

Before entering Jerusalem Jesus sent His disciples to Bethphage to find things which were to be brought to Him (Matthew 21:1, Mark 11:1, and Luke 19:29). Bethphage means "house of unripe figs" [G967-Bethphage]. Figs picked too early will not ripen and a "house of unripe figs" is a place where figs taken from the tree too soon would be kept.

The first figs are actually from last years growth and they and the leaves both appear in the spring:

Mark records the "season" for figs had not yet come. Season is καιρὸς – kairos. When used in an agricultural context it means harvest time [G2540-kairos]. For example:

The man did not attempt to collect his portion when the leaves appeared or when the grapes first appeared. He waited until the fruit had ripened on the vine and was "in season."

Leaves by themselves are never a sign figs are ripe or "in season." Depending on climate two additional months are needed before they should be harvested (or eaten). In Israel the first crop is normally ripe in June. They would never be ripe at the time of Passover. While someone who is hungry would normally look for figs which were ripe (either on the tree or dried), Mark makes it clear Jesus sought figs which were "out of season." These figs would be unripe and not very good to eat.

Nevertheless, the existence of Bethphage, a house of unripe figs, shows that Jesus is not alone in seeking out unripe figs. There are others who actually harvested them raising the possibility the tree which Jesus went to had produced fruit which someone else had already removed and taken to Bethphage, the house of unripe figs.

Matthew describes a similar event:

In addition to making no mention of season, there is a difference between taking and eating the fruit:

Mark: He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again."... (11:14 NET)

Matthew: …He said to it, “Never again will there be fruit from you!”... (21:19 NET)

Each conveys a similar message from a different perspective. Matthew places the emphasis on the tree never again producing fruit. Immediately it withers; this tree will never again produce figs. In Mark Jesus states a person will never again eat fruit from this tree (and the tree is observed by Peter the following day). The command in Mark does not necessarily require the tree to die. For example, a similar command was given in the Garden of Eden:

As in Mark this tree was never to be eaten from (or eaten from again). Significantly, leaves from a fig tree are also found in the Genesis account:

The Gospel events highlighting fig leaves and missing fruit are deliberate actions by Jesus to recall the history of man. The first man and woman were not to eat fruit from a certain tree and after they ate they used leaves from a fig tree to cover themselves.

The common element is fig leaves calling attention to the first man and woman who took fruit which was supposed to be left on the tree and used leaves from a fig tree to try and cover themselves.

The timing of the result of Jesus speaking to the trees also follows the events of the Garden of Eden. The fruit on the tree remained, but no one would ever again eat from this tree. The leaves which they used to make aprons became unnecessary on the same day after the LORD God made tunics of animal skins:

The Lord God made garments from skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21)

Leaves from a fig tree also play a role in the fall of man:

This tree, like Mark's was not to be eaten from. Leaves from a fig tree also play a role in the fall of man: