And seeing a fig tree by the road, he came up to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to the fig tree, “May there never be fruit from you again,” and the fig tree immediately withered.
Jesus, seeing the fig tree full of leaves but without fruit, uses it as a living symbol of the spiritual condition of the people of Israel: outwardly beautiful, yet without the fruits of faith. His word, “May there never be fruit from you again,” expresses the divine judgment directed not at the tree itself, but at a form of faith that has an appearance but no substance. The fig tree’s immediate withering shows the power of Christ’s word and at the same time serves as a warning to believers of every age: outward piety alone, without inner faith and righteousness, is condemned to fruitlessness. This episode also has a prophetic meaning, showing that the time of the Old Covenant is coming to an end, and that a people justified by new faith are called to bear fruit for God.