Matthew 21:19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, “Let no fruit grow on you henceforward for ever.” And presently the fig tree withered away. The cursing of the fig tree was it only a lesson in faith or something more sinister?

Just before the cursing of the fig tree Jesus was being hailed by the people, “Hosanna, blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord,” as he entered the temple where he cast out all that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of them that sold doves. And he said, “My house shall be called the house of payers; but you have made it a den of thieves.” (Matthew 21:9-13) When Jesus had finished cleaning the temple of the bad things that was going on in it, the sick came to him to be healed and the chief priests and scribes saw and was very much displeased at the wonderful things that he did and the children praising him for it.(Matthew21:14-16)

Leading up to Jesus cursing of the fig tree, to me, he was not in a good state of mind as to what was going on in the temple with buying, selling and money and then the chief priest and the scribes come to chastise him. I know if it was me, my mind would not let go of all that took place on that day at the temple. It was after all that excitement that he left the temple and went out of its city  into Bethany; Jesus got up that next morning hungry and cursed the fig tree.

I believe that Jesus knew his time was coming soon for him to be crucified and there was in him an anxiety, after all he was part human. All the work he has done and still yet to accomplish before his transition and resurrection, it must have been a load that was weighing heavily upon him. He may have been God in the spirit, but remember the flesh is the greatest battle of tug of war when comes to the spirit. If  I was Jesus, I would have been able to see into the future and know that I was going to be hung on a tree, the very tree that I had created.

To me the fig tree was the representation of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:17) Jesus who was able to feed thousands with two fishes and five loaves, who performed so many miracles couldn’t make figs grow from a blossoming tree being hungry? Things to make you ponder, I would say. This was a teaching of faith, but also boldness; to conquer anything and not to fall into temptation easily like Adam and Eve did. Jesus is not a man like Esau that being hungry would make him lose control and give up his right(Genesis 25:30-34) A hungry Jesus? Scriptures declares in John 4:32-34 Jesus said, “I have meat to eat that you know not of. My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work.” Jesus doesn’t hunger or thirst for food or drink, but rather than to do the will of his Father.

Why then would it say that Jesus hungered and cursed the fig tree when he saw no figs. The fig free was the representation of what went wrong in the garden of Eden with the forbidden tree in the preparation for the resurrection for making things the way it was meant to be. Jesus destroyed the tree of knowledge of good and evil with the cursing of the fig tree by giving us the key of faith that Adam and Even didn’t receive before his resurrection. Jesus conquered the temptation and sin, that which was on the outside and then went into the depth of that which was on the inside.

Because of Jesus we now have what is called the tree of life and all the others we can eat from. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is no longer a threat as the Our Father prayer says, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from all evil.” The hunger that Jesus was experiencing is the manifestation of the desire we all should have when pertaining to the things of God and doing them like Jesus did with a passion and commitment.