I was confused the first time I read through Mark 11:20-25.  I thought, “Did Jesus just throw a fit and curse the fig tree?  Was He hangry?”  But I knew that couldn't be true because that’s not in line with the character of Jesus. 

The events of these verses happened during the week leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus.  Earlier in the chapter, He had entered Jerusalem to people shouting “Hosanna!”  He and the disciples stayed at Bethany, and the next morning He was hungry.  He saw a fig tree with leaves on it so He went to look for figs but there were none.  He said to the fig tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!”  The disciples heard him.  They then went into the temple and found people buying and selling things for their own profit.  Jesus overturned tables and reminded everyone that His house was a “house of prayer”, not a “den of thieves”.  The next morning, the disciples saw the fig tree Jesus had cursed.  It was withering and dying, amazingly, from the roots up.  Peter points this out to Jesus.  Jesus replies telling them to “Have faith in God”.  He says, if they don’t doubt, they can tell a mountain to “be lifted up and thrown into the sea”.  Verse 24-25 says, “Therefore, I tell you, everything you pray and ask for – believe that you have received it and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.”

What does this scripture show us about Jesus?  

The cursing of the fig tree could have served more than one purpose.  At first glance, we see that it gave a lesson to the disciples so they had another memorable experience to encourage them in their faith.  Jesus spoke words and the fig tree withered from the roots up.  What great power our Savior has! The tree could no longer make fruit nor leaves.  He then tells them they can do similar things if they have faith - trust in Him.  When studying this passage, I learned that there’s more to it.  The fig tree symbolizes anyone who is fruitless- some who rejects Christ.  If we reject Christ, He rejects us.  

However, those who accept Christ receive the miracle of faith.  Jesus told them if they had faith and did not doubt, they could tell a mountain to be thrown into the sea.  This mountain could be physical or figurative.  The figurative mountains in our lives might be harder to cast away.  When we place our faith in Christ, the mountain of guilt and shame is thrown into the depths of the sea.  Christ takes our guilt and shame and we take on His righteousness.  Other “mountains” in our lives can be conquered through faith in Christ - when we trust Him.  

Verse 25 tells us to forgive others so that God will forgive us.  This hit me hard.  It is hard to forgive when you’ve been hurt.  However, when we consider how our sin hurts the heart of God, it makes it easier to forgive those who have hurt us.  God knows that when we harbor unforgiveness, it destroys us more than it does those who hurt us.  When we forgive others, we are setting ourselves free.  Sometimes we can choose to forgive someone one time and it’s done.  Sometimes we have to forgive them multiple times in our hearts.  Maybe the person you need to forgive is yourself.  Followers of Christ have been given the miracle of faith and forgiveness through Jesus!

What mountain in your life do you need to trust God to conquer?

Who do you need to forgive today? 

Where do you see yourself in today’s scripture?  Have you accepted Jesus as Lord of your life?  If so, are you bearing fruit?  Are you using your miracle of faith to conquer mountains?  Is there someone you need to forgive today?  I encourage you to reflect on these things, pray about them, write down your thoughts with your family, and share them with another follower of Christ.

There are several postures of prayer we can use when we talk to God.  Verse 25 mentions standing while praying.  I encourage you to position yourself in a way that you can focus on your conversation with God.  You can stand, kneel, lie face down, eyes open, eyes closed… whatever!  Here’s a prayer if you need something to get you started.