Mark 11: The Common Theme Between the Cursing of the Fig Tree and the Cleansing of the Temple

Mark 11: The Common Theme Between the Cursing of the Fig Tree and the Cleansing of the Temple

14 Jesus said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it.
17 And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'"
22 "Have faith in God," Jesus answered.
23 "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.”

When the disciples were amazed to see the fig tree withered just as Jesus had cursed it, Jesus unexpectedly said, "Have faith in God." The editor of Mark's Gospel insists that Jesus's response was not irrelevant. The editor has placed the event of cleansing the temple between the two-day account of the cursed fig tree. In the morning, Jesus cursed the barren fig tree on his way to the temple in Jerusalem, and upon entering the temple, he drove out all the traders. The next day, on his way back to the temple, upon hearing that the fig tree had withered, he spoke abruptly about faith.

The connecting theme that the editor sees between the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple is faith. The reason why merchants and money changers were in the temple courts was because of sacrifices, that is, because of faith. The editor compares the state of the Jerusalem temple to a fig tree lush with leaves but bearing no fruit. Beneath the surface of the sacrifices lurked the economic benefits of the temple authorities. Traditionally, sacrifices are prayers, and the temple where sacrifices are made is a house of prayer. At that time, the Jerusalem temple was ablaze with the desire for money, not prayer. Such a temple deserves to be consumed by fire. A fig tree full of leaves but no fruit deserves to wither.

Jesus speaking about faith in God in front of the withered fig tree was not a non sequitur. A fig tree can only be a fig tree when it bears figs, and the temple is truly a temple when it is a house of prayer for repentance and forgiveness. The editor of Mark's Gospel even exaggerates this obvious truth by saying, "If you pray, mountains will be lifted and thrown into the sea." This emphasizes the importance of prayer, the core of faith in God and the very reason for the temple's existence. Let's pay attention to the editor's perspective that connects the cursing of the barren fig tree and the cleansing of the temple as one theme. And let's not misunderstand Jesus's words, "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours," as a simple rub of Aladdin's lamp.