Jesus' withering of the fig tree is the only miracle He performed as an act of judgment; all His others were acts of goodness and mercy. It also functions as a parable, and it reveals both His divine and human natures: as God He withered the tree, and as Man He was hungry. Although He could have met His hunger by a miracle, He exercised self-restraint, refusing to use supernatural power for personal wants, to impress others, to gain influence, or to frighten people into accepting His teaching. He used the event to teach His disciples about faith, since genuine faith that asks according to God's will could affect nature as He did and even move mountains (Matthew 17:20). The tree, deceptive because its leaves suggested ripe fruit ahead of schedule, represents the hypocrite who appears to be something he is not. It symbolizes the Jewish religious leaders, who had plenty of outward show and ritual but no real conviction, righteousness, or devotion, and whom Christ repeatedly called hypocrites (Matthew 23). The same condition marks much of mainstream Christianity today, strong on show and weak on substance. The hypocrite will eventually find he has deceived himself worse than others, and it is fearful to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31).

Jesus' cursing of the fig tree on the road from Bethany to Jerusalem, just after the triumphal entry, was not an outburst of anger or disappointment. Christ always did the Father's will (John 5:30; 6:38), so the act was God's will, and it is included in Scripture for instruction. The tree was not at fault, since it grew according to the instructions God placed in its DNA. Commentaries supply the background. The tree stood among the many fig trees of the Mount of Olives area, and its abundant leaves promised fruit it did not have, so it was all show. Figs could be found in the Jerusalem area through much of the year, and the phrase about the season more properly means that the time of gathering had not yet come, so expecting fruit was reasonable. The tree stood for the Jewish people, who professed the true religion and called themselves God's people but were hypocrites with leaves and no fruit. Its withering warned of the coming ruin of the Jewish state without repentance. Jesus made an example of the tree for men, reversing the first blessing, "Be fruitful." The act is an object lesson that illustrates Matthew 7:19: every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. It warns all believers not to be found fruitless at Christ's appearing, since those who fall away face the Lake of Fire. The fruit God wants is the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), which glorifies the Father (John 15:8).