Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
The tree that we see in the picture is called a fig-tree.
Fig-trees
do not grow in
our country, but they grow in the country where Jesus
lived. They bear fruit
something like pears, that are good to eat. The
people in that country eat figs
for food; not only because they are
nice and pleasant to taste, but because they
make persons strong and
well.
In the picture we see Jesus speaking to the
fig-tree. He saw it growing
by the path. It looked green and beautiful, and he
came to pick figs
from it, that he might eat them, because he was hungry.
But when he
came to the tree no figs were growing on it, only leaves were
there.
Then Jesus spoke to the tree and said that no more figs should ever
grow on it. The next day the apostles passed by the tree again. And
when they
looked at it they saw that it was not green and beautiful
now, but it was brown
and dead-looking from its roots all the way up to
its top. The words that Jesus
spoke to it made it die. The tree minded
Jesus, because he is God.
Mark 11:12-14