5. The Fig.
In our last papers we looked at Israel as connected with the vine. We will now trace for a little the history of this nation in connection with another tree, viz., the FIG. The olive, the vine, and the fig seem to be the arboreal insignia of that favored nation. The olive was to supply light, the vine to communicate joy, and the fig was intended to exhibit fruitfulness for God.
“I saw your fathers as the first ripe in the fig tree at her first time,” is the prophet Hosea’s beautiful description of Israel at the time when Jehovah first took them up as His own people. In order to fully appreciate the aptness of this figure as applied to Israel, it is necessary to know that this tree will grow and bear fruit in places where no other tree can; indeed, it flourishes most luxuriantly in barren and stony situations.
We now ask you to open your Bibles at Mark 11:1313And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. (Mark 11:13). Jesus was on His way from Bethany to Jerusalem. He had been looking for fruit from His beloved people Israel; only the previous day He had been in the temple, and “looked round about,” and noticed everything that was taking place. He saw a people possessing what was outwardly right and fair; their temple, with its service, its sacrifices, and its priesthood. Yet all was but an empty form―no reality for God. So the Lord would impress upon His disciples how abhorrent to God was all this outward show without reality; and the next day, on His way to Jerusalem, He saw “a fig tree afar off, having leaves; He came, if haply He might find anything thereon: and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves.”
“Nothing but leaves”! Just think of that! A fair outside profession-a mere outward show, and nothing else.
“Ah!” you will perhaps say, “but further on it says that the time of figs was not yet, so how could He expect to find any?” Well, in order that you may able to understand this, we must tell you that figs are of two sorts― the “boccore” and the “kermonse.” The black and white boccore, or early fig, is ripe in June, while the kermonse, the fig properly so called, is rarely ripe till August. There is also a third crop, which occasionally hangs on the tree all through the winter.
Now, neither sort blossoms, nor sends out flowers like other trees; but they may be said to shoot or send out their fruit like so many little buttons, before even the leaves appear. Thus you will see that the fruit is the first thing that is formed; so that, when the Lord Jesus came to the tree and found leaves, there should have been fruit as well, “for the time of [gathering] figs was not yet.”
The Lord then proceeded to express His solemn judgment upon this tree, thereby pronouncing a judicial sentence upon the nation of Israel, all efforts to produce fruitfulness having failed. Just such another awful judgment will be pronounced upon all who make a profession of Christ, unless they really bring forth fruit to God. H. N.