Mark 11:20

18 And ^athe scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because ^ball the people were astonished at His teaching.

19 When evening had come, He went out of the city.

The Lesson of the Withered Fig Tree

20 ^aNow in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”

22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.

23 For ^aassuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does Mark 11:20 Mean?

Mark 11:20-24

Jesus' miracle involving the fig tree (Matthew 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14, 20-24) is the only one in which He brings judgment by a miracle. All the other miracles are acts of goodness and mercy. This miracle, which can also be classified as a parable, is recorded in more detail in Mark than in Matthew. Mark's chronology is also more detailed, showing its correlation with other events, clarifying, for instance, that this miracle and the cleansing of the Temple took place within two days.

Having gone through several days of conflict and tension, Jesus now needed to find a place of love, gratitude, and peace to rest and meditate on soon-coming events. He found it with His friends in Bethany. This setting contrasted markedly to Satan's world, designed to be hectic with its constant pressure to keep people from thinking deeply about anything of true value. Satan knows that if he can make us busy, it is easier to make us sin.

Martin G. Collins
The Miracles of Jesus Christ: The Withering of a Fig Tree

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