Parable of the budding fig tree

rosie tuckwell

Often I wonder why many childhood experiences remain so imprinted on my mind. The image of the fig tree conjures up, for me, the remembrance of my grandmother Flora sitting under the fig tree in the family garden and telling us about the mystery of its bearing fruit. ‘Never will we see a flower, but then we will enjoy such delicious fruit’, she told us. ‘All things from God are just like that, a mystery even if you do not see, you ought to believe.’ I confess I love figs! I also believe!

The text can be found in:

Matthew 24:32-35,

Mark 13: 28-29,

Luke 21:29-31,

And it appears in italics beneath this article.

Jesus taught in parables for a variety of reasons:

to open our minds to God’s truths by using parables, well-mastered teaching tools in use throughout the ages, describing what is well-known in our daily lives;
to show us practical aspects of our reality, Jesus presents us with what we daily see or interact with;
to appeal to the ordinary man and woman, and

to let us decide how we are going to interpret the parables.

In eschatological theology, the parable of the budding fig tree is concerned with the ultimate destiny of humankind and the concept commonly refers to the end of time and new beginnings.

Fig trees were a common and important source of food for Jewish families. In the Middle East fig trees bear fruit at least twice a year, in early spring and autumn. The parable in the three gospels is given in the present tense showing that the words relate to something topical and seasonally recurrent. It prophecies the coming of the joy of the Kingdom of God, in the same way as the signs of spring are visible to all; similarly, such natural signs are compared to the coming of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, the budding fig tree indicates the change in season (green buds bearing fruit) just as the coming of the Kingdom is a natural event and brings the signs of change which will be made visible.

The parable itself is an explanation to the answer Jesus gives the disciples when asked about revealing to them the time when the world will come to an end. In Matthew and Mark, Jesus tells them how the world would be doomed before His second coming and the sure signs of the end and the start of a new beginning. He spoke to them at the Mount of Olives and looking down at the Temple in Jerusalem. Mark’s gospel gives us the disciples’ names: Peter, James, John and Andrew. They are the witnesses that the conversation took place. Luke’s text is simpler with no mention of the location and gives a straight forward answer from the Teacher. Moreover, in Matthew and Mark, Jesus emphasises the signs to reveal the coming of the Kingdom. In Luke, Jesus provides the growth process of the fig tree.

How Jesus addresses the disciples:

In Matthew and Mark, he uses the imperative verb form in ‘Learn’ and in Luke ‘Look’. The Teacher demands attention. By saying ‘look’, Jesus is looking at fig trees and other trees nearby. He mentions branches, twigs, tender leaves’. These things are palpable; it is nature and we can see it. In logic terms, he uses link terms such as ‘now’, ‘then’, to show a logical development of thought. However, Luke reports Jesus’s words in “He told them a parable”. But the message is clear: the Kingdom is near when the season changes.

Going back to the beginning of this article:

Are we, today’s Christians, opening our minds to God’s truth that the end of the world and the coming of the Kingdom will be made known to us? The parable shows us, ordinary men and women, the practical nature of the reality, a fig tree, a source of nourishment, a season to bear fruit.

And perhaps there is a further message for us in this parable. That whilst we may live our lives with sin and pain, we have already been shown signs of a new beginning, the offer of a new life in Christ and his infinite love.

-Rosie Tuckwell

Biblical texts NIV (UK version)

Matthew 24:32-35

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it (the Kingdom) is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

Mark 13:2-29

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it (the Kingdom) is near, right at the door.”

Luke 21:29-31

He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that the summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the Kingdom of God is near.”

Only in Luke, Jesus spells it out: “the Kingdom of God”.
In Matthew and Mark, Jesus says only “it”!

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