In the parable of the fig tree, Jesus tells the story of a man who planted a fig tree in his vineyard. For three years, he came looking for fruit on the tree but found none. He said to the vinedresser, “‘Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?’ And he answering said unto him, ‘Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it; and if it bear fruit, well; and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down’” (HS 180, quoting Luke 13:6-9). This parable was connected to a real event when Jesus cursed a fruitless fig tree. As He was traveling, He saw a fig tree covered in leaves, which was unusual because the fruit of a fig tree typically appears before the leaves. Seeing the leaves, Jesus expected to find fruit. However, upon inspection, He found “nothing but leaves” (DA 581.4). It was a tree of "pretentious foliage, nothing more" (DA 581.4). Jesus then cursed the tree, saying, “‘No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever’” (DA 582.1). The next morning, the disciples saw that the fig tree had withered from its roots (DA 582.1). **The Meaning of the Parable and the Cursed Tree:** * **Symbol of the Jewish Nation:** The leafy but barren fig tree was a symbol of the Jewish nation. They had a magnificent temple, sacred altars, and impressive ceremonies, but these were a superficial covering for pride and iniquity. They professed godliness but did not bear the fruits of righteousness (DA 583.1, 3SP 18.2). * **God's Expectation of Fruit:** God has endowed people with the ability to bear "the precious fruits of righteousness" (5T 250.2). Jesus came to Israel "hungering to find in them the fruits of righteousness" (DA 583.2). He had given them every advantage and opportunity, and in return, He sought their "sympathy and co-operation in His work of grace" (DA 583.2). * **A Warning and a Prophecy:** The withering of the tree showed what would become of the Jewish people as God's grace was removed from them. By refusing to be a blessing to others, they would no longer receive blessings themselves (DA 583.2). * **God's Long-suffering:** The parable also illustrates God's patience. For nearly forty years after Christ pronounced the doom of Jerusalem, God delayed His judgments. The vinedresser's plea to "let it alone this year also" represents the divine mercy that spared the nation a little longer, giving them more time and opportunity to repent through the preaching of the apostles (GC 27.3). However, when they continued to reject the light, they sealed their own fate (DA 584.2).