After Jesus’ judgment in the temple, He came to a fig tree that had leaves but no fruit, which was unusual for this kind of tree. As a way of teaching a lesson to His disciples, Jesus cursed the fig tree so that it withered away. The lesson was one Jesus had taught before, and it even echoed the message He had delivered in the temple. The temple looked like a place of worship, but inside was full of people dealing in deceitful ways. In the same way, the tree looked good on the outside but was not able to produce good fruit. In contrast, Jesus represented the real thing—the true God—even if He might not always look the part. He was the King of the world who rode into town on a donkey. He was the Creator who was born and placed among the animals. He was the Bread of Life who would soon die on the cross.
Jesus assured His disciples that what mattered was not a person’s looks or their methods, but rather, powerful things could be accomplished by anyone who has faith enough to ask God and believe that God would do what He promised.