Having thus, by his public and triumphant entrance into Jerusalem,
defied and provoked the spite of the higher orders, while he secured an
attentive hearing from the common people, when he should wish to teach
them,――Jesus retired at evening, for the sake of quiet and comfort,
to the house of his friends, Lazarus, Mary and Martha, at Bethany, in
the suburbs. The next morning, as he was on his way with his disciples,
coming back from this place to Jerusalem, hungry with the fatigues of
his long walk, he came to a fig-tree, near the path, hoping to find
fruit for his refreshment, as it seemed from a distance flourishing
with abundance of leaves, and was then near the season of bearing.
But when he came near, he found nothing but leaves on it, for it was
somewhat backward, and its time of producing figs was not yet. And
Jesus, seizing the opportunity of this disappointment to impress his
disciples with his power, personifying the tree, denounced destruction
against it. “May no man eat fruit of thee hereafter, forever.” And his
disciples heard it. They returned to Bethany, as usual, that evening,
to pass the night,――but as they passed, probably after dark, they took
no notice of the fig-tree. But the next morning, as they went back to
the city, they saw that it had dried up from the roots. Simon Peter,
always ready to notice the instances of his Master’s power, called
out in surprise to Jesus, to witness the effect of his malediction
upon its object. “Master, behold, the fig-tree which thou didst curse,
is withered away.” Jesus noticing their amazement at the apparent
effect of his words, in so small a matter, took occasion to turn
their attention to other and higher objects of faith, on which they
might exert their zeal in a spirit, not of withering denunciation and
destroying wrath, such as they had seen so tremendously efficient in
this case, but in the spirit of love and forgiveness, as well as of the
holy energy that could overthrow and overcome difficulties, not less
than to uproot Mount Olivet from its everlasting base and hurl it into
the sea.