The Bible is enriched by much symbolism, ‘picture language’ and various Middle-Eastern idioms and metaphors. Unfortunately the Western church is generally unfamiliar with this language, and this has led to passages in Scripture being misunderstood. However, once we understand the common imagery and idioms, we can begin to appreciate things that were previously hidden from us. Happily the Bible is a totally consistent set of books, and so the meaning of a particular symbol in one portion of Scripture will be exactly the same elsewhere in the Bible.

In this first study of Biblical symbolism and idioms, I want to examine the symbolic meaning of the Fig Tree and the metaphorical meaning of ‘mountain’ and ‘the sea’.

The Fig Tree

The Fig Tree is one of a number of symbols for Israel. There are several different images used because each particular symbol emphasises a different benefit or aspect of Israel. The Fig Tree denotes Israel as a recognizable nation in its own land. The symbolism of the Fig Tree emphasises the benefit to Israel of being firmly rooted in its own physical territory. It takes time for a fig tree to grow, to develop a healthy root system, and to mature sufficiently to bear fruit. If a fig tree were to be uprooted and transplanted repeatedly then it would not be able to develop properly and produce good fruit. Thus the Fig Tree is associated with its own patch of land.

During the reign of King Solomon, Israel enjoyed a time of security and prosperity in its own land. 1 Kings 4:25 states that “Judah and Israel lived in safety, each man under his vine and his fig tree.” The vine actually represents spiritual Israel, so in this verse we have a reference to both the spiritual benefits of Israel and the physical benefit of a secure nation state.

Deuteronomy 28 teaches us that God’s blessings depend upon faithfulness and obedience to the Lord. Jesus was clearly less than impressed with Israel’s faithfulness to God in general, and in Luke 13 we can read the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree. Jesus spoke of a man (God) who had a fig tree (Israel) planted in his vineyard (the land, which belongs to God), but for three years he found no fruit (spiritual fruit) on his fig tree. The owner of the vineyard told his gardener to cut the tree down if it continued to bear no fruit after one more year. Therefore this is a last-chance warning that the benefit of a secure nation state depends upon the fruitfulness that God requires.

Mountain

The term ‘mountain’ is a widely used Middle-Eastern metaphor for a large tribe, nation or empire. It is still used in parts of the Middle East today. In the Bible, the expression ‘God’s holy mountain’ is very often used as a reference to Israel.

Like all metaphors, the use of ‘mountain’ to denote a nation is discerned by context. Thus, in Habakkuk 3:6, we can read that “He [God] looked and startled the nations, and the everlasting mountains were scattered.” From the context, it is clear here that ‘mountains’ refers to ‘nations’.

The Sea

The Sea is a Biblical metaphor for all the nations of the world.

Waters in general represent people. In Revelation 17:15, we can read that “waters … are peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues.” In a similar vein, rivers also represent peoples and nations. Habakkuk 3:8 asks the question: “O Lord, were You angry with the rivers … was your wrath against the sea?” Since it makes no sense for God to be angry with literal bodies of water, clearly ‘rivers’ denotes nations in this verse and ‘the sea’ represents all the nations of the world.

Putting it all together

On the Monday of Holy Week, the day after Palm Sunday, Jesus and his disciples walked from Bethany to Jerusalem. The extra year that Jesus had granted the leaders and people of Israel to turn to God in the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree (Luke 13) had now expired. Mark 11:13 tells us that Jesus saw a fig tree, which was in leaf, and he went to see if there were any figs on it. When Jesus found no fruit on the tree, he cursed the fig tree – and he made sure that his disciples heard Him.

Was Jesus behaving in a petulant, bad-tempered and out-of-character manner here, cursing a fig tree simply because there were no figs upon it? I think not. Jesus was acting out a follow-up parable to his earlier Parable of the Barren Fig Tree. Mark hints at this by stating that “it was not the season for figs” (Mark 11:13), thereby indicating it was probably unreasonable to have high hopes of finding good fruit on the tree. Even though we are told that Jesus was hungry, this was possibly a spiritual hunger – for I cannot imagine that the hospitality of Martha and Mary in Bethany (John 12) was lacking in any way! In his acted-out parable, Jesus was cursing the Fig Tree nation of Israel for not bearing the spiritual fruit that God requires.

When Jesus and his disciples came into Jerusalem again by the same route on Tuesday, they saw that the fig tree had dried up from its roots. Peter said: “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away” (Mark 11:21).

Jesus responded by telling His disciples to have faith in God, then He said: “Truly, I say to you that [the one] who says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says shall occur will be done, [then] it will be done for him.” (Mark 11:23).

It never ceases to amaze me how many learned Bible scholars do not understand the specific meaning of these words of Jesus in Mark 11:23.

Since Jesus and His disciples were standing in front of the cursed fig tree, looking at the withered tree, and talking about the dead tree, it is clear that ‘this mountain’ must refer to the fig tree, which in turn represents Israel as a nation in its own land.

Jesus had cursed the benefit to Israel of being rooted in their own land when he had stood in front of the fig tree on the previous day. Since Jesus had total faith that God would do whatever he asked, Jesus was primarily talking about himself when he spoke about the one who “does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says shall occur will be done”. Since Jesus had the required faith, and since Jesus had effectively commanded on the previous day that the Fig Tree nation of Israel (‘this mountain’) would be cast out of its own land into ‘the sea’ of the nations of the world, then this word of the Lord would most certainly come to pass. The fact that the cursed fig tree had died was to make the point that the people of Israel would indeed be expelled from their land and dispersed amongst the nations of the world.

But there is more!

Fortunately for Israel (and the world), the story does not end there. Later on that Tuesday, when Jesus was talking to his disciples on the Mount of Olives, the disciples asked Jesus about his return at the end of the age.

Jesus gave his disciples a number of signs that would precede his return at the end of the age, and then he told them to learn the parable of the fig tree. Jesus added that when the fig tree comes back to life (the nation of Israel re-established in its own land) then people will know that “summer is near” (Matthew 24:32).

Jesus then stated that the generation which sees the rebirth of the Fig Tree nation of Israel will “by no means pass away” before all the various events preceding the end of the age (including his return) have taken place (Matthew 24:34).

The establishment of the modern nation state of Israel was officially declared on 14 May 1948, which is well over seventy years ago. Whilst I have no idea how many members of the generation of 1948 are still alive today, it is clear from the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:34 that his return and the end of the age must now be very near.