In this passage we see Jesus riding in on a colt to inagurate passion week, going to town on the merchants selling in front of the temple, rebuking an unfruitful fig tree and other awesome stuff.
My understanding of fig trees isn't that great but from knowledge, a figtree which has many leaves is meant to bear fruit. It was the season in bearing fruit as it was not the season for figs. Jesus was hungry. And if Jesus is hungry the man is going to eat! He walks up and investigates the tree full of leaves and no fruit! In response he says "May no-one eat fruit from you again" (Mark 11:14). And then the next day they pass the tree and its completely withered. There is also a theological meaning behind this but I aint gonna get into that. ;)
It has been said that Intimacy is the key to fruitfulness and I couldn't agree more. I want to be a tree that does not have to force fruitfulness. How ridiculous would it be if an apple tree has to violently force an apple onto its branches?!
In the game of basketball, one often frustrating sequence you will see is when a player is trying to force up a shot or try and make something happen. Hopefully he's not on your team. But its one of the most frustrating things as a player because they're trying to do it by themselves. Rather when scoring becomes natural and effortless it is something to be praised and imitated. Why? Because they use teamwork in getting other people involved by passing the ball, rotating the defence and finding the open man.
Fruitfulness and productivity should be natural for the believer who has an intimate relationship with Jesus. I also think community is a must for fruitfulness as it allows other people to get involved and thats what Jesus was about. I would assume this fig tree that Jesus cursed was planted by itself somewhere where it had no other fig trees. The only application Jesus provides after this illustration is about believing in prayer "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer believe that you have received it and it will be yours" (Mark 11:24).
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