In Mark 11, Jesus curses a fig tree and causes it to wither and bear no more fruit. The story has confused many Bible readers over the years, who have wondered why exactly Jesus cursed the tree. But Gateway pastor Robert Morris believes it’s a lesson about Jesus’ hatred of hypocrisy.
“It says that He saw leaves on it, which meant it should have been bearing fruit,” Morris says. “Here’s what He cursed. … It’s saying, ‘I’m a fruit-bearing tree but I’m not.’ Cross-reference that with all the other Scriptures about bearing fruit and here’s what He was upset about. Here’s what bothered Him: Hypocrites. People who have the leaves to show everybody but don’t have the fruit.”
Watch the full clip of Morris’ teaching here.
