Teaching by the Fig Tree
Life of Jesus · Draft · BSB
Content revision: 892a9f342148605b · No editorial review date recorded
Date: Final Passover through resurrection appearances. The crucifixion is commonly dated to AD 30 or 33. The closing stop extends through the forty-day appearance period in Acts; the whole group is not one eight-day interval.
The disciples see the fig tree withered, and Jesus speaks about faith and prayer. Mark also includes forgiving others when praying, connecting the lesson with relationships as well as trust.
Mark observes the withering the next morning; Matthew keeps the disciples’ reaction with the original scene. The card is a reading aid, not evidence that a second tree incident took place at a new location.
Primary Scripture
21:20 When the disciples saw this, they marveled and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”
21:21 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.
21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
11:20 As they were walking back in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from its roots.
11:21 Peter remembered it and said, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree You cursed has withered.”
11:22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus said to them.
11:23 “Truly I tell you that if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and has no doubt in his heart but believes that it will happen, it will be done for him.
11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
11:25 And when you stand to pray, if you hold anything against another, forgive it, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as well.”
11:26 Not included in this translation; its manuscript tradition omits this verse.
Related Scripture
The Lord’s Prayer and its explanation likewise connect receiving and extending forgiveness.
Location evidence
The tree stands along the journey between Bethany and Jerusalem. Its exact roadside position is unknown, so the endpoints are shown without an event pin or a surveyed path.
No event map marker is assigned. Do not infer an exact venue from related places.
Bethany: Identified site. Coordinates [longitude, latitude]: [35.26212, 31.77167]. Classification source: rule.
Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire
Jerusalem: Identified site. Coordinates [longitude, latitude]: [35.23494, 31.77744]. Classification source: rule.
Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire
For the class
Why does Mark include forgiveness in the teaching about prayer?
Interpretation and reuse
Narrative order is a reading arrangement, not a proven chronology. Dates retain their stated uncertainty. An identified locality does not establish the exact venue or prove an event. Region extents and routes are illustrative, not surveyed boundaries or ancient roads. Draft material has not completed editorial review.
Record source: theographic (447)
Record source: editorial
Events and places adapted from Theographic Bible Metadata (github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata), CC BY-SA 4.0. This adapted data is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Place coordinates from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding Data, CC BY 4.0.
Teaching stops, summaries and regional extents are original editorial content of this atlas.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain. https://berean.bible/licensing.htm