This articles intends to show that there was a deep symbolic reason for why Jesus spoke about and physically used fig trees in many of his parables.
In Jesus’ time, the fig tree was indeed a common fruit-bearing tree. This means it could be used in parables needing a tree and/or a fruit tree. Perhaps this is the lone, arbitrary reason for its use by Jesus.
Were there other common fruit trees at that time that he could have used? The answer is yes, there were other common fruit trees in the region. For instance, olives are fruits and were common and are referenced in the Gospels in the name of the place Jesus liked to go, “the Mount of Olives”.
In Jerusalem, the most common species of trees in the first century were the Jerusalem Pine, the Mediterranean Cyprus, the Olive Tree and the Red River Gum. There were also Cedar, Tamarisk, Pomegranate, Carob, Citron, Date Palm, Myrtle, Eucalyptus, Acacia, Willow trees, and the aforementioned fig [ref 1]. Of these, fig, mulberry, olive, date palm, pomegranate, tamarisk, and citron tree were fruit bearing. The Date Palm, which bears dates, was the most common fruit tree in the region [ref 2].
Note about fig-tree-hybrids: the Sycamore fig, which also went by the names fig-mulberry and sycamine, is a fig-hybrid which generally resembles the fig tree and produces figs, but its leaves are those of the mulberry.
Therefore, Jesus had many fruit-bearing trees from which to choose, yet he used fig or fig-hybrid trees in all his parables except the one in which uses a mustard tree, which is actually a bush [ref 3]. This does not necessarily mean that the fig tree was chosen for a symbolic purpose, but it does start to point in the direction, especially considering it was not the most abundant tree in the region.
However, when you combine this evidence with the idea that many Jews were taught that the fig tree was symbolic of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, now you’ve got something. The hint that appears in the Biblical text is found in Gen 3:7. Immediately after eating the fruit the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Was this seemingly anecdotal tidbit enough for the Jews to associate the fig tree with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? Perhaps not for Western scholars, but Jewish scholars are renown for pouring over the Old Testament to squeeze every last ounce of information from the text.
How do we know the Jews used Gen 3:7 to associate the fig tree with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? Evidence can be found in Jewish religious texts outside of the Bible. Is it theologically allowed to use texts outside the Bible? Yes, theologians and scholars frequently use extra-biblical texts to aid in the interpretation of the Bible.
From my article, Can we know the 1st century Jewish culture?, here are extra-biblical references to the fig tree being representative of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil:
- Mishnah, Berakhot 40a: (Gen. ix. 21) Rabbi Nehemiah says: It was the fig-tree, for by the very thing that they were disgraced they were restored; as it is said, “And they sewed fig-leaves together”.
- Midrash, Bereshith Rabbah, tractate 15, verse 7: “And the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”: What was the tree whereof Adam and Eve ate? … Rabbi Jose said: They were figs. He learns the obscure from the explicit, and [the meaning of] a statement from its context.
- Midrash, Bereshith Rabbah, tractate 19, verse 6: “And they sewed the leaves of the fig together”: Rabbi Simeon b. Yohai said: That is the leaf which brought the occasion for death—into the world.
- The Book of Adam and Eve, Chapters 36-38: Adam and Eve are starving after their eviction from the Garden of Eden, therefore, God takes extra-large figs, from one of the two special trees in the garden. Since God would not have given them any fruit from the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:22) , the fruit had to have come from Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Below are the counts of various tree references in the Gospels:
Matthew: 16 total; 10 unspecified,; 1 mustard bush; and 5 figs.
Mark: 6 total; 1 unspecified; 5 figs.
Luke: 13 total: 7 unspecified: 1 mustard bush; 3 figs; 1 mulberry/sycamine, 1 sycamore-fig tree.
John: 2 total both of which are figs.
Total: 39 trees; 18 unspecified; 2 mustard bushes; 15 figs; 3 fig-hybrids.
In the Biblical parable where Jesus refers to the mustard seed growing into a large tree, it is generally understood that he was referring to the common mustard plants of the Brassica or Sinapis genera, not to mustard trees of Salvadora Persica. Mustard plants, whose seeds are used to make mustard, grow as annual herbs, not trees. However, some mustard plants can grow quite large under the right conditions, potentially reaching heights where birds can perch in their branches, fitting the metaphorical description given in the parable. The emphasis in the parable is on the extraordinary growth from a tiny seed to a substantial plant, symbolizing how something small and seemingly insignificant can grow into something large and influential.
Surprisingly, fiig trees also have significant symbolic and literal roles in other major religions:
- In Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama (later called the Buddha) attained enlightenment under a fig tree (Bodhi tree), making it a symbol of spiritual awakening.
- In Islam, the fig is mentioned in the Qur’an in Surah At-Tin 95:1, where it’s associated with nourishment and divine blessings.
- The fig tree holds great significance in Hinduism. The Peepal tree, a type of fig (Ficus religiosa), is highly revered. It’s considered sacred, often associated with Lord Vishnu and symbolizes the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna mentions the Peepal tree as a symbol of eternal life (Chapter 15), likening it to the universe’s structure with roots above and branches below. Many Hindus worship the tree, believing it brings prosperity and spiritual blessings
- Jainism also associated the Peepal tree with the enlightenment of several Jain Tirthankaras. It represents spiritual knowledge and liberation.
- In ancient Egyptian religions, the sycamore fig was sacred to Hathor, the goddess of love, beauty, and motherhood, and it was believed that she offered figs as sustenance to the dead.
These references show how fig trees are tied to themes of knowledge, faith, and spiritual growth across religions. While not directly related to the Bible, it is interesting that the fig tree, over all the other trees in the world, is significant in so many religions.