The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 11:12-26
Parallel passages: Matthew 21:12-22 ; Luke 19:45-48 .— The blighting of the barren fig tree. I. SYMBOLISM . 1 . Miracles of mercy. Mercy has been called God's darling attribute; judgment is his strange work. The only-begotten Son, who has declared the Father unto us, has manifested the selfsame character. His miracles are miracles of mercy—all save two. Of these two, one was permissive and punitive, when our Lord allowed the devils to enter into the swine of the Gadarenes;... read more
The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 11:12-25
The fruit of the fruitless fig tree. This action of our Lord Jesus is one of the very few he is recorded to have performed to which exception has been taken. It has been objected that the "cursing" of the fig tree was a vindictive act, and unlike and unworthy of the gracious and beneficent Redeemer. In answer to this objection, a distinction must be drawn between a vindictive and a judicial proceeding; the latter having no element of personal irritation or ill feeling. It must not be... read more