--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: According to Mark 11:12-13, God's…" description: "\"“According to Mark 11:12-13, God's messengers were not the only ones who were incompetent: 'He [Jesus] was hungry. And on seeing in the distance a fig ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f25/g-m-jackson-38985_bible-absurdities_according-to-mark-11-12-13-god-s-messeng_2566275.jpg" --- # According to Mark 11:12-13, God's messengers were not the… ![“According to Mark 11:12-13, God's messengers were not the only ones who were incompetent: 'He [Jesus] was hungry. And on seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.'…” quote by G.M. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f25/g-m-jackson-38985_bible-absurdities_according-to-mark-11-12-13-god-s-messeng_2566275.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f25/g-m-jackson-38985_bible-absurdities_according-to-mark-11-12-13-god-s-messeng_2566275.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f25/g-m-jackson-38985_bible-absurdities_according-to-mark-11-12-13-god-s-messeng_2566275.jpg) > ““According to Mark 11:12-13, God's messengers were not the only ones who were incompetent: 'He \[Jesus\] was hungry. And on seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.' Imagine Jesus, the divine, holy, wisest of the wise not knowing that figs were out of season. Now allegedly Jesus could have performed a miracle and made figs magically appear, but he preferred sour grapes instead: Then he said to the tree, 'May no one ever eat fruit from you again.' (Mark 11:14)”” [G.M. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-jackson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Jesus uses the barren fig tree to illustrate that outward appearances can be deceptive and that spiritual fruitfulness matters more than ritual observance. **In simple terms:** Appearances can be misleading; true value is inner fruit. Key Takeaway Look beyond surface signs to assess deeper substance. Themes hypocrisy faith spirituality Mood thoughtful reflective Type scriptural allegorical When to use this quote - church teaching - personal reflection - ethical leadership - spiritual counseling Key Concepts symbolism judgment expectation Questions to Reflect On - What “fig trees” in your life lack genuine fruit? - How do you discern inner worth beyond external signs? A Different Perspective Critics argue the story may be a later addition or allegorical, not a literal event. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Incompetence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incompetence/) [Omniscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/omniscience/) [Sour grapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sour-grapes/) ## Related quotes > [“When a mere girl, my mother offered me a dollar if I would read the Bible through; . . . . despairing of reconciling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmina-drake-slenker/when-a-mere-girl-my-mother-offered-me-a-dollar-if-i-would-read-the/) Elmina Drake Slenker > [Jesus is hungry but feeds others; He grows weary but offers others rest; He is the King Messiah but pays tribute; He is called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/jesus-is-hungry-but-feeds-others-he-grows-weary-but-offers-others/) [D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/) > [“The fig tree had dropped its fruit all over the ground. Ripe figs lay in the dust, exploded, bloody, as if the sky had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/the-fig-tree-had-dropped-its-fruit-all-over-the-ground-ripe-figs-lay/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [Whoever wishes to meet Jesus must meet him in places where brothers and sisters of Jesus are hungry, thirsty, naked, unwanted, sick or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wurmbrand/whoever-wishes-to-meet-jesus-must-meet-him-in-places-where-brothers/) [Richard Wurmbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wurmbrand/) > [“I don't know what I ate, but I felt immensely better after the first mouthful. It occurred to me that my vision of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-don-t-know-what-i-ate-but-i-felt-immensely-better-after-the-first/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) ## More by G.M. Jackson > [“The claim of fine tuning is subjective. As I stated before, no measurement in physics is perfect. The amount of precision we demand can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-m-jackson/the-claim-of-fine-tuning-is-subjective-as-i-stated-before-no/) [G.M. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-jackson/) > [“A theist can't empirically prove that God exists but he believes in God because no one can allegedly disprove God's existence. By his logic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-m-jackson/a-theist-can-t-empirically-prove-that-god-exists-but-he-believes-in/) [G.M. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-jackson/) > [“BioLogos claims there is no conflict between the theory of evolution and creationism. Huh? 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Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-jackson/) > [“Toward the end of his book, Miller explains his need to unite science and religion: science does not explain the meaning and purpose of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-m-jackson/toward-the-end-of-his-book-miller-explains-his-need-to-unite-science/) [G.M. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-jackson/) > [“Many Christians, including BioLogos, like to throw out the "you can't take the Bible literally" argument. They think it is the ultimate zinger that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-m-jackson/many-christians-including-biologos-like-to-throw-out-the-you-can-t/) [G.M. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-jackson/) > [“God did not create evolution--evolution created God. The evolution of religion is as follows: animism--polytheism--monotheism--agnosticism--atheism. As history progresses, people worship fewer and fewer gods,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-m-jackson/god-did-not-create-evolution-evolution-created-god-the-evolution-of/) [G.M. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-jackson/) > [“Every time we prove a positive, we simultaneously prove an infinite number of negatives. Therefore, it is erroneous to declare that we can't prove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-m-jackson/every-time-we-prove-a-positive-we-simultaneously-prove-an-infinite/) [G.M. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-jackson/) > [ “Miller believes, like many theists, that religion brings us beyond the bounds of materialism. (Ironically he insists on a material explanation \[evolution\] for our… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-m-jackson/miller-believes-like-many-theists-that-religion-brings-us-beyond-the/) [G.M. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-jackson/) [Explore all 11 G.M. Jackson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-jackson/) ## More Bible-absurdities quotes > [“When a mere girl, my mother offered me a dollar if I would read the Bible through; . . . . despairing of reconciling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmina-drake-slenker/when-a-mere-girl-my-mother-offered-me-a-dollar-if-i-would-read-the/) Elmina Drake Slenker Browse all 2 Bible-absurdities quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“According to Mark 11:12-13, God's messengers were not the only ones who were incompetent: 'He [Jesus] was hungry. And on seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.' Imagine Jesus, the divine, holy, wisest of the wise not knowing that figs were out of season. 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