How Jesus uses the tree as
a symbol
We humans feel close to trees, almost as if we were related to them. The growth and form of trees, their roots, trunk and crown, can be compared to human life: Where do we come from, what are our roots, what gives us stability? What are the longings towards which we reach out? What will be the fruits of our lives?
The power and symbolism of trees play a role in all religions and cultures, including in the Jewish tradition and in the Old Testament. Jesus was familiar with this symbolism and made use of it. Throughout the Gospels, we encounter several Mediterranean fruit trees that symbolise peace, justice and blessing – a life well-lived, its strength and grandeur. And when the fruit trees bear no fruit, they reveal the possibility that life and our visions may fail (Matthew 7:17–20; 12:33 and Luke 6:43–45).
Trees in the human world
Trees in the Levant are givers of life: they provide shelter from the hot sun, indicate the presence of water, provide food, and impress with their majestic appearance and towering height. In Luke 19:4, Zacchaeus climbs a sycamore fig tree in Jericho to get a better view of Jesus. In biblical times, these large, spreading trees were popular sources of shade in towns and village squares.
At the beginning of the Gospel of John, Jesus sees Nathanael resting under a fig tree (John 1:43–51). Sitting under one’s own fig tree is a symbol in the Bible of peace and well-being, the shalom of God (Micah 4:4). Nathanael recognises that God’s shalom comes through Jesus of Nazareth: He addresses him as Master/Rabbi, Son of God and King of Israel. Jesus is also welcomed in Jerusalem like a king: the people wave palm fronds as Jesus enters Jerusalem like a Prince of Peace (John 12:12–15; Zechariah 9:9). In a garden with olive trees, he will spend his last night in freedom outside the city of Jerusalem.
Trees as a symbol of the Kingdom of God
In the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus draws on the ancient Near Eastern imagery of the world tree to illustrate God’s kingship. This motif, in the image of the greatest of all trees (e.g. a cedar), in whose branches the birds of the sky dwell and in whose shade animals can find a place of rest, symbolises the imperial grandeur of a world power, within whose domain the subjugated peoples live ‘protected’. In the Bible, Egypt, Assyria and Babylon are presented as such kingdoms with ambitions of world domination and as world trees (Daniel 4:1–24 and Ezekiel 17:22–24; 31), and the hope is described that the God of Israel will bring such dreams of great power to an end. In the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus continues this tradition in a surprising and subversive way: the kingdom of God is depicted as a world tree – but with a mustard plant. The kingdom of God does not aim at subjugation and hierarchical power, but brings opportunities for life for all. The oldest version of the parable in Mark 4:30–32 therefore does not speak of a tree, but only of the mustard plant growing larger than all other plants. Anyone walking through Galilee in spring can see and understand the parable with their own eyes: the shrubs, which grow up to 2 metres tall, form vast expanses, turning the landscape around Lake Gennesaret yellow as far as the eye can see. The mustard plant, then, does not grow tall, but spreads out horizontally, just as the Kingdom of God spreads out – amongst us. The mustard plants provide shelter and shade for animals and other plants; plants grow and ground-nesting birds make their nests in these areas. Incidentally, the Greek word dendron, found in Luke 13:18–19 and Matthew 13:31–32, can be translated as ‘tree’ or ‘tall-growing plant’
The fig tree and the Kingdom of God
Another tree plays a role in Jesus’s discourse on the Kingdom of God: the fig tree. It is the first plant mentioned by name in the Bible in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2; 3:7) and is one of the seven plants of the land that symbolise God’s abundance of blessing (Deuteronomy 8:7ff). In the parable in Matthew 24:32–33/Luke 21:28–30, the fig tree is a symbol of the coming of God and his Son of Man at the end of time: because the fig tree bears fruit earlier in the year than other trees, it serves as a symbol of how near the Kingdom of God is. The shalom, so eagerly awaited under Roman occupation, is at the door: it is time to lift up your heads. Liberation is near (Luke 21:28) – after all, the fig tree is already bearing fruit!
The fig tree also serves as a clear warning of the possibility of missing out on the Kingdom of God: on the day after the cleansing of the temple, Jesus finds a tree bearing no fruit, only leaves (Matthew 21:18–22). This is unusual, for fig trees bear fruit year-round; a harvest of 80–100 kilograms a year is not uncommon. At Jesus’ word, the fig tree eventually withers. It stands as a metaphor for the temple in Jerusalem, which does not bear the fruit it ought to bear: to be a house of prayer (cf. also Mark 11:12–22). In the Gospel of Luke (Luke 13:7–9), there is a further reprieve: the vineyard owner intends to tend the tree with great care. Perhaps it will bear fruit after all in the future?
People like trees
A brief passage about trees to conclude: When the blind man is healed in Bethsaida (Mark 8:22–26), he initially sees only blurrily and says to Jesus: ‘I see people; for I see something that looks like trees walking about.’ This passage might inspire us to read the tree passages in this article again and reflect: What resonates within me? How do these texts strike a chord in me?
Tree passages in the New Testament
Bettina Eltrop is a research officer at the Catholic Bible Society (Katholisches Bibelwerk e.V.).