Big Idea: The clearing of the temple and the cursing of the fig tree (11:12–18) portray the messianic authority of Jesus to act for God, and here this authority is passed on to Jesus’s followers through the power of prayers made in faith.

Understanding the Text

The authority of Jesus in cursing the fig tree (vv. 19–21) and through it the temple is extended to the disciples, who participate in Jesus’s authority through prayer/faith (vv. 22–26). The promise of authority contains the thematic command for faith (v. 22) followed by a promise (v. 23) and two clarifying responsibilities: faith without doubting (v. 24) and willingness to forgive (v. 25).

Interpretive Insights

11:20  in the morning . . . they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. In verse 19 Jesus and his disciples return t…