Like the other Evangelists, Mark is, in his own way, a theologian and an accomplished author. The passage we read today combines two different stories, that of the barren fig tree and that of the cleansing of the Temple. Mark has rather subtly combined the two stories so that one illustrates the other.

The fig tree represents Israel. Simply, we may say that, after his two years or more preaching the Gospel, Jesus had a natural expectation that his work had produced some fruit. As yet, however, it was not the time for him to see his work accomplishing its purpose and bearing fruit. As the continuation of the Gospel tells us, his passion lay ahead of him in the coming weeks in Jerusalem and it was his passion, death and resurrection which would bring Jesus' work of proclaiming the Kingdom to its climax, when he would return to the Father's side and in union with the Father would send the Holy Spirit upon his disciples.

The cleansing of the Temple can signify the end of the Old Testament worship: no longer would the sacrifice of animals be necessary or pleasing to God: only the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross would bring redemption.