There are two accounts of Jesus cursing the fig tree:
Mark 11:12 The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14 Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it.
Matthew 21:18 In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, 19 and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up.
One variation in the accounts is in Mark 11:20 the disciples didn’t notice that the fig tree had withered up until the next day, but in Matthew 21:19 states “Immediately the tree withered”.
Another variation is Mark 11:13 says “because it was not the season for figs.” Matthew 21 makes no mention of figs being in season or out of season.
It’s interesting to note that Jesus apparently cursed the fig tree because of being “in full leaf” (Mark 11:13) but lacking fruit. Fertilizer Pick explains the growth cycle of a fig tree; “The first stage is the bud, which has no leaves or flowers. Then it comes to the vegetative stage, where you will find leaves and shoots. Finally, the fig tree will bloom once the plant reaches maturity.” So from this account in Mark we could conclude that the growth cycle of the fig tree was in the vegetative state and had not yet bloomed. A slightly different view comes from Smith’s Bible Dictionary, the fig tree was very common to the area both in Biblical times and still today. And it was common knowledge in Jesus’ time that if you saw leaves on a fig tree, you could also expect fruit unless the tree was barren.
Probably more interesting is why Jesus cursed the tree to begin with. Both accounts capture the disciple’s surprise: Mark 11:21 “Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!” and Matthew 21:20 “The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”
Jesus does not answer them directly in either account why He cursed the fig tree but does instruct them in both accounts about the power of prayer and faith.
Mark 11:22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.
Matthew 21:21 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”
To garner some additional insight into the possibilities of why Jesus would curse the fig tree we have to consult with the scholars and commentators.
In “Chronological Life Application Study Bible”, page 1435, Mark 11:13-14 Study Note, we find: “Fig trees, a popular source of inexpensive food in Israel, require three years from the time they are planted until they can bear fruit. Each tree yields a great amount of fruit twice a year, in late spring and in early autumn. The figs normally grow as the leaves fill out, but this tree, though full of leaves, had no figs. The tree looked promising but offered no fruit. Jesus’ harsh words to the fig tree could be applied to the nation of Israel. Fruitful in appearance only, Israel was spiritually barren.
“Got Questions” puts it this way, “Like all Scripture, the key to understanding this passage comes from understanding the context in which it happened. In order to properly understand this passage, we must first look at the chronological and geographical setting. For example, when did this occur, what was the setting, and where did it happen? Also, in order to fully understand this passage, we need to have an understanding of the importance of the fig tree as it relates to the nation of Israel and understand how the fig tree is often used in the Scriptures to symbolically represent Israel.
“Got Questions” Continues, “As to the significance of this passage and what it means, the answer to that is again found in the chronological setting and in understanding how a fig tree is often used symbolically to represent Israel in the Scriptures. First of all, chronologically, Jesus had just arrived at Jerusalem amid great fanfare and great expectations, but then proceeds to cleanse the Temple and curse the barren fig tree. Both had significance as to the spiritual condition of Israel. With His cleansing of the Temple and His criticism of the worship that was going on there (Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17), Jesus was effectively denouncing Israel’s worship of God. With the cursing of the fig tree, He was symbolically denouncing Israel as a nation and, in a sense, even denouncing unfruitful “Christians” (that is, people who profess to be Christian but have no evidence of a relationship with Christ).”
“Got Questions” summed it up pretty well with this comment: “The lesson of the fig tree is that we should bear spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23), not just give an appearance of religiosity. God judges fruitlessness, and expects that those who have a relationship with Him will “bear much fruit” (John 15:5-8).”