Holy Tuesday: The Lesson of the Fig Tree and Preparing Our Hearts

Today is Holy Tuesday, also known as Fig Tuesday, which is marked by a series of poignant teachings and parables from Jesus, as well as one curious act that speaks volumes, the cursing of the fig tree.

In the Gospel of Matthew (21:18-22) and Mark (11:12-14, 20-25), Jesus approaches a fig tree in hunger. Finding no figs, He curses it, and by the next day, it has withered. It’s a dramatic moment, not about produce but about fidelity. The fig tree becomes a living parable: a warning against empty religiosity and a call to bear the fruit of genuine faith.

On this day, Jesus also engages in confrontations with the authorities in Jerusalem, delivering some of his most memorable parables and teachings, including the Parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32), the Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33-46), and the Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22:1-14). Each one presses us to examine not just our words, but our response, do we have this kind of faith?

Holy Tuesday doesn’t ask for fanfare. It asks for faith.

Ways to Celebrate

Read Matthew 21:18-22.

Continue your spring cleaning.

Eat something with figs in it like fig preserves or fig newtons!