Matthew 24:32 From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
Yeshua (Jesus) didn’t merely offer a suggestion–He issued a command: “Learn the parable.” In Greek, the word manthano (μανθάνω) implies disciplined learning, not casual observation. In Hebraic thought, to “learn” a parable means to press into its hidden meaning until it transforms how you live. The fig tree is not just a poetic image–it’s a prophetic mandate. And Yeshua expected His disciples, including us, to understand it deeply.
The fig tree often symbolizes Israel throughout Scripture (Hosea 9:10; Jeremiah 24; Joel 1:7). When Yeshua told this parable just days before His crucifixion, He had already cursed a fig tree that bore no fruit (Matthew 21:19), symbolizing Israel’s spiritual barrenness at the time. But in this parable, the fig tree is coming back to life. Its tender branches and new leaves are signs of renewal and return.
What is the most visible sign that this fig tree is budding? The miraculous rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948, after nearly 2,000 years of dispersion. This event marked the start of a prophetic countdown–Israel is now the major signpost in the convergence of end-time events. Just as a budding fig tree tells you summer is near, the rebirth of Israel tells you the end-time season has begun.
Yeshua said, “When you see all these things”–not just Israel’s rebirth, but deception, wars, lawlessness, global shaking, and the gospel going to all nations–“know that it is near, at the doors” (Matthew 24:33). Like a fig tree responding to the sun, soil, and rain all at once, the prophetic signs are responding to a divine convergence. Israel is the centerpiece, but not the only branch.
So Yeshua’s call to “learn the parable” is not just about agriculture–it’s about prophetic awakening. To learn is to perceive the time, understand the signs, and prepare our hearts for the return of the King. Israel’s restoration is not a coincidence — it’s a trumpet blast to the nations (Isaiah 11:11-12). The fig tree has budded. Now we must ask: are we watching, learning, and responding as we were commanded to?
The ancient promises are sprouting before your eyes. The Lord of the harvest calls you–not to slumber, but to learn the parable, discern the season, and awaken the sleeping. This is no time for apathy. It is the hour of prophetic clarity. You are commissioned to perceive the signs, hear the sound of convergence, and prepare the way of the Lord with boldness and truth. For the One who spoke of the fig tree is near–even at the door. “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning… for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Luke 12:35-40) Blessed is that servant whom the Master finds watching when He comes. Amen. So be it. Sound the trumpet.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
More Devotions
Studying some remarkable events in the history of World War 2, we find the deliverance of the allied armies at Dunkirk; a true story of Divine providence in modern history. It was on May 10, 1940, that Hitler unleashed his armies against France and Belgium. Within days, the British army found itself outmaneuvered and unprepared for the German blitzkrieg assault led by General Rommel and his 7th Panzer division.
Thousands are gathering in Washington D.C. today to pray for the inauguration of the new president of the United States. I know a number of people who will be there and I think it’s a good thing, but this reminds me of a story I heard once.
We arrived at the airport late Thursday night with our bags and our kiddos only to find out that our flight was canceled because of a freak accident — a tractor ran into the plane, of all things! So we repacked our ourselves tightly into a small rental car to make the two hour drive to get back home to Arad in the middle of the night. Our flight was postponed till Sunday.
There was a man who had four sons, and he wanted them to understand the importance of not rushing to judgment. So, he sent each one on a journey to view a pear tree that was far away. He sent the first son in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in the summer, and the youngest in the fall. After they all returned, he gathered them together to hear what they had seen.
The Hebrew letter mem, equivalent to our English letter “M,” has a fascinating characteristic: it has two forms. The “open mem” appears at the beginning or middle of a word, with a small opening in its design. The “closed mem,” however, is used exclusively as the final letter in a word, fully sealed in its appearance. This distinction is consistent throughout the Hebrew language—except for one extraordinary exception found in the Bible.
We came across this story, about a man who was slowly losing his memory. After a lengthy examination, the doctor said that a risky operation on his brain might reverse his condition and restore his memory. However, the surgery would be so delicate that a nerve could be severed, causing total blindness.
Yeshua (Jesus) gave a remarkable parenthetic instruction in the middle of His Olivet discourse on the time of His coming and the end of the age. While it is unlikely that He himself said this, He certainly inspired Matthew to insert, “..let the reader understand”, concerning this critical event prophesied by Daniel, the Abomination of Desolation. His exhortation intended us (the readers of Matthew’s gospel) to learn what this means.