The text before us is one of the strangest interactions in Mark, primarily because of its setting. Think about it. A destructive act against a fig tree was followed by a destructive act in the temple and these two acts become an object lesson for believing God for another destructive act (v. 23)! Jesus seems to use the context of destruction to encourage his disciples to faithful praying. That seems odd—until we realise that praying for destruction is necessary for fruitful construction.