The way this verse is translated from Greek, I don’t blame you for thinking Jesus was a jerk. The problem is that, generally, NT translation doesn’t want to portray Jesus’s sense of humor, preferring a serious, religious image that gave serious moral lectures. Jesus’s statement is less of a curse than a light-hearted criticism. The plant probably died of embarrassment.

How wrong is the translation? The KJV (rephrased in other versions) is, “Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever.” Would you be surprised to learn that there is no command in the Greek? And that the negative is not the negative used with commands? Heck, the Greek word for “grow” isn’t even used. Nor is the future tense used, predicting anything. The verb form is one that indicates something that might happen. It was translated this way because the plant died.

What did Jesus really say? A more accurate, literal translation is: “No? Isn't fruit going to come into being out of you anymore in a lifetime?” For a word for word explanation of the Greek, you can go here, Matthew 21:19. What is funny is Jesus talking to the plant and calling it “you” like a person.

Does Jesus sound like a jerk saying that? It is a question. One the fig tree answered by dying. But it makes the event seem more miraculous if the statement is made to look like a command. To me, this statement makes Jesus simply seem more human, grousing at the plant.