Matthew 21:19–21 NIV
Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves.
Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt,
not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain,
‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.
Mark 11:19–20 NIV
When evening came, Jesus and his disciples[a] went out of the city.
20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.
21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”
Matthew 21:19–21indicates the fig tree Jesus cursed withered immediately. However, Mark 11:19–20 would suggest the fig tree withered some time later. So, which is it? It takes a careful reading of the sequence of events to resolve this apparent contradiction. We will start with Mark 11 as it is the more complete version. Note that Jesus and his apostles visit Jerusalem on three consecutive days:
Visit 1 (Mark 11:1–11)
Jesus and the disciples come to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, on the way to Jerusalem.
Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey.
In the evening, they return to Bethany for the night.
Visit 2 (Mark 11:12–19)
They leave Bethany in the morning.
They comes upon Fig tree and Jesus curses it.
They return to Jerusalem and Jesus cleanses temple.
In the evening, they leave the Jerusalem.
Visit 3 (Mark 11:20–33)
In the morning, they head back to Jerusalem and pass withered fig tree.
Peter remembers Jesus cursing the fig tree.
Jesus returns to temple in Jerusalem and is challenged the priests and elders.
Now, onto the Matthew account and you should spot the differences:
Visit 1 (Matt 21 1:1–17)
Jesus and the disciples come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, on the way to Jerusalem.
Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey and clears the temple.
They leave Jerusalem and head to Bethany for the night.
Visit 2 (Mat 21:18–46)
The next morning, returning to Jerusalem, Jesus curses fig tree amazing the disciples amazed how quickly it withered.
Jesus returns to the temple in Jerusalem and is challenged by the priests and elders.
Notice that the Matthew account is missing some important details. It explicitly mentions two separate visits to Jerusalem but doesn't mention the third. Instead, it merges the events of the three visits over the two visits to Jerusalem that's mentioned. The Mark account, on the other hand, gives a more clear description of events. Jesus curses the fig tree on one day, and Peter (and the apostles) remark about it the next day.
As an aside, there are two Greek words used for "immediately" in Matthew 21:19 depending on which underlying text is used, mēketi and parachrēma. Parachrēma implies "immediately" or "at once" while mēketi means "no longer" or "not anymore." Given the proper context of Mark 11, it's likely the latter.
