Single lesson
Jeremiah 24: The Good and Bad Figs
Jeremiah 24:1–10
Jeremiah 24 presents a vision of two baskets of figs and then explains what the figs mean. The passage moves from what Jeremiah sees to Yahweh’s words about two groups from Judah.
Before you teach
Jeremiah sees this after Nebuchadnezzar carried Jeconiah, Judah’s princes, craftsmen and smiths from Jerusalem to Babylon. Two baskets of figs are set before Yahweh’s temple. Yahweh then explains that the good and bad fruit stand for different people and different outcomes.
Explain the central teaching of Jeremiah 24: The Good and Bad Figs, using two details from the reading. This passage teaches that Yahweh speaks of restoration for some from Judah and judgement for others, and his restoration includes a heart to know him.
Welcome: Jeremiah 24: The Good and Bad Figs
5 minIntroduce “The Good and Bad Figs” and locate Jeremiah 24:1–10. This passage teaches that Yahweh speaks of restoration for some from Judah and judgement for others, and his restoration includes a heart to know him. Invite each learner to name a detail or question they will listen for.
Jeremiah 24:1, Jeremiah 24:6, Jeremiah 24:10
Read and explain the passage
12 minJeremiah says Yahweh showed him two baskets of figs placed before Yahweh’s temple. The setting is dated after Jeconiah and others were taken to Babylon. One basket has very good figs, like first-ripe fruit. The other has very bad figs, so bad they cannot be eaten.
Yahweh, the God of Israel, says the good figs are the captives of Judah whom he sent into the land of the Chaldeans. He says he will regard them as good, set his eyes on them for good, and bring them again to this land. He will build and plant them.
Yahweh says he will give these captives a heart to know him. They will be his people, and he will be their God, for they will return to him with their whole heart. The bad figs mean Zedekiah, his princes, the remnant in the land, and those in Egypt, who face scattering, reproach, sword, famine, and pestilence.
Read the selected verses together, pausing at “The Good and Bad Figs”. Use the source reading below and check the explanation against the words of the passage.
Jeremiah 24:1, Jeremiah 24:2, Jeremiah 24:5, Jeremiah 24:6, Jeremiah 24:7, Jeremiah 24:8, Jeremiah 24:9, Jeremiah 24:10
Discuss the details and their meaning
8 minUse the three questions below. Begin with “How does the passage emphasise the difference between the two baskets?” and allow time to find the supporting verses. This passage teaches that Yahweh speaks of restoration for some from Judah and judgement for others, and his restoration includes a heart to know him. Ask learners to explain which details support their answer and to identify a question they would like to explore further.
Jeremiah 24:2, Jeremiah 24:3, Jeremiah 24:5, Jeremiah 24:6, Jeremiah 24:7, Jeremiah 24:8, Jeremiah 24:9, Jeremiah 24:10
Make and respond: Vision and message evidence map
12 minWork on “Jeremiah 24: The Good and Bad Figs: Vision and message evidence map”. Follow the materials and steps below, using “The Good and Bad Figs” as reading headings. Each learner should include at least two accurate details and their verse references. Share one observation from the finished sheet and explain how it connects with the central teaching.
Jeremiah 24:1, Jeremiah 24:6, Jeremiah 24:10
Closing: return to The Good and Bad Figs
3 minRevisit Jeremiah 24:1–10. Invite a learner to summarise what the group has learned about The Good and Bad Figs and another to support the summary with a verse. Give learners a moment to complete their response sheet. They can share a question or, if appropriate for the group, join the optional prayer.
Jeremiah 24:1, Jeremiah 24:6, Jeremiah 24:10
Questions to explore
How does the passage emphasise the difference between the two baskets?
Notice how both the vision and Jeremiah’s reply repeat that one basket is very good and the other is so bad it cannot be eaten.
Jeremiah 24:2, Jeremiah 24:3
What does Yahweh promise for the people pictured by the good figs?
Look for what he says about regarding them as good, bringing them back, building and planting them, and giving them a heart to know him.
Jeremiah 24:5, Jeremiah 24:6, Jeremiah 24:7
Who is included with the bad figs, and what happens to them?
Read the list in the passage, then trace the words about being driven, becoming a reproach, and facing sword, famine, and pestilence.
Jeremiah 24:8, Jeremiah 24:9, Jeremiah 24:10
Make, think or respond
Jeremiah 24: The Good and Bad Figs: Vision and message evidence map
What you’ll need
- plain paper or card
- pencils or pens
- a Bible or the source reading on this page
Try it together
- Fold a sheet into three panels or draw three columns. Label them “What the passage describes”, “What is explained in the text”, “What question remains”.
- Read Jeremiah 24:1–10. Use “The Good and Bad Figs” as your reading headings and add a short quotation or detail with its verse reference to each panel.
- Compare your notes with a partner. Check that every quotation is accurate and every conclusion has support in the passage.
- Circle an explanation the passage itself provides. Leave unexplained details as questions for further reading.
The finished sheet keeps the details of Jeremiah 24: The Good and Bad Figs connected to their Bible references and gives the group a way to explain what they noticed.
Adapt for your group
- For learners who need more support, prepare the reading headings “The Good and Bad Figs” and let them match short quotations to the correct heading.
- For confident readers, compare two sections of Jeremiah 24:1–10. Ask for a written explanation with two supporting references and one question that the text leaves open.
An optional closing prayer
“God, help us listen carefully as we read Jeremiah 24:1–10. Help us understand what we have read, ask thoughtful questions and respond with care for others. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Jeremiah 24
1 Yahweh showed me, and behold, two baskets of figs were set before Yahweh’s temple, after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the craftsmen and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
2 One basket had very good figs, like the figs that are first-ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
3 Then Yahweh asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs. The good figs are very good, and the bad are very bad, so bad that they can’t be eaten.”
4 Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
5 “Yahweh, the God of Israel says: ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans, as good.
6 For I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land. I will build them, and not pull them down. I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am Yahweh. They will be my people, and I will be their God; for they will return to me with their whole heart.
8 “ ‘As the bad figs, which can’t be eaten, they are so bad,’ surely Yahweh says, ‘So I will give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt.
9 I will even give them up to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth for evil, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places where I will drive them.
10 I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence among them, until they are consumed from off the land that I gave to them and to their fathers.’ ”
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.