In the context of this chapter, there is quite a bit to be discussed. First off, there is a relationship between bag figs and the ground. If you don't know one of the reasons that figs, as well as other citric fruits, go bad is because of their relationship with yeasts that find their way into open wounds on the fruit of the figs. Often times these yeasts that cause disease ends up spreading to other fruits on the tree, and can eventually contaminate an entire grove of trees if you don't catch it early. Just as the open wounds on the tree allow for sickness and death to infiltrate the fruit, so it is with humans, which is why God is making the comparison in this passage. The LORD wanted so badly to keep this infected people from the Land that He called blessed and Holy that He drove them away from Jerusalem and only allowed the people who were clear of infection back into the land with an open invitation. I think this also speaks to the ill effect that humans can have in the land, and as such. What I also find interesting is the directions on how to take care of a diseased fruit in your garden, found here. Seemingly the gravest direction to follow is this one: "If you see one fruit beginning to sour, remove it and any adjacent fruit." with the general warning saying "you cannot save a fruit once the rot has begun."
Fascinating, no? The command given by this person who seemingly has experience in gardening is to rid the garden of the fruit that is rotten and drive it to a foreign land. This purging process that the Lord had started with Ahab in 1 Kings 22, and then showed up with loudness in 2 Kings 24:18-20 as Zedekiah is first seen in the court of the King, and then later promoted to the king even though he was the one who slapped the known prophet in the face. This gives you a good picture of the political and corrupt nature of the Israeli government at the time. It was so corrupt that God forbade them from walking again on the land because of the inherent toxicity that would follow them if they walked in Jerusalem again.
I'm going to take it a step further and say this: the biggest reason there was an exile of the Israeli people is because the Lord needed to cleanse it on His own terms. It's often spoken about the prophetic nature of the fact that there were seven 70's of rest for the land to be had, according to Levitical law. However, it's even more important to consider that the people of Israel needed to be cleansed in a land other than their home so that they could go back and not continue to hurt what God had called Holy. The figs needed to be separated, and then the good figs needed to be recognized and called back to Jerusalem where the Messiah would establish His righteous rule and hegemony. In revelations, it will be considered idolatrous and dishonorable if one does not send their righteous people back to Jerusalem.