Withering trees and moving mountains
Reading for Monday April 10
Bible section: Mark 11:20-25
This is one event from the last week of Jesus life. He had set his face with determination to face the ordeal he knew would happen, and had entered the city where he knew he would be arrested and executed. He is staying in the city waiting for the celebration of the Passover towards the end of the week.
It was early morning and Jesus was hungry; he saw a fig tree and went to it, it had lots of shiny, beautiful leaves, but no figs. Actually it wasn’t even the season for figs. Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” The next day when the group passed that way again the companions of Jesus were surprised to find that in a single day the tree had withered away.
Jesus assures the surprised companions that if they have faith in God. (Note that; in God, not in themselves) they can even command mountains to move. But with one provision, a person must believe in his heart that this will happen. Why? Because God is reclaiming humanity back to himself. To do this he commissions every returned son or daughter of his to join in his work and work with and for him to call his truant children back home to him. Therefore when something impedes our efforts towards that end, we may speak to it, and bid it to move and it will. Jesus stresses that the person doing this should not doubt in his heart. This means that if someone is commanding mountains to move for trifling reasons or self glorification – they will not have faith because they know that they are doing it for the wrong reason. But when the reason is right; for example, when people are working to save humanity from destruction, or to bring hope and healing to others, or to help those who cannot help themselves, then the reason is right. When the reason is right a person can become confident that God is working with them. As it happens it is rarely a geographical mountain that has to move but a whole nation that has to change. With prayer that happens. Not suddenly, but after dedicated effort, perseverance and undoubting faith in God.
Note that the faith must be in God. The world is full of self-actualizing people convinced of the power of positive thought and action. They do good things too, but there are limits to what the most effective person can do. When a person reaches those limits (or before that) then it is time to decided if what is being attempted is important in God’s redemptive plan for humanity. And if we think it is important, is it so important that we can trust God without doubting. When that happens all sorts of things happen to mountains, some of them are literally moved, others are tunneled through and others are crossed over.
The only one thing that Jesus cursed in his whole life was emptiness. The tree that was empty of fruit when he looked for it. Figs are the expected result from a fig tree. God has made humanity good, and supplied us with all things; he expects that we will produce goodness. The life that does not is already withering away like the tree.
And, says Jesus, when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins. Unforgiveness is it’s own curse, blighting life and impeding the answer to your prayers. Of course, you think you have nothing to forgive. Isn’t that also the case with the person who sinned against you, didn’t they justify to themselves what they did to you?
Have you ever burst out of a dark tunnel into blinding day light? Have you ever leaped hot and filthy into clean flowing water? That’s what God’s forgiveness does to people. Not forgiving the other guy is something God won’t overlook. Hate motivates a person, anger energizes, and you imagine that if you forgave the person who wronged you, then you would not have strength to recover your life. Confident hope will be what you receive in exchange for your anger, and the miracle working power of love will miraculously replace you virulent hate, you will grow strong and know peace with God and make peace around you. You will live and not be cursed.
Bible section: Mark 11:20-25
This is one event from the last week of Jesus life. He had set his face with determination to face the ordeal he knew would happen, and had entered the city where he knew he would be arrested and executed. He is staying in the city waiting for the celebration of the Passover towards the end of the week.
It was early morning and Jesus was hungry; he saw a fig tree and went to it, it had lots of shiny, beautiful leaves, but no figs. Actually it wasn’t even the season for figs. Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” The next day when the group passed that way again the companions of Jesus were surprised to find that in a single day the tree had withered away.
Jesus assures the surprised companions that if they have faith in God. (Note that; in God, not in themselves) they can even command mountains to move. But with one provision, a person must believe in his heart that this will happen. Why? Because God is reclaiming humanity back to himself. To do this he commissions every returned son or daughter of his to join in his work and work with and for him to call his truant children back home to him. Therefore when something impedes our efforts towards that end, we may speak to it, and bid it to move and it will. Jesus stresses that the person doing this should not doubt in his heart. This means that if someone is commanding mountains to move for trifling reasons or self glorification – they will not have faith because they know that they are doing it for the wrong reason. But when the reason is right; for example, when people are working to save humanity from destruction, or to bring hope and healing to others, or to help those who cannot help themselves, then the reason is right. When the reason is right a person can become confident that God is working with them. As it happens it is rarely a geographical mountain that has to move but a whole nation that has to change. With prayer that happens. Not suddenly, but after dedicated effort, perseverance and undoubting faith in God.
Note that the faith must be in God. The world is full of self-actualizing people convinced of the power of positive thought and action. They do good things too, but there are limits to what the most effective person can do. When a person reaches those limits (or before that) then it is time to decided if what is being attempted is important in God’s redemptive plan for humanity. And if we think it is important, is it so important that we can trust God without doubting. When that happens all sorts of things happen to mountains, some of them are literally moved, others are tunneled through and others are crossed over.
The only one thing that Jesus cursed in his whole life was emptiness. The tree that was empty of fruit when he looked for it. Figs are the expected result from a fig tree. God has made humanity good, and supplied us with all things; he expects that we will produce goodness. The life that does not is already withering away like the tree.
And, says Jesus, when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins. Unforgiveness is it’s own curse, blighting life and impeding the answer to your prayers. Of course, you think you have nothing to forgive. Isn’t that also the case with the person who sinned against you, didn’t they justify to themselves what they did to you?
Have you ever burst out of a dark tunnel into blinding day light? Have you ever leaped hot and filthy into clean flowing water? That’s what God’s forgiveness does to people. Not forgiving the other guy is something God won’t overlook. Hate motivates a person, anger energizes, and you imagine that if you forgave the person who wronged you, then you would not have strength to recover your life. Confident hope will be what you receive in exchange for your anger, and the miracle working power of love will miraculously replace you virulent hate, you will grow strong and know peace with God and make peace around you. You will live and not be cursed.
posted by Jessie Coates at 11:43 PM
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