fig trees & mountains (Mt 21:18-22)

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Psalm 143; Ephesians 5:22-33; Matthew 21:18-22


"Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."
(Matthew 21:22)

Okay, I've been putting off commenting on this little passage - because I'm not very confident that I get it, and am actually put off by it... to be honest.

This "cursing" of the fig tree is understood to be an enacted parable pointing to the city, the temple, and the leaders. Jesus is returning to the city the morning after his clash in the temple, and would have eaten the little, early green figs that should have been on this tree for his breakfast. Finding it fruitless, he condemns it to never bearing fruit. Twice in the gospel thus far Jesus has spoken of a tree and its fruit (7:15f; 12:33f) and shortly he will lament the city for unbelief and unwillingness to receive him, even for its desolation (23:37f).

When the disciples question him about how quickly the tree withered (interestingly, not why or what he meant by the action), Jesus talks about faith and prayer, including another image from nature (metaphorical mountains) to make his point - which is simply a reiteration of what he said about the rich, young man, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (19:26).

They are returning to Jerusalem, the place where he has said clearly he will be delivered over to the religious leaders and suffer and be crucified. I read this teaching on prayer and faith today from the perspective of following Jesus, that is, how Jesus lived it out... from the perspective of facing mountains of difficult ministry, of facing fruitless, hypocritical leaders and cities and even houses of God, of facing such opposition, even persecution.

But rather than the clear removal of obstacles, or the obvious, immediate condemnation of the fruitless ones we encounter, if we have faith in Jesus, if we are following him in his way, then the mountain that is removed may be something like a stone being rolled away from the tomb, or a mountain of unbelief obliterated. We may not see the judgment of the fruitless in our lifetime, like the desolation and destruction of the city (ch. 24) a generation following Jesus' death, or the surprising judgment of the "sheep" and the "goats" when the Son of Man comes in his glory and sits on his glorious throne (25:45-46).

For some of us, loving our wife or husband (cf. our Ephesians 5:22-33 passage), submitting to him or her, may feel like trying to move a mountain, or like being hungry for some nonexistent fruit of love and joy and peace in the relationship. Paul affirms what I think Jesus points to. The mountain or fruitlessness can be overcome as we trust Jesus and follow him his way, in humility, submission, and laying down our lives, and in the fullness of the Spirit.

Let us keep our eyes and our hearts on Jesus, not on how we can make things happen if we do it just right. And certainly not how we can accomplish God's will our way (without pain.. and with maximum comfort and pleasure). His kingdom will come, his will will be done - and it will be accomplished by faith and through prayer, in the way of obedience, humility, and suffering. Let us follow our king, and bear fruit in keeping with repentance, in keeping with the new, abundant, eternal life dwelling in these bodies through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.