A Holy Week Devotional, Monday, March 25, 2024
By Sandra Main (Originally published Monday, April 11, 2022)
Mark 11:12-25
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they went out of the city.
The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree
20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
Just Faith It
By Sandra Main
I can relate to many things that Jesus experiences in this passage. For example, beginning with Mark 11:12 we are told that Jesus was hungry. In my world, that is never a good way to begin anything. Start my day with bacon, eggs and a strong cup of coffee and I am a happy girl ready to take on the crazy of life.
Next, Jesus experiences disappointment and frustration finding the fig tree without fruit. You see, the tree had leaves which also meant it should have had fruit. Don’t go messing with God’s breakfast is my thought! I would consider this fig tree a fraud as it boasted of what it was not. It was not doing what it was created to do. It was not living its purpose.
So, what does Jesus do next? He talks to that fig tree, and he doesn’t say please. I would imagine that those hunger pains are gnawing at him as well. He basically tells that tree to just die – and it did! There are a few things I feel are important to consider. Jesus spoke to the problem and expected the manifestation of those words to take place. He did not beg the tree to give up the ghost and wither away nor did he pray continually over and over and hope that God would come through on this thing. Nope, he spoke with power and authority and continued on with the next assignment of the day. He was, what I like to call, “faithing it.” Jesus spoke words of faith in the same way that he expects us to speak words of faith.
Check out what it says in verse 23. “Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes what he says will take place, it will be done for him.” Did you notice how this ended? IT WILL BE DONE FOR HIM!!! It is not you and I that are the power behind getting it done, but God. What a relief! However, we have a part to play and that is the faith part. You can think of faith as the conduit in which God’s power manifests.
The power of the word of faith is a kingdom principal that I have experienced many times over in my life in both small ways and those “WOAZA!” God knocks my socks off ways. Even so, I have ups and downs with many moments of doubt and discouragement when my focus moves from faith into the realms of fear, worry and doubt. No mountains will move with wishy washy thinking, that is for sure.
I am confident that living life in faith comes down to a choice. This involves choosing to believe and taking an immovable stance. It is not what I see, hear or feel, but it is what God says in His Word. I call this the bulldog faith of holding on and not letting go. Jesus continues to tell his disciples in the next verse (Mark 11:24), “For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will get it.”
I may be that crazy girl believing for the impossible, but fortunately I believe in the God of the impossible. I don’t often understand how God is working things out, but I know that He will, and He does, because He says so. I’ll tell you what, “faithing it” makes for an exciting and adventurous life. He has called each of us to jump into that big adventure with him where he will never leave us nor forsake us. What do we have to lose—just faith it!
Thank you Jesus that you have created me to partner with you in bringing heaven to earth. I choose to believe what you say and stand in faith for the big, scary, and impossible-looking circumstances. I plead your blood, the blood of Jesus, over me, my family, and every area of influence you have placed in my life. We’ve got this – love you, Jesus. Amen!
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