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Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again." And His disciples heard it.
So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.' And the scribes and the chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching. When evening had come, He went out of the city.
Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away." So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."
- Mark 11:12-25
On Saturday, we read that Jesus and the disciples came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you." And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight." Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. The lectionary skips over Mark 11:1-11, the reading for Palm Sunday, Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.
Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again." And His disciples heard it. Since this is Passover week, we know the time of year most likely corresponds to April; figs ripen in the warmest weather so it's not the season for figs. But Jesus comes upon a tree that is lush with foliage, giving a promise of an early first crop. (Fig trees do give a first limited early crop, from branches that sprouted the previous year.) Finding not even one fig, Jesus condemns the tree which bears no fruit. In Scripture, says my study bible, a fig tree is often a symbol for Israel (Hosea 9:10 compares the promise of the early Israelites to the "firstfruits on the fig tree in its first season"). As those to whom this Kingdom has been offered, we are all called upon to bear spiritual fruit (Matthew 21:43; Galatians 5:22-23).
So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'" Those who bought and sold in the temple were those who traded in live animals to be used for sacrifices. The money changers are those who exchanged Roman coins for Jewish temple money. Roman coins bore the image of Caesar, and so were considered defiling for the temple. This isn't the only time Jesus will give a message to the leadership that their hearts are far from God, that they use the people for their own gain. In Mark 12, for example, Jesus warns about the scribes that they "devour widows' houses." But it is a question of the primary purpose of the temple. My study bible says the cleansing of the temple points to the necessity that the Church be kept free of earthly pursuits. As each one of us is also a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19) this is also a teaching about where our hearts and minds must be; Lent is the right time to think about cleansing our minds and hearts of "worldly" matters as our priorities in life, and to infuse all our concerns with prayer.
And the scribes and the chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching. When evening had come, He went out of the city. Jesus' teaching is astounding, "astonishing" to the people. No one has ever heard anyone like Him, He is garnering tremendous attention. Fear and astonishment go hand in hand in accompanying Christ, in people's response to Him.
Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away." The curse and withering of the fig tree is a prophetic act, as traditionally interpreted, and one that signifies judgment that the Messiah has come and been rejected. It's a sign that the old covenant is being replaced with a new one (Hebrews 8:13 says that the old has become "obsolete" and will "vanish away"). The Church will be filled with both Gentiles and Jews; this is a sign for the disciples that they will be following Christ's will in building this Church.
So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." Jesus takes this time to talk about the power of faith; cemented within that power is forgiveness, the capacity to forgive. All things are given up to the Lord at all times. Everything is in the hands of God. This is the great secret to holy power. Let us note that forgiveness doesn't mean one "justifies" whatever harmful or hurtful thing that has been done, but it does mean that all one's work and thoughts, heart and soul, are given over to how God wants us to live our lives, particularly in response.
In today's reading we have a couple of instances of Jesus' great power. He not only takes the authority to cleanse the temple, but the people are astonished at His teaching. Then there is the cursing and withering of the fig tree, and Jesus' talk on the power of faith. The old covenant is being loosed, and a new one is taking its place, for all the people of the world. In the midst of revealing the power of faith, Jesus speaks of the necessity of forgiveness to accompany all things. We can't really talk too much about forgiveness, because it's an inexhaustible subject. It's one that can be a great stumbling block, full of difficulties for all of us. But it's important to remember that we can always pray for our enemies, we can pray to God to help us to forgive and to find a way to do so. This doesn't mean that we see bad acts as good, and it doesn't make them just go away. It doesn't mean they haven't happened, nor that we don't continue to suffer from their bad effects. It doesn't mean that we pray that every bad aim of a misguided person be regarded with God's favor. What it means is that we pray, essentially, for each one of us to find God's will -- ourselves and others included, and thereby and therein find reconciliation. It is the "giving up" part that is important about forgiveness. In the Greek, the word means giving up, releasing, letting go, even sending away or permitting to leave. Forgiveness means that whatever has happened, our relationship is not just between ourselves and that other person or persons who have caused offense. It is rather a relationship with God in the center of it, mediating all things and guiding us in all things, giving us the perspective and the relationships that we need. What we must come to realize through forgiveness is the grace that works beyond all worldly justice, and fulfills true righteousness as we don't have the perspective alone. Forgiveness leaves us free to focus on the things that are truly of God, placing ourselves in God's hands for how we respond to an often unjust, cruel, and ignorant world. It is the counterpart to cleansing the temple so that it is "free" to be a house of prayer for all people. This is the way we hold nothing back from fullness of prayer within ourselves. We do what it takes to be fully in the place God calls us to, letting nothing stand in the way, and giving it up to God. Jesus predicates our own forgiveness for trespasses (that is, both deliberate and non-deliberate error) with this capacity to forgive. And in it we find real covenant, because all things in this way come together in God, in our faith and reliance on God. Let us consider the ways in which God's power may be fully at work in our lives, how fully we may come to prayer, and how truly we may trust. Forgiveness means we hold no part of ourselves or the experience of our lives back from God's love and grace, the fullness of real communion. We have to face real hurts, and acknowledge what it means to "give up" damaged parts of ourselves to God. In so doing, we may find more that needs to heal within us, and so recover more truly who we are. This is the greater capacity for faith which Jesus addresses here, a place where we may dwell more fully in prayer and dialogue.
