Let no fruit grow on you ever again

 

 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all 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 said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read, 

'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

You have perfected praise'?"

Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there. 

 

Now in the morning as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.  And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

 

- Matthew 21:12-22 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'" So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.   They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"   So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

 

  Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all 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 said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  Those who bought and sold in the temple were trading in live animals which were to be used for sacrifices.  The money changers were trading Roman coins for Jewish coins, as roman coins bore the image of Caesar, and were considered to be defiling in the temple.  My study Bible comments that the cleansing of the temple also points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  As every person is considered to be a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), so it is also a sign that our hearts and minds should be cleansed of earthly matters.  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11.

 

But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?" Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.  My study Bible quotes from the Vespers service of Palm Sunday:  "Keep the feast with the children, and holding branches in your hands, sing 'Hosanna.'"  It notes that many liturgical hymns of this day emphasize the perfect praise of the children, which differentiated from the adults in that it was innocent, fitting, unashamed, and from hearts of pure love.  So we also are called to glorify Christ in the same spirit (see Matthew 18:1-4).  In contrast, it says, the adults' praise carried earthly expectations and agendas which, when left unfulfilled, led them to rebel against Jesus only five days later (Matthew 27:20-23).  Jesus quotes from Psalm 8:2.

 

 Now in the morning as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.  And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  The fig tree, as my study Bible explains, is a symbol of prosperity and peace, and it withers because it is fruitless.  This is a prophetic act by Jesus which is directed toward the nation, as after three years of His preaching, teaching, and healing, both the leaders and the crowds were destitute of spiritual fruit.  He curses the tree also to warn those in every generation what will befall anyone who fails to listen to His message. 

 

 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."  While there is no recorded incident of an apostle literally moving a mountain, my study Bible says, in patristic commentary it's clear that they had this authority if the need had arisen (certain saints did make crevices appear in mountains).  Moreover, not all things done by the apostles were written down.  Beyond the literal meaning here, this promise illustrates the power of faith and prayer in all areas of life.  According to Theophylact, "Whatever we ask, without hesitation and believing in God's power, we shall receive" when we ask for things which are spiritually profitable.  

 

 

The story of Jesus' withering of the fig tree is what we might term "a hard saying."   Why would we term it that?  Because what it indicates is judgment, and the kind of judgment that we don't really want to hear.  It's about Christ's pronouncement of judgment on those who are "unfruitful."  That is, upon those who have benefited nothing from His ministry, who cannot receive it nor honor it, who refuse the salvation that He offers.  What it teaches us is something hard that, normally speaking, we don't want to accept.  That it is possible for people to lose this priceless gift through rejection, because they don't want to receive it.  When Jesus forgives from the Cross, saying, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34), we may understand this in a number of ways.  There is first of all a sense in which people really do not know what they reject when they reject Christ.  That is, the life of salvation that He offers, and the eternal life of the Kingdom.  This certainly would have applied to the Roman soldiers who followed their orders to crucify Him.  It can apply to all kinds of people in all of these stories in the Gospels of Christ's ministry.  The religious leaders and others know that Christ is a holy Man, and yet they reject Him; they know the works of the Holy Spirit through the Old Testament Scriptures.  But still, there may be ways in which they "do not know what they do," and yet are in some sense and through their own hard-heartedness, beyond repentance.  But we are assured in our faith that there is no sin which cannot be forgiven through repentance.  The question remains, however, what of those who reject and never repent?  This is, fortunately, not up to us, but up to only Christ who is the ultimate Judge, and the ultimate knower of hearts (Acts 1:24; 15:8).  In St. John's Gospel, Jesus tells the religious leaders, "You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me" (John 8:15-16).  So we must ask ourselves again about this withering of the fig tree, a symbol of condemnation of that which is fruitless, which does not bear the spiritual fruit of its promise and potential -- even that for which it was created.  It certainly tells us something powerful about life itself, that there is life in Christ, and without His light we have the darkness that is death, that does not bring life into this world.  Is our life meant to be only about eating and drinking, or survival on its barest level, or the goods we can consume?  Life in Christ's light is so much more than this, and teaches us that we are so much more than this.  We diminish ourselves and our communities by refusing Christ and His love and light guiding us in His compassion.  Jesus will lament over Jerusalem, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'"  (Matthew 23:37-39).  Let us consider the reality of this rejection, and what it means for people's lives, for we can see the barrenness of life without God's love and hope and compassion.  There are no systems or philosophies that can replace the intrinsic understanding of the priceless value of the soul placed upon it by God, by the One who died so that we can live.  Let us give careful thought to the reality of this teaching in the withering of the fig tree.  

 

 

 

 

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"

 

 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 wold 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 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 11:12–26 

 

On Saturday, we read that when Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat.  Loose it and bring it.  And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here."  So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.  But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?"  And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded.  So they let them go.  Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.  And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"  And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple.  So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

 

  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.  That it was not the season for figs means that this fig tree had sprouted an early full foliage, my study Bible comments.  This would indicate a first crop, but without bearing any fruit.  Jesus -- having found not a single fig -- condemns it.  In Scripture, my study Bible explains, a fig tree is often a symbol of Israel (Hosea 9:10).  Israel's fruitfulness has ceased (hinting at the rejection of Christ), so the Kingdom will be taken from her and given to another people, my study Bible says; that is, a people who are called to bear spiritual fruit (see 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 wold 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 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.   My study Bible explains that those who bought and sold were trading in live animals to be used for sacrifices.  The money changers were trading roman coins for Jewish coins.  This is because Roman coins bore the image of Caesar, and so were therefore considered to be defiling in the temple.  My study Bible adds that the cleansing of the temple also points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  As each person is considered to be a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), it is also a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters, my study Bible says.   In condemning the activities within the temple, Jesus cites Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11.

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."  My study Bible says that the cursing and withering of the fig tree is a prophetic act, and that it signifies the judgment of Israel.  This is a visible way for the disciples to learn that the old covenant with Israel is becoming "obsolete" and will "vanish away" (Hebrews 8:13).  They will establish Christ's Church, ultimately to be filled with both Gentiles and Jews, and, as my study Bible frames it, they need assurance that they are following His will.  The fig tree will thus be an indelible image of this moment in their minds.  

It's very interesting to consider the money changers, as they are being so scrupulous in following the Law by exchanging coins bearing the image of Caesar for Jewish coins to use in the temple treasury.  But once again, Jesus' act -- and this time a very visceral and dramatic act -- centers on the aims of the Law, and against the legalism of the ruling Council.  He says that instead of Isaiah's "house of prayer," the temple has been reduced to Jeremiah's "den of thieves" through the machinations of the system, and how it no doubt penalized the poor who could not afford a good sacrifice.   One suspects, however, that there was more to it than this.  Possibly -- as can happen in so many Churches today -- the whole focus of Passover was becoming this great business of doing business in the temple, with less emphasis on the prayer for which purpose it was meant.  We should remember that the animals being sold in the temple (for which purpose Roman money was being exchanged  for Jewish coins in the first place), were for sacrificial offerings to the Lord Himself.  It reminds us that the Psalmist writes, "For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:16-17).  Indeed, the interactions of Jesus with the Council all seem to point to the lack of "broken and contrite hearts" among them, so rigorous are they in their legalism and absolutely assured of their own righteousness.  In today's reading we have what might be the two most dramatically "violent" acts of Christ:  the cleansing of the temple and also the withering of the fig tree.  But they both go hand in hand.  They are the very visible signs of the Lord's own judgment regarding what He sees, and also what He fails to see.  It is the righteousness of true self-sacrifice and the spiritual fruits of humility before God that He does not see here.  The withering of the fig tree is an act of judgment aimed at those who put on a good show, but who fail to produce true spiritual fruit.  Let us keep in mind that the final judgment is yet to come for all of us, and that repentance always remains a possibility.  But Jesus has pronounced clearly in these acts His judgment about what is happening in real time, what He witnesses.  We cannot forget that He also as Messiah is the Lord of the temple, the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28).  As such He has surveyed what He sees (in Saturday's reading, above), and He has now given His judgment, with His authority.  The scrupulosity of money exchanges cannot cover the mechanisms for hypocrisy, legalism, and corruption that He sees -- and also the absent spiritual fruit that He doesn't see.  Bede comments on today's passage using images of the marketplace, "What, my beloved, do you suppose our Lord would do if he should discover people involved in disputes, wasting time gossiping, indulging in unseemly laughter, or engaged in any other sort of wicked actions?" (Exposition on the Gospel of Mark 2.1).   Let us consider for our own time precisely this rough and vigorous display of judgment in today's reading, for all of it applies equally to us when we lose ourselves to commerce, profit, useful mechanisms to turn church into mere marketplace -- and leave behind the real purpose of worship and prayer and the spiritual fruit that must go with it.  For this is not about the past alone.  Christ's message is meant for us, and to be with us, even as He is as yet with us when we worship as well (Matthew 18:20).  

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses

 

 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 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 11:12-26 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat.  Loose it and bring it.  And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here."  So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.  But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?"  And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded.  So they let them go.  Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.  And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple.  So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve. 

 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.  My study Bible says that it was not the season for figs means that this fig tree had sprouted an early full foliage of leaves, which would indicate a first crop of fruit, but the tree had not borne fruit.  (Just to note, fig trees do not bear flowers; the figs themselves are actually its flowers.)  Jesus finds not even one fig on this tree, and condemns it.  This is a symbolic and prophetic act.  In Scripture, a fig tree is often a symbol of Israel (see Hosea 9:10).  In literary tradition across the Middle East, the fig is known as a symbol of sweetness and richness.  But here, the tree's fruitfulness has ceased -- symbolic of spiritual wealth; and so, my study Bible notes, the Kingdom will be taken from her and given to another people, who are called to bear spiritual fruit (see 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.'"  And the scribes and 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.   Those who bought and sold in the temple were trading in live animals to be used for sacrifices.  The money changers would trade Roman coins for Jewish coins.  Roman coins bore the image of Caesar, and so were considered to be defiling in the temple.  My study Bible notes that the cleansing of the temple also points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  As each person is considered a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), it is also a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters.  That is, our first orientation in how we live our lives is toward God (Matthew 6:33).

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."  My study Bible comments that this cursing and withering of the fig tree is a prophetic act which signifies the judgment of Israel.  It says that the disciples need to learn that the old covenant with Israel is becoming "obsolete" and will "vanish away" (Hebrews 8:13).  They will establish His Church, ultimately to be filled

with Gentiles and Jews, and they need assurance that they are following Christ's will.  The fig tree will be an indelible image in their minds.  

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."  My study Bible comments that while it is not recorded that an apostle literally moved a mountain, the patristic teaching is clear that they had this authority if the need had arisen (certain saints did make crevices appear in mountains).  Moreover, not everything the apostles accomplished was written down.  Beyond its literal meaning, this promise is also an illustration of the power of faith and prayer in all areas of life.  According to Theophan, "Whatever we ask, without hesitation and believing God's power, we shall receive" when we ask for spiritually profitable things.

"But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."  My study Bible comments that Jesus insists on mutual forgiveness between people as a precondition of God's forgiveness.  It says that those who do not forgive are not forgiven -- period.  This teaching is repeated in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35) which concludes with the same teaching.  To not forgive others is to willfully flee from the forgiveness of God for ourselves.  See also the Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:12, 14-15; Luke 11:4.

Forgiveness can be a tricky subject.  We have to ask ourselves, has Jesus forgiven the people He just criticized on no uncertain terms in the temple?  That is, has He already forgiven the ones He says are making God's house "a den of thieves?"  We might be tempted to ask such questions, as there are so many things happening in today's reading.  Jesus speaks of judgment -- in fact the judgment of a nation -- in the symbolism of the withered fig tree.  Where are the spiritual fruits from three years of Christ's ministry in Israel?  Where is the repentance?  Do the leadership listen to Him or simply reject Him?   Where does judgment come into the teachings on forgiveness?   If these issues seem confusing, it is because they not only overlay different levels of experience, but they also call for discernment.  In terms of the condemnation and judgment in the symbolic withering of the fig tree, "forgiveness" does not deny the reality of spiritual failure, the failure to draw spiritual fruit from an extraordinary visitation and manifestation of God in Christ's ministry and His very Incarnation.  But on the other hand, forgiveness is always present for those who reconsider and repent, for those who will heed Christ's words.  Whatever the failure of the nation in terms of its leadership or what will be coming for Christ in terms of rejection by the nation at His trial before Pilate, Christ's forgiveness is always present for those who will come to Him.  We mustn't forget that the early Christians were considered a subset of Judaism, the first Church in Jerusalem consisting entirely of Jews.  So Christ's judgment means something significant, but it does not preclude the concept of forgiveness.  And there we must come to a conclusion about forgiveness:  it is we who must come to realize what that forgiveness means.  Jesus lays it out very clearly that in order to realize our own forgiveness, we must also practice forgiveness.  In Greek the word translated as the verb "to forgive" means to let go, or send away.  It is the same word used with the analogy of debt in the Lord's Prayer, when Jesus teaches us to pray, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12).  To "let go" implies a concrete action, not simply a thought or concept.  To "let go" means that we eschew any sense of retribution.  Moreover, we "let go" of something to send it somewhere.  To whom do we "let go" of a trespass someone has done to us, or debt we think is owed, or a sin committed against ourselves?  It would seem clear that the answer to this question is God, or Christ.  Jesus' word on forgiveness comes in a teaching on what we're to do while we stand praying.  We are to turn to God for judgment, and for guidance in how to respond to the harm done to us, the sin committed against us.  This is the clear end for all things:  the judgment of God, and the discernment that comes from faith. When we forgive, in this model, we are not making excuses nor are we acting as if nothing has ever happened.  We are not in denial about people who may cause us harm or wish us ill.  But we do turn all things to God, and we seek Christ's light for walking through our lives.  It is His agenda we seek to serve, and not a plan of vengeance or retribution of our own (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30).  The justice and righteousness that we seek are in God's hands, just as is the judgment Jesus pronounces upon those who've failed to heed His mission in the world, who've failed to produce the spiritual fruits meant to be made possible through God's love.  We turn to that love in our lives to show us the way, for this is how we find our own forgiveness and our own future.  If we think about it, forgiveness is a parallel to the Cross and Resurrection, for forgiveness allows us to move on and also to begin a new start if we follow the path of Christ.  We may be hurting from the things of the past, but forgiveness allows us to exchange that hurt for the way that Christ shows us to move forward and renew our lives.  It is a different form of repentance, in which we address not our own sins, but those done to us.  It teaches us to stay stuck in neither, but to look to an unknown future.  Like the Cross and Resurrection, and the Old and New Covenants, like so much of Christ's ministry, forgiveness is yet another way of transformation, of transfiguring energy and even mystery.  Let us consider His powerful teaching, and the new ways it opens up for our lives, that we may better follow His light.