Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?

 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  I am

'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
"Make straight the way of the Lord,"'

as the prophet Isaiah said."

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

- John 1:19-28

Yesterday, we read what is known as the Prologue to John's Gospel:  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.   He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many who received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before Me.'"  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  "Make straight the way of the Lord,"' as the prophet Isaiah said."  Having begun his Gospel with in the beginning, John gives us seven consecutive days that begin the ministry of Jesus.  Today's reading covers the first day, in which John the Baptist bears witness to the Light that is coming into the world.   This day parallels the creation of the light on the first day in Genesis 1:3-5.  John is a  prophet but not the Prophet, the Messiah, whose coming was foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).  John quotes from Isaiah 40:3.  He is the herald of Christ's coming to Israel.

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.  John makes his role clear:  he baptizes in preparation for the one who is is coming.  His baptism is one of repentance, but the Christ who comes is the one who can remit sin.

One of the first things we might notice in John's Gospel is the appearance of the authorities.  We must first remember that throughout John's Gospel the term the Jews is most frequently used to indicate the religious authorities at Jerusalem.  All the characters, with very few exceptions, in the story of Jesus as told by John are Jews, including Jesus and the Evangelist himself.  But by the time this Gospel was written, persecution for the followers of Jesus had become severe, particularly in the synagogues all throughout the regions in which the disciples were preaching.  So for John the term is used more like a political party affiliation.   That the "first day" of the story of Jesus' ministry would include authorities coming from Jerusalem to inquire who exactly John the Baptist is gives us a strong suggestion of what is to come.  The work of God is engaged in a struggle with those who demand to assert their authority as religious leadership.  They are the "regulators" of their time and place, so to speak, and are sent down from Jerusalem to inquire just who John the Baptist is (or perhaps claims he might be).  That John also tells us they were sent by the Pharisees is also a hint of what is to come for Jesus as well.  There is already present the tension between the religious authorities and those whom God has sent.  We should also note that this tells us about the popularity of the ministry of John the Baptist himself.  He was a widely revered religious figure, and the Gospels indicate the great esteem in which the common people held him (see for example this reading).  The Gospels remain true to that vision, as he's praised by Christ (Matthew 17:11-13).  John's Gospel teaches us most explicitly over the next few readings how John's ministry and Jesus' is linked; many of Jesus closest disciples come to Him as disciples of John the Baptist.  The tension is here already:  we know who the Son is, who Jesus is, as the Gospel has told us.  He is Logos.  The question is, how is this reality received and understood in the world?  The Baptist is considered to be the greatest and last of the Old Testament prophets, as noted above.  How will he be received by the authorities?  Thus we begin the story, and in this context is the great history of our faith and its culminating act of Passion Week.  Let us remember paradox as we read and consider.

My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations

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

In yesterday's reading, Jesus made his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. He sent two apostles to get the colt of a donkey, and rode in from the East, from the Mount of Olives. As He did, He was welcomed by people who spread their clothing before Him, and cut branches and spread them on the road as He entered into Jerusalem. They welcomed Him with the words for the expected Messiah, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!" Jesus entered the temple. When He had "looked around at all things" He returned east to Bethany with His disciples.

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. This is a puzzling story, and commentary has also seen it this way. It can be read as a symbolic story - the fig tree being often an image of Israel itself. But the tree will be a useful teaching tool for the disciples, and its symbolism that of spiritual fruitfulness, or lack of it. In this fig tree we find a kind of alternate symbolism to the colt from yesterday's reading: the tree can be seen as a symbol for Israel (as it is found to be so elsewhere in Scripture), while the unbroken colt which Jesus rode into Jerusalem is symbolic of the Gentiles who will come to faith through Him.

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. Throughout Mark's Gospel, we have read of quite a different Jesus than the picture in this scene. Here, His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem is followed by the behavior of a king, someone who is fully in charge and in authority. Without an army, without military might, Jesus acts as the "son of David," a king of Israel. It is an extraordinary act.

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. In his actions, Jesus quotes from prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. My study bible points out that Jesus "disrupts business and makes a sweeping condemnation of the religious system, yet He is untouched. The religious rulers and the Roman soldiers are close by, but all are paralyzed. In the light of the imagery in the account of the fig tree, the temple is all leaves and no fruit, a picture of the nation itself." Jesus' welcome into Jerusalem (see yesterday's reading) suggests a population starved for the spiritual leadership they need - and we can use the word "starved" also in conjunction with the story of the fig tree without fruit. What do we seek when we pray and worship? Here in the temple, there is a system in place which tells the people what they must do, what they must offer, but what is it offering to them? This, of course, is always a question for the Church that is established in Jesus' name.

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. . . " A note in my study bible says, "The cursing of the fig tree also demonstrates the power of faith in God and prayer. This mountain probably refers to the Mount of Olives, but Jesus speaks not of its physical relocation, but of great deeds done through undoubting faith. Neither Jesus nor the disciples moved any actual mountains, but they did turn society upside down with the message of the Kingdom. We all need such faith in our struggle for full repentance and life in Christ . . . We can have assured faith in answered prayer, according to St. John Chrysostom, when we ask things worthy of the Lord and strive for holiness. Of course, human requests neither limit nor control God's omniscient freedom." A note in the New Oxford Annotated Bible reads, "Jesus emphasizes not power in faith but the power of God, his illustration being figurative. Faith will command only according to God's will. What God wills is possible both to himself and to the man who shares his will." Surely we will see Jesus pray in the Garden for the cup to be passed from Him, but "nevertheless, not My will but Thine be done." The words in this passage are puzzling unless we understand what is happening symbolically through this reading and the ones just preceding and afterward. Jesus is establishing a kingdom in the world that will shake up all the powers of the world and displace them. The apostles may not live to see that manifest fully, but as surely as they viewed the withered fig tree, Christ's power was moving mountains that would affect the world - even in their lifetimes. The cleansing of the temple is the evidence of Jesus' authority that would have its greatest and far reaching effects through the faith of His followers, and a world would shift and change. "Moving a mountain," I believe, must be seen in this context. And the verses that follow teach us more about prayer. We must also recall that the word in the Greek translated here as "believe" is more akin to "trust." To "pray" is to literally "exchange wishes" with God in the original Greek etymology (προσεύχομαι).

"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." We get the affirmation here of the supremacy of the will of God, and our following and trusting in that will. To forgive is to let go - to release or send away in the original Greek. This seems to be an immediate caution against a prayer for vengeance -- what it truly does is release justice to God. Therefore what we pray for is God's justice, God's mercy, God's righteousness, and the will to see that through and to be helped to come to an understanding of what that is and means. My study bible says, "A call to forgive follows the promise of nearly unlimited possibilities of faith in prayer. What can deter faith that is able to move mountains? Failure to forgive -- the greatest hindrance to knowing God. Not only does unforgiveness cripple our prayers, but even the Father in heaven does not forgive the unforgiving. As the fig tree is rejected for bearing no fruit, so are unforgiving people rejected." Of course the words of Jesus reflect the teaching of the Lord's Prayer.

Jesus is teaching His disciples once more about the tremendous power in prayer. We must not forget what is happening: His entry into Jerusalem and His popular welcome and the cleansing of the temple -- which will stir the authorities against Him and lead to His Passion and final confrontation with their power. It is important to understand what it is to move mountains, and the mission which He is entrusting to the apostles, the "good fight" they will lead after His death and resurrection. This is a kingdom of faith - not vengeance and retribution, and this battle of faith must be fought in a certain way, and by trusting in God. Mountains are moved in ways too far beyond us to control with our own coercive power, but rather through the prayers of those with true faith allied to the will of God. And this is what we must see here, what we must understand for ourselves. Jesus comes offering a kingdom that bears fruit, with its substance given to all. Can we accept it and build it as He would have us do? Do our churches today feed us with spiritual fruit, and do we bear the fruit He asks and wants? Can we share in that faith that can move mountains while it offers forgiveness and seeks the will of God, God's righteousness? Let us consider the momentous events we read about, and apply them to ourselves, and Jesus' teachings to today. What is it to truly be "a house of prayer for all nations?"