A set of three reflections from worship:
Mark 11:20-25 (NRSV)In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. 24So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”
This short paragraph is a deeply troubling passage. What is going on with a withered tree because Jesus cursed it? What are these teaching about prayer that if you believe in your heart and do not doubt that you will be able to move mountains? And probably less in our hearts but at least very curious, why does Jesus so closely connect forgiveness to prayer?
These are all good questions. And before we go any further we know that
we’re either not going to get answers, or we’re not going to like the answers
we get.
Last week we read the events of
Sunday and Monday of Holy Week. You may
remember that on Monday when Jesus was going into Jerusalem he went to a fig
tree looking for figs. It was not the
season for figs. So, not surprisingly,
there were no figs on the tree! Perhaps
Jesus needed to brush up his knowledge on fig production. But instead of realizing that what does he
do? He curses the tree!
I suppose we might all get mad at a
situation and swear or curse something but we don’t really mean it. And it doesn’t come true. But when we resume reading the events of the
next day we discover that indeed the tree has been cursed. It’s withered overnight!
I feel sorry for the guy who owned
the tree. What did he do wrong? All he did is own a fig tree that was doing
what fig trees do! Now he’s got a dead
tree because some traveling religious man got mad because the tree was living
exactly the way nature made the tree to live, and because of that he called
down a divine curse upon it; and now it’s dead!
Whether historically accurate or
not, we could shrug it off as a prophetic sign about what was to happen to the
temple. You’ll remember from what we
read last week that Jesus is going to go in and overturn the tables of the
money changers and drive people out. We
could interpret the fig tree as just a broader sign of God rejecting the
temple.
Indeed I think that is what Mark
wants us to do. But there’s two problems. It doesn’t help us get past the collateral
damage Jesus has done!
I’ve said it a couple times before
and I’ll say it again, Mark’s gospel is not a tame gospel. God is clearly and certainly portrayed as
having abundant love. However God will not
be contained. God will not be
predicted. God will not be tamed. When reading Mark’s gospel I’m always
reminded of the lion Aslan in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia children’s
books. Aslan is a good and loving lion,
but he is absolutely not tame!
Mark does not let us attempt to tame
or domesticate God. God is loving,
yes. But God is God! We are simply never going to get comfortable
with what happens to the fig tree.
The second problem is the way Jesus
connect the dead fig tree to the power of prayer. He says very clearly, “I tell you, whatever
you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be
yours.” So, he cursed a fig tree one
day. The next day it was dead. Simple as that!
People often try to give God some
wiggle room by inventing answers like, “God knows what is best for you and God
will only answer those prayers that will be helpful.” Nice thought, but is that what Jesus actually
said? Did Jesus say, “I tell you,
whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and if and
only if it fits with God’s plan and is truly good for you, then it will be
yours”? Nope. He said pray for it. Believe that you’ll get it. It will be yours. Simple as that. Period.
I cringe when I hear people say things like:
-God didn’t answer a prayer because it wasn’t God’s plan,
-or
God didn’t answer it because it was for the greater good,
-or
I must not have had enough faith,
-or
I had doubts,
-or
I didn’t pray the right way.
Don’t let God off the hook so
easily. The Bible says it. It doesn’t happen. That’s all there is too it.
I’ve spent too much time with
families in hospitals praying for the healing of a loved one that didn’t
happen. I’ve spent too much time praying
with people struggling with addictions, or begging for release from shame, or
to help with abuse or anything like that to accept any answer that leaves God
off the hook. The pain and suffering and
death and loss is just too real, and the prayers are too earnest. These are not selfish desires. These are desperate pleas for help.
I think Mark’s gospel would have us
struggle and fight with God rather than feeling hurt and inventing excuses for
God.
Here’s the deeper truth I find, and
I think it is actually at the core of what Jesus says. When you pray for something, especially if
you are desperate, what is really going on in your heart? What are you really asking God? I think it is this. I think you are really asking, “God, are you
there? God, do you hear me? God, am I important enough for you? God, do you love me?”
In Romans 8 Paul says the Spirit
intercedes for us before God with sighs too deep for words to express. Those questions are the deep sighs of the
Spirit. Those are the powerful authentic
prayers rising to God.
I don’t reach that conclusion as
some clever deep way out of why prayers don’t get answered. I think Jesus takes us there himself. We see that in the final words of the scene. At first it appears as if Jesus has jumped
topics when he says, “Whenever you stand praying, forgive…” but do you see what
he has done there? He’s taken prayer to
the core of a relationship with God.
Forgiveness is being in right relationship with God. It is knowing in your prayer that indeed God
is there, God does hear, God does think we are important, and God does love us.
Mark 11:26-12:44 (NRSV)
Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him 28and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?” 29Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.” 31They argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?” —they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. 33So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
Then he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 2When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. 3But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted.5Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. 6He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10Have you not read this scripture:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes’?”
12When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So they left him and went away.
Then they sent to him some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said. 14And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? 15Should we pay them, or should we not?” But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.” 16And they brought one. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” 17Jesus said to them, “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.
Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, saying, 19“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that ‘if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.’ 20There were seven brothers; the first married and, when he died, left no children; 21and the second married her and died, leaving no children; and the third likewise; 22none of the seven left children. Last of all the woman herself died. 23In the resurrection whose wife will she be? For the seven had married her.”
24Jesus said to them, “Is not this the reason you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? 25For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27He is God not of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong.”
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; 33and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’ —this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.
While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, “How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David? 36David himself, by the Holy Spirit, declared,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet.”’
37David himself calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?” And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.
38As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.43Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Reflection 2
This passage takes us into part two
of Jesus’ day, that Tuesday of Holy Week.
Let’s notice that Jesus takes on pretty much anyone and everyone who has
authority in the temple. First it’s the
chief priests, the elders, and the scribes who challenge Jesus. They want to know why he thought he had the
authority to cause the ruckus in the temple he caused the day before. If he’s using it a symbolic act of God
rejecting the temple, then this itinerant preacher from Nazareth better have
some pretty good credentials to go against the religious leaders and a thousand
years of tradition. In other words, who
is he to say he can make such claims on God’s behalf? But Jesus gets the better of them with a
challenge about the authority of John the Baptist. Jesus then goes on with a parable about the
wicked tenants in a vineyard. It
symbolizes the corrupt leadership and God’s rejected.
Next the Pharisees and Herodians
join forces against Jesus. They ask if
it’s lawful to pay taxes to the emperor?
Jesus not only trips them up but they publicly humiliate themselves when
he asks them to see a coin. They should
have said, “Show you a Roman coin?!? How
could we possibly do that? This is the
temple of God. You aren’t allowed to
have Roman coins in here because they have the graven image of the emperor on
them. That’s why there are the money
changers so people can exchange their pagan Roman money for acceptable Jewish
coins. Get with the program, Jesus! We’d never do such a thing!”
But of course what do they do? Apparently someone had at least one coin in
their pocket because they pull it out and right there in the temple they show
they have graven images to foreign gods.
Oops. Egg on their face!
Next come the Sadducees, a more
conservative and more righteous group than the Pharisees and the
Herodians. They wouldn’t have a Roman
coin in their pockets while in the temple.
They create their own trap for Jesus.
They accept only the first five books of the Bible, the Torah, as
authoritative. They reject the rest of
what we call the Old Testament. They
also reject the idea of the resurrection.
They think they have Jesus trapped with the absurdity of a woman (who
because of perfectly living according to the law) was one after another,
married to seven men.
Jesus rightly points out that when
people rise from the dead they neither marry nor are given in marriage. Earthly relationship dynamics no longer
hold. Yes, Jesus gives the right answer
of course. However, in a corner of my
own mind I think Jesus could have said, “This woman burnt through seven
husbands?!? Don’t you think that’s a
little strange? She was probably poising
the Jello or something and in that case she’s not going to heaven!”
Mark 13 (NRSV)
As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” 2Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
3When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. 6Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. 8For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.
9“As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. 10And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;13and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
“But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; 15the one on the housetop must not go down or enter the house to take anything away; 16the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. 17Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! 18Pray that it may not be in winter. 19For in those days there will be suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, no, and never will be. 20And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut short those days. 21And if anyone says to you at that time, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘Look! There he is!’ —do not believe it. 22False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23But be alert; I have already told you everything.
24“But in those days, after that suffering,
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
25and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
Even though we aren’t Jewish, it is
important for us to understand how the destruction of that temple shaped our
Christian faith and modern day Jewish faith.
What gets scholars of the Dead Sea Scrolls so excited is that they are
written when the temple in Jerusalem is still standing.
Sometimes I think it is helpful for
us Christians two even recognize the split in our own New Testament. There are those things (probably) written
before the temple was destroyed. This
would include Paul’s undisputed letters and Mark’s gospel. And there are the things written after the
temple was destroyed. This list would
include Matthew, Luke, John, Acts, Paul’s disputed letters, Revelation, and
everything else.
What does all that do for us? When we read Mark 13 we are reading an
interpretation of the Old Testament prophet Daniel as it’s being applied to what
will happen to Jerusalem; but hasn’t happened yet. When you read Matthew or Luke you’re reading
Daniel being applied to what already happened to Jerusalem.
Said simply, Mark gives us a more
pure picture. Mark also give us a more
clear way to use it. While the images
Jesus uses in Mark 13 are very vivid, and they can capture our imagination, a
couple things are very clear. One,
whatever happens it is in God’s hands.
Remember back to cursing the fig tree and prayer and forgiveness? We have the same message. God is bigger than anything going on around
you. Even if the world is literally
splitting apart, and the stars and the moon aren’t acting right, and everything
is going nuts, God is still in control.
God’s love is still solid. God
will win.
That therefore takes us to two – the
thing people so often lose sight of when reading these apocalyptic texts. If God is still in control, and God’s love is
still ultimate, then no matter what happens continue to unfailingly
proclaim the gospel to the world.
Don’t take Jesus too literally in
13:37 when he says, “And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” You certainly need to sleep! But Jesus does not want his followers to put
off until tomorrow what needs to be done today.
We make a mistake when we lose the urgency of God’s kingdom. We make a mistake when we think life can be
about just living as a ‘good person’ within all the norms and expectations of
society. If we’ve learned nothing else
from Mark’s gospel we should at least learn that things are not stable. They are not predictable. They are not meant to be and God has no
intention of making them so.
The gospel began with God ripping
the sky at Jesus’ baptism. God’s love
has not been contained or tamable throughout.
It will continue that way throughout the rest of the gospel. And so we do not live tame lives either.
God is in control. God’s love will win. But we do not sit back and watch the
show. We are a part of God’s cast, and
the story is far from over. Amen
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