Friday of week 8 in Ordinary Time
Mark 11:11-26
After he had been acclaimed by the crowds, Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. He looked all round him, but as it was now late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
Next day as they were leaving Bethany, he felt hungry. Seeing a fig tree in leaf some distance away, he went to see if he could find any fruit on it, but when he came up to it he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs. And he addressed the fig tree. ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again’ he said. And his disciples heard him say this.
So they reached Jerusalem and he went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling and buying there; he upset the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those who were selling pigeons. Nor would he allow anyone to carry anything through the Temple. And he taught them and said, ‘Does not scripture say: My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples? But you have turned it into a robbers’ den.’ This came to the ears of the chief priests and the scribes, and they tried to find some way of doing away with him; they were afraid of him because the people were carried away by his teaching. And when evening came he went out of the city.
Next morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered to the roots. Peter remembered. ‘Look, Rabbi,’ he said to Jesus, ‘the fig tree you cursed has withered away.’ Jesus answered, ‘Have faith in God. I tell you solemnly, if anyone says to this mountain, “Get up and throw yourself into the sea,” with no hesitation in his heart but believing that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. I tell you therefore: everything you ask and pray for, believe that you have it already, and it will be yours. And when you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your failings too. But if you do not forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive your failings either.’
Eastertide is past and we're back in ordinary time, but there are still extraordinary things being revealed to us.
We have the cleansing of the Temple, book-ended by the cursing of the fig tree.
On the one hand the fig tree seems to get a rough deal – it seems a little unreasonable of Jesus to expect fruit out of season. Perhaps what is really happening here is to draw attention to the state of religion in Israel. Like the fruit tree the Temple is impressive, but it is all foliage and no fruit.
In the temple the next day Jesus drives out the people who are misusing God’s holy place. Rather than focusing on prayer and God the Temple is a place of commerce and worldly concerns. Jesus chastises them for turning what should be a house of prayer into a robber’s den. Soon too, the temple will wither because it has failed to produce fruit.
The next day when they see the fig tree again Peter remembers what Jesus said and sees that it has come true.. Jesus uses this as an opportunity to illustrate the importance of faith and prayer, and out need to forgive others.
If our prayers are without belief nothing will change, but if we truly believe then prayer will change our lives. But also, if we want God to forgive us, we must forgive others as well. It’s not enough to just say the words, our hearts and minds must be part of our prayer as well and our forgiveness more than just rote words.
This is just as true for us today as it was when Jesus was with the disciples. To receive the blessings offered us by God we must live our lives as his followers, trusting him to give us what we need and loving others as he loves us.