Scripture: Luke 22
When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him.
He said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;
for I tell you, I will not eat it* until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’
Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves;
for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’
Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it
and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.’
And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.*
But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table.
For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!’
Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this.
A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest.
But he said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors.
But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves.
For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves?
Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
Observation:
Known as the Last Supper, this is the Passover meal Jesus and his disciples eat together before he is executed. Passover is the Jewish celebration of their liberation from slavery. (See Book of Exodus chapters 1-12). God rescued them from their Egyptian oppressors. That story is really very dark. The order of Pharaoh to kill all firstborn male Hebrew babies, an order from which Moses was saved by Pharaoh's own daughter, was carried out years later by God against the Egyptians, including Pharaoh (who lost a son). God sends death to Egypt to liberate the people of Israel. In order to escape death, the Hebrews had to slaughter an unblemished lamb, eat it, and spread blood on their doorposts as a sign for death to pass over their homes. The Passover meal re-presents these events. Jesus was enacting this meal with his disciples when he changes the meal into something new---Bread and wine become flesh and blood. He is becoming the Passover Lamb, slaughtered to save them from death and to set them free. The new covenant is a new promise God makes with God's people; forgiveness of sins, an end to condemnation and punishment, and a way to total peace and life with God. In the meal, we receive Jesus. As they sit at the table eating this meal, Jesus teaches them about humility and service. These are the qualities that characterize Christ and his followers.
Application:
Meals are signs. Food is more than physical sustenance. It carries the weight of divine presence. God is present in humility and suffering. God is present in the family gathering around the table. God is present in the one who serves. This God is no all-powerful Genie, no warrior King. This God is disguised as a humble teacher who gets executed as a criminal. Before he goes, he institutes a new meal to remember him. His body and blood, no one elses, sets us free. You don't have to be a sacrifice or a scapegoat. You don't have to try to save people. You don't have to do anything at all. Trust that God has done what was necessary for you to have life. Trust that you are loved. Trust that simple things like water and bread and wine carry the power of God to us. Also, life is about service to others. Your best life and mine comes when we attend to other people, when we put other people's needs before ourselves. On Good Friday, we see a man who gave his life. He did so because he loves us.
Prayer:
Lord, on the night you were arrested, you took bread and cup, gave thanks, and gave it to your disciples saying; "Take and eat, this is my body for you", "take and drink, this is the new covenant in my blood for you", "remember me." As often as we eat and drink it, we proclaim the saving power of your death. Amen.
Friday, March 25, 2016
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
washing their feet
Scripture: John 13
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’ Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ Jesus said to him, ‘One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet,* but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.’ For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’ After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But it is to fulfill the scripture, “The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.” I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am he.Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.’
Observation:
Jesus demonstrates love, affectionate and generous, by kneeling at the feet of his friends and washing their feet before dinner. Roads in Israel were dirty, stony, and hard on one's feet. Walking in sandals meant dirt, cuts, scabs, blood, and blisters. Foot care was important because you were on your feet so much of the time, working or traveling about. Infections or sore feet could prevent a person from carrying on. It was customary to offer guests a way to wash their feet---sort of like taking off your muddy boots before entering the house. In some homes, a servant would attend to a guest's feet. But in most houses, a basin and towel were provided for guests to clean up dirty, sore feet themselves.
Jesus teaches them humility through service. Notice Peter is embarrassed to have his teacher wash his feet. He knows the social rules and the pecking order. By denying Jesus, Peter is honoring his lower status and Jesus' higher one. But Jesus is offering a new teaching about status and privilege that is critical to their life together. Notice, Jesus washes all of their feet--even his betrayer and those who will abandon him in the end. Nobody is exempt from Jesus' loving care.
Application:
We've made the Christian life more complicated than Jesus' teachings. He practices an incarnate, bodily presence with humility and affectionate, compassionate love. I think about the ministry of Mother Theresa, physically touching and loving the sick and dying of Calcutta. I think of the ministry of Revolution in Lancaster, offering hand massages and friendship to the women staying in homeless shelters downtown. I think of Shane Claiborne's Simple Way community in Philadelphia living in close solidarity with the homeless and poor on the streets of Kensington. I think of Pope Francis washing prisoners' feet, including a Muslim.
We don't see much humility from leaders these days. They are detached from the hardship and struggle of people on the ground fighting to survive. And too many churches have preachers and hearers of the Word, but no doers of the Word. Their faith in Jesus does not include humble service. This is because we have churches with no discipleship. Discipleship involves action, driven by compassion toward those who are in need and expressed in humility and self-giving love. It's more risky, more challenging, more painful, and more beautiful when we walk with someone through suffering. We are building a church of disciples here, learning to practice Jesus' brand of love, touching lives one person at a time. It's not easy. But it's good. Whose "feet" are we "washing"? Tomorrow night at 7pm, we will practice foot-washing as part of our Maundy Thursday gathering.
Prayer:
Lord, your love is expressed in humble service. Thank you for loving us when we are dirty, sore, and weary. Thank you for washing us clean, tending our hurts, and providing us rest. Let us live by your example, for our neighbors. Amen.
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’ Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ Jesus said to him, ‘One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet,* but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.’ For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’ After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But it is to fulfill the scripture, “The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.” I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am he.Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.’
Observation:
Jesus demonstrates love, affectionate and generous, by kneeling at the feet of his friends and washing their feet before dinner. Roads in Israel were dirty, stony, and hard on one's feet. Walking in sandals meant dirt, cuts, scabs, blood, and blisters. Foot care was important because you were on your feet so much of the time, working or traveling about. Infections or sore feet could prevent a person from carrying on. It was customary to offer guests a way to wash their feet---sort of like taking off your muddy boots before entering the house. In some homes, a servant would attend to a guest's feet. But in most houses, a basin and towel were provided for guests to clean up dirty, sore feet themselves.
Jesus teaches them humility through service. Notice Peter is embarrassed to have his teacher wash his feet. He knows the social rules and the pecking order. By denying Jesus, Peter is honoring his lower status and Jesus' higher one. But Jesus is offering a new teaching about status and privilege that is critical to their life together. Notice, Jesus washes all of their feet--even his betrayer and those who will abandon him in the end. Nobody is exempt from Jesus' loving care.
Application:
We've made the Christian life more complicated than Jesus' teachings. He practices an incarnate, bodily presence with humility and affectionate, compassionate love. I think about the ministry of Mother Theresa, physically touching and loving the sick and dying of Calcutta. I think of the ministry of Revolution in Lancaster, offering hand massages and friendship to the women staying in homeless shelters downtown. I think of Shane Claiborne's Simple Way community in Philadelphia living in close solidarity with the homeless and poor on the streets of Kensington. I think of Pope Francis washing prisoners' feet, including a Muslim.
We don't see much humility from leaders these days. They are detached from the hardship and struggle of people on the ground fighting to survive. And too many churches have preachers and hearers of the Word, but no doers of the Word. Their faith in Jesus does not include humble service. This is because we have churches with no discipleship. Discipleship involves action, driven by compassion toward those who are in need and expressed in humility and self-giving love. It's more risky, more challenging, more painful, and more beautiful when we walk with someone through suffering. We are building a church of disciples here, learning to practice Jesus' brand of love, touching lives one person at a time. It's not easy. But it's good. Whose "feet" are we "washing"? Tomorrow night at 7pm, we will practice foot-washing as part of our Maundy Thursday gathering.
Prayer:
Lord, your love is expressed in humble service. Thank you for loving us when we are dirty, sore, and weary. Thank you for washing us clean, tending our hurts, and providing us rest. Let us live by your example, for our neighbors. Amen.
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
the king's authority
Scripture: Mark 11:27-33
Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.” They argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?” —they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. So 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.”
Observation:
The Jewish leaders had a problem. Unauthorized, itinerant rabbis who attracted large crowds. First, John was preaching and baptizing in the Judean wilderness by the Jordan River. Crowds went out to hear him and be baptized as a sign of repentance and the forgiveness of sins. If, however, they officially authorized John's ministry as God's work, the temple system and all of ritual Judaism would be called into question or even abandoned! Jesus' works, words, and ways also confounded the authorized public religious leaders. He fed thousands and told them to practice personal piety, to ignore ritual cleanliness, and to serve others with humility--even those considered enemies or outcasts! Who gave him permission to take public action as a rabbi?
Like the degree and certificate of ordination hanging on the wall of my office that say I am qualified to preach and teach, the office of rabbi was conferred on those who were properly educated, graduated, and authorized. The Pharisees exercised their office under the authority of the high priest and under the authority of the Rabbi in his school they studied. They were highly educated men. Neither John nor Jesus practiced ministry under the authority of anyone. They were not sanctioned by the religious institution. And so they question Jesus. Who did he think he was anyway? Who gave him permission to say and do these things? Where was his certificate, his degree?
Jesus' authority came from God, His Father. He says that he doesn't do anything unless it comes from the Father. But many leaders did not respect his authority or his powers. Jesus was condemned and executed under the title "King of the Jews." Christ is itself a title meaning anointed one or Messiah (also a Kingship). The first Christian confession was "Jesus is Lord" as opposed to "Caesar is Lord." Jesus' orchestrated a coup d' etat. Christians are those who have pledged allegiance to Him and work under His authority.
Application:
Who is authorized to share God's grace; to offer mercy, forgiveness, reconciliation, and love to people who need it? Ordained clergy? The ones wearing the collar and the robe? NO. Everyone who has received it is sent to give it. Jesus' movement of anybodies is for everyone. Jesus talks a lot about the "Kingdom of God", or the "reign of God." God's rule on earth is represented first by Jesus himself. He shows us what it means to live under the kingly rule of the God of the universe, as a humble servant. And then he invites and challenges disciples to do likewise. His disciples were not authorized priests, but fishermen and tax collectors---uneducated anybodies. He still recruits anyone and everyone. The responsibility of the kingdom is ours to bear and share with Him That's what he meant when he said, "Those who would be my disciples must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me." We all have a part to play, a cross to bear. We don't carry Jesus' cross. Only he does that. But we are responsible for our part in God's restoration project.
The King authorizes and empowers his disciples to continue his work in his absence. He told his disciples, whom he sent out to continue the love mission, that the Spirit would guide, equip, protect, and help them. Christians are inspired to follow Jesus and continue his work. Martin Luther called it "the priesthood of all believers" or "the vocation of the baptized." Jesus was under the authority of the Father and we are under the authority of the Son. When we pray in Jesus' name, it's as if he is signing our requests himself. Disciples of Jesus are sent out to serve others under his authority and with his power. So, offer healing and forgiveness to people. Tell them they are loved. Show them mercy and generosity. Stand against powers of injustice and oppression. Do Jesus' work until someone asks you, "who do you think you are, who told you you could do that?" And then tell them, "Jesus did". Some will try to stop us. But we can trust the Lord to be with us even when it's hard.
Prayer
Lord, you invite me into your world, your works, your ways. You challenge me serve others like you did. Too often I fail to take up the responsibility that is mine as your authorized agent of grace. Send your Spirit upon me and empower me to do your work with my hands, my mouth, my feet, my heart and mind. Amen.
Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.” They argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?” —they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. So 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.”
Observation:
The Jewish leaders had a problem. Unauthorized, itinerant rabbis who attracted large crowds. First, John was preaching and baptizing in the Judean wilderness by the Jordan River. Crowds went out to hear him and be baptized as a sign of repentance and the forgiveness of sins. If, however, they officially authorized John's ministry as God's work, the temple system and all of ritual Judaism would be called into question or even abandoned! Jesus' works, words, and ways also confounded the authorized public religious leaders. He fed thousands and told them to practice personal piety, to ignore ritual cleanliness, and to serve others with humility--even those considered enemies or outcasts! Who gave him permission to take public action as a rabbi?
Like the degree and certificate of ordination hanging on the wall of my office that say I am qualified to preach and teach, the office of rabbi was conferred on those who were properly educated, graduated, and authorized. The Pharisees exercised their office under the authority of the high priest and under the authority of the Rabbi in his school they studied. They were highly educated men. Neither John nor Jesus practiced ministry under the authority of anyone. They were not sanctioned by the religious institution. And so they question Jesus. Who did he think he was anyway? Who gave him permission to say and do these things? Where was his certificate, his degree?
Jesus' authority came from God, His Father. He says that he doesn't do anything unless it comes from the Father. But many leaders did not respect his authority or his powers. Jesus was condemned and executed under the title "King of the Jews." Christ is itself a title meaning anointed one or Messiah (also a Kingship). The first Christian confession was "Jesus is Lord" as opposed to "Caesar is Lord." Jesus' orchestrated a coup d' etat. Christians are those who have pledged allegiance to Him and work under His authority.
Application:
Who is authorized to share God's grace; to offer mercy, forgiveness, reconciliation, and love to people who need it? Ordained clergy? The ones wearing the collar and the robe? NO. Everyone who has received it is sent to give it. Jesus' movement of anybodies is for everyone. Jesus talks a lot about the "Kingdom of God", or the "reign of God." God's rule on earth is represented first by Jesus himself. He shows us what it means to live under the kingly rule of the God of the universe, as a humble servant. And then he invites and challenges disciples to do likewise. His disciples were not authorized priests, but fishermen and tax collectors---uneducated anybodies. He still recruits anyone and everyone. The responsibility of the kingdom is ours to bear and share with Him That's what he meant when he said, "Those who would be my disciples must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me." We all have a part to play, a cross to bear. We don't carry Jesus' cross. Only he does that. But we are responsible for our part in God's restoration project.
The King authorizes and empowers his disciples to continue his work in his absence. He told his disciples, whom he sent out to continue the love mission, that the Spirit would guide, equip, protect, and help them. Christians are inspired to follow Jesus and continue his work. Martin Luther called it "the priesthood of all believers" or "the vocation of the baptized." Jesus was under the authority of the Father and we are under the authority of the Son. When we pray in Jesus' name, it's as if he is signing our requests himself. Disciples of Jesus are sent out to serve others under his authority and with his power. So, offer healing and forgiveness to people. Tell them they are loved. Show them mercy and generosity. Stand against powers of injustice and oppression. Do Jesus' work until someone asks you, "who do you think you are, who told you you could do that?" And then tell them, "Jesus did". Some will try to stop us. But we can trust the Lord to be with us even when it's hard.
Prayer
Lord, you invite me into your world, your works, your ways. You challenge me serve others like you did. Too often I fail to take up the responsibility that is mine as your authorized agent of grace. Send your Spirit upon me and empower me to do your work with my hands, my mouth, my feet, my heart and mind. Amen.
Monday, March 21, 2016
fruitful faith
Scripture: Gospel of Mark 11
When Jesus and his disciples left Bethany the next morning, he was hungry. From a distance Jesus saw a fig tree covered with leaves, and he went to see if there were any figs on the tree. But there were not any, because it wasn’t the season for figs. So Jesus said to the tree, “Never again will anyone eat fruit from this tree!” The disciples heard him say this.
After Jesus and his disciples reached Jerusalem, he went into the temple and began chasing out everyone who was selling and buying. He turned over the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of those who were selling doves. Jesus would not let anyone carry things through the temple. Then he taught the people and said, “The Scriptures say, ‘My house should be called a place of worship for all nations.’ But you have made it a place where robbers hide!”
The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses heard what Jesus said, and they started looking for a way to kill him. They were afraid of him, because the crowds were completely amazed at his teaching.
That evening, Jesus and the disciples went outside the city.
As the disciples walked past the fig tree the next morning, they noticed that it was completely dried up, roots and all. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree. Then Peter said, “Teacher, look! The tree you put a curse on has dried up.” Jesus told his disciples: Have faith in God! If you have faith in God and don’t doubt, you can tell this mountain to get up and jump into the sea, and it will. Everything you ask for in prayer will be yours, if you only have faith.
Whenever you stand up to pray, you must forgive what others have done to you. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your sins.
Observation:
One of the teaching techniques Mark uses in his gospel is a sort of sandwich device, in which a story is interrupted by another story. In this case,the story is about an unfrutiful fig tree that Jesus curses. It is interrupted by a protest in the temple marketplace. Mark wants to say that these stories interpret one another somehow. In this case, the unfruitful fig tree is a reference to the temple market place. And the curse on it is like Jesus' protest in the temple. Jesus means that human institutions can become like unfrutiful trees. And when they do, cut them down. The temple had become a corrupt business in which the royal priesthood became wealthy on the backs of religious donors. They had to pay temple taxes to keep it running. The selling of animals for the ritual sacrifices was becoming a massive market place for all kinds of transactions. Jesus condemned these practices because the temple was meant to be a place of communion with God and not a dehumanizing business transaction. Somewhere along the way, the true intention of the temple was distorted or even abandoned because of greed and compulsion. But Jesus invites his disciples into a life of forgiving prayer. This was the heart of the temple's function, anyway. Forgiveness of sins.
Application:
When religion becomes a stale list of "have-to's" and requirements to complete, it is as good as dead. I think a lot of people have abandoned religious faith because all they see is a religion of "shoulds" and duties. They hear churches asking for money to pay salaries and building maintenance costs. People become dollar signs. Churches host events, but fail to build relationships with anyone. Churches do transactional ministry for the "less fortunate", providing food or clothing or money for bills without any interest in the person- without empathy, affection, or care. You can go to a church today and be unseen, unnoticed, anonymous. This is the kind of religion Jesus protests against. And we should, too.
I hate that we count the number of people in our worship attendance and the amount of income we receive as signs of vitality or worth as a congregation. I hate that I think this way sometimes myself.
The true sign of a faith community's health is its fruit. We are meant to live fruitful lives that produce the things that give life. Paul called them the fruit of the spirit---love, peace, joy, patience. kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,self-discipline. We are made to grow in our understanding and practice of these characteristics. Jesus intends for people to live in communion with God and one another. Our relationship with God is not meant to be like a transaction. But sometimes we treat it that way. This is why forgiveness is so important. Forgiveness in our hearts changes hostility into peace. Forgiveness embraces the one who hurt us. Forgiveness releases us from the need to retaliate. Forgiveness is the beginning of communion. Forgiveness restores the relationship and makes us family to one another again. That is the heart of religion, to bring the human family together again. Like a single tree bearing fruit for the world to enjoy.
Prayer:
Lord, you despise religion that is dehumanizing, transactional, and greedy. Forgive us. And make us fruitful. Bring your children together in your way of peace. Amen.
When Jesus and his disciples left Bethany the next morning, he was hungry. From a distance Jesus saw a fig tree covered with leaves, and he went to see if there were any figs on the tree. But there were not any, because it wasn’t the season for figs. So Jesus said to the tree, “Never again will anyone eat fruit from this tree!” The disciples heard him say this.
After Jesus and his disciples reached Jerusalem, he went into the temple and began chasing out everyone who was selling and buying. He turned over the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of those who were selling doves. Jesus would not let anyone carry things through the temple. Then he taught the people and said, “The Scriptures say, ‘My house should be called a place of worship for all nations.’ But you have made it a place where robbers hide!”
The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses heard what Jesus said, and they started looking for a way to kill him. They were afraid of him, because the crowds were completely amazed at his teaching.
That evening, Jesus and the disciples went outside the city.
As the disciples walked past the fig tree the next morning, they noticed that it was completely dried up, roots and all. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree. Then Peter said, “Teacher, look! The tree you put a curse on has dried up.” Jesus told his disciples: Have faith in God! If you have faith in God and don’t doubt, you can tell this mountain to get up and jump into the sea, and it will. Everything you ask for in prayer will be yours, if you only have faith.
Whenever you stand up to pray, you must forgive what others have done to you. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your sins.
Observation:
One of the teaching techniques Mark uses in his gospel is a sort of sandwich device, in which a story is interrupted by another story. In this case,the story is about an unfrutiful fig tree that Jesus curses. It is interrupted by a protest in the temple marketplace. Mark wants to say that these stories interpret one another somehow. In this case, the unfruitful fig tree is a reference to the temple market place. And the curse on it is like Jesus' protest in the temple. Jesus means that human institutions can become like unfrutiful trees. And when they do, cut them down. The temple had become a corrupt business in which the royal priesthood became wealthy on the backs of religious donors. They had to pay temple taxes to keep it running. The selling of animals for the ritual sacrifices was becoming a massive market place for all kinds of transactions. Jesus condemned these practices because the temple was meant to be a place of communion with God and not a dehumanizing business transaction. Somewhere along the way, the true intention of the temple was distorted or even abandoned because of greed and compulsion. But Jesus invites his disciples into a life of forgiving prayer. This was the heart of the temple's function, anyway. Forgiveness of sins.
Application:
When religion becomes a stale list of "have-to's" and requirements to complete, it is as good as dead. I think a lot of people have abandoned religious faith because all they see is a religion of "shoulds" and duties. They hear churches asking for money to pay salaries and building maintenance costs. People become dollar signs. Churches host events, but fail to build relationships with anyone. Churches do transactional ministry for the "less fortunate", providing food or clothing or money for bills without any interest in the person- without empathy, affection, or care. You can go to a church today and be unseen, unnoticed, anonymous. This is the kind of religion Jesus protests against. And we should, too.
I hate that we count the number of people in our worship attendance and the amount of income we receive as signs of vitality or worth as a congregation. I hate that I think this way sometimes myself.
The true sign of a faith community's health is its fruit. We are meant to live fruitful lives that produce the things that give life. Paul called them the fruit of the spirit---love, peace, joy, patience. kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,self-discipline. We are made to grow in our understanding and practice of these characteristics. Jesus intends for people to live in communion with God and one another. Our relationship with God is not meant to be like a transaction. But sometimes we treat it that way. This is why forgiveness is so important. Forgiveness in our hearts changes hostility into peace. Forgiveness embraces the one who hurt us. Forgiveness releases us from the need to retaliate. Forgiveness is the beginning of communion. Forgiveness restores the relationship and makes us family to one another again. That is the heart of religion, to bring the human family together again. Like a single tree bearing fruit for the world to enjoy.
Prayer:
Lord, you despise religion that is dehumanizing, transactional, and greedy. Forgive us. And make us fruitful. Bring your children together in your way of peace. Amen.
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