Today’s passage: Matthew 21:18–22 and Mark 11:12–14, 20–25
Focus verse: “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:22)
The next morning, as Jesus and his troop return to Jerusalem, he’s hungry. Seeing a fig tree, he expects a tasty meal and searches for fruit. Though the tree has lots of leaves, there is no fruit. He curses it, and it at once withers.
Mark’s account is slightly different. He says it’s not until the next day when the tree has shriveled up and died.
If this minor discrepancy bothers you, here’s a thought to consider. It’s the point of view of the disciples, with them not all seeing the same thing at the same time.
Though they all hear Jesus curse the tree, only half see what happens. They watch the tree shrivel up and die. The others are impatient and continue their journey, not waiting to watch what occurs.
It’s not until the next day that they see the outcome of Jesus’s words. Hence, we have two accounts, depending on which disciple we ask.
And if you’re bothered that Jesus killed the unproductive fig tree, consider one of his parables. In this story, another unproductive fig tree receives one more year to produce.
If it does not, the gardener will cut it down (Luke 13:6–9). We should take this parable as a solemn reminder to produce spiritual fruit for Jesus.
Regardless, this detail of when the fig tree dies isn’t important. Yes, the power of Jesus’s words that condemned the tree should amaze us. But his teaching that follows this miracle should amaze us even more.
He says that if we have faith and don’t doubt, we can command a mountain to move into the sea. And it will happen. Paul later calls this “a faith that can move mountains” (1 Corinthians 13:2).
“If you believe,” Jesus says, “you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Mark’s passage gives us more of Jesus’s teaching about this. He says that whatever we ask in prayer, if we believe we have received it, it will happen.
I don’t yet have a faith that will move mountains—or instantaneously kill fig trees—and I don’t know anyone who does. But we can exercise our faith in smaller areas, praying without doubt for the impossible, and it will happen.
Questions:
If receiving these kinds of answers to our prayers seems unfathomable, who can we align with to model it for us and teach us?
We may not have faith that can move mountains, but what level of faith do we have?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, show us how to pray in faith and receive the answers to our prayers.
Discover more about celebrating Jesus and his passion to save us in Peter’s new book, The Passion of Jesus. It is part of the Holiday Celebration Bible Study Series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo Christianity and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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