The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it. The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!” Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”
Mark 11:12-14,20-25
Dear God, in the spirit of looking at John and Peter specifically for this series, I want to look at this more from Peter’s perspective than Jesus’.
What must this week have been like? Jesus was on a bit of a roll here. He was cursing dig trees, turning over commercial tables in the temple, rocking people off in general. They had been hearing Jesus say that he was going to die this week. If I were them I’d have been thinking, “Sure, because you’re egging them on!”
So Peter is watching all of this and he is in wonder. Maybe he’s the first one to see the fig tree. Or maybe he’s the one to say it first, but he’s amazed. He points out to Jesus what happened. At that point, Jesus turns it into a lesson about the power we have as believers. A power I still don’t understand. At a minimum, I don’t think I pass the “but you must really believe it will happen and have not doubt in your heart” test.
Father, when it comes down to it, I confess that I don’t know how your plan is unfolding or where you are leading me. But I trust you. So give me the faith you know I need to have. Help me to believe in the power you need me to access to accomplish what you have for me to accomplish.
In Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen
Emails to God 