The Lesson of the Fig Tree–Mark 11:12-14, 20-26

GOSPEL MEDITATION # 213

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

Mark 11:12-14, 20-26

  1. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
  2. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
  3. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
  4. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
  5. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
  6. In between the two segments of this meditation about a fig tree is the story of Jesus cleansing the temple.
  7. Jesus “curses” the fig tree, not a good title for this story. He did not curse the tree, He did state it would not bear fruit. He was saying something far different.
  8. Israel is spoken of as a fig tree (see Hosea 9:10) and it is generally understood that Jesus, now within days of His crucifixion, stated that the ministry of Israel had come to end, even failed, and another people of God would arise to carry out the ministry that had been intended for the nation. See Jeremiah 31:31-34 on this point.
  9. A day later the fig tree had withered completely, a process that might have taken a year or more naturally.
  10. Jesus now makes a statement about prayer, indicating that rather than a curse, Jesus had said a prayer and this was why the fig tree had withered.
  11. Here now Jesus explains that prayer involves an utter trusting in God for answers to prayer, with no wavering or doubting, which is mostly impossible for even the most sincere and dedicated Christian. But the standard is there.
  12. Then we have a teaching that at first sight does not seem completely inline with what went before, but it must be absolutely connected. Here is another opportunity for Jesus to show how important it is that His followers be forgiving people.
  13. We are called to be honest about whether there is forgiving work to do.

 

The Triumphal Entry–Mark 11:1-11

GOSPEL MEDITATION # 212

The Triumphal Entry-Mark 11:1-11

(also see Zechariah 9:9 and John 12:12-19)

  1. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
  2. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
  3. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
  4. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
  5. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
  6. Zechariah presents an interesting, even contradictory account, on the surface anyway, of the arrival of the Messiah—oddly both a king and also a humble man—at once.
  7. At the point of history under discussion, the potential arrival of the Christ, was at a fever pitch especially given the situation with the hated Romans.
  8. That there was a man who healed, cast out demons, and raised the dead (especially see John 12:9-10) on his way with throngs of followers to Jerusalem had everyone in an uproar.
  9. Jesus had arranged, without his disciples knowing it, for a young male donkey that had never been ridden be accessible to him, shows Jesus was thinking ahead.
  10. When the disciples saw what was taking place they must have thought, “This is it.” He is going to announce his kingship today.
  11. Jesus let the disciples and the crowd have their way. He accepted their praise and adoration since he was in fact was the Messiah and was doing exactly what the prophet Zechariah had announced centuries earlier.
  12. “Hosanna” even, Lord save us. The shout that the Messiah is now here was made loud and clear.
  13. For quite a time Jesus did as the people expected; he enter the gate, made his way to the temple, and merely “looked around at everything.” That is all he did.
  14. Mark says it was “already late” so Jesus simply returned to the Bethany, likely to the home of Mary & Martha.

 

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus Mark 10:46-52, Gospel Meditation

GOSPEL MEDITATION #211

Mark 10:46-52

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus

  1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
  2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
  3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
  4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
  5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
  6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
  7. Note: Matthew has two blind men, Luke has the event taking place west of Jericho as opposed to east in Matthew and Mark. Interesting to speculate on the differences.
  8. Pilgrims by the thousands on their way to Jerusalem via the Jericho Road. On this road the good Samaritan came to the rescue of a man badly beaten by robbers. (Luke 10:25)
  9. Bartimaeus was doing what hundreds were likely doing—asking alms from the pilgrim–which was traditional.
  10. Bartimaeus was hearing reports that Jesus was on the road and heading his way. Amongst the crowd were likely some who thought Jesus might announce himself as Messiah.
  11. Though there were efforts to quiet the blind man, he refused to shut up and rather became even more persistent.
  12. He identifies Jesus as Messiah (Son of David) and believes Jesus can heal him. His cry, “have mercy on me” has been echoed down through the ages.
  13. Jesus called Bartimaeus to himself. We get out word “phone” from the Greek word for call. There is a major theology attached to the word call. See Romans 8:30.
  14. Jesus ask Bartimaeus what he wants and once he hears the request, without a touch or even a mention of anything like “be healed” Bartimaeus was healed.
  15. Jesus tells him to “go you way” but Bartimaeus does not do so. Rather, he joins the crowd and follows Jesus, apparently, into Jerusalem.

The Request of James and John — Mark 10:35-45

GOSPEL MEDITATION # 210

Mark 10:35-45

The Request of James and John

  1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
  2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
  3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
  4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
  5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
  6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
  7. “Sons of Thunder” (see Luke 9:51-56), James the elder and John the younger brother, is the nickname Jesus gave them.
  8. Matthew (see Matthew 20:20-28) tells us that the mother of the young men approached Jesus with the request that one sit at the right and other at the left side of Jesus when he is the reigning King of glory. In an ‘oriental court’ these places were reserved for the chief power brokers.
  9. To harmonize the two accounts, either the boys or the mother was behind the request and my thought it was James and John, though we cannot be certain. In any event, it was a staggering move and unbecoming to the whole family. (James Zebedee would be the first Christian to die for his faith.)
  10. It does demonstrate that the Zebedee family had no doubts about who Jesus was. It would be only a matter of time before the kingdom would be established in Jerusalem, as they thought, and despite being warned now three times by Jesus personally that he would be killed, they must have ignored that information.
  11. The event provided Jesus a perfect opportunity to reveal the real meaning of being a follower of Jesus. As Jesus came to serve so they would servants as well.
  12. Jesus understood power, he was aware of Roman power of course and also of the power of his own religious rulers. The exercise of authority and power, this is the universal core to that which was sin.
  13. One more time Jesus reminds his followers that his chief service would be in his dying, the ransom, the supreme payment to the Father for our sinfulness.