On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again.’ And his disciples heard it. Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying, ‘Is it not written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations”? But you have made it a den of robbers.’ And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. Then Peter remembered and said to him, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea”, and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ‘Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.’ Mark 11:12-25
Well, it's good to know even Jesus was, at times, hangry. He cursed a fig tree when it didn't have fruit in the off season. And then, completely hungry since there were no figs, he went into the temple and turned tables. It was a righteous act, for they were selling at the highest prices to poor people. And it was a feverish act, the destruction only a hungry person can do. He was like us in many, many ways. And yet, he was different, for in these moments he was also teaching the crowds and his disciples. He taught the disciples, despite his hunger and despite the way the temple had been cheapened, that when we pray, we should forgive those who have hurt us first. Our faith rests, not on our mistakes but our willingness to forgive others and ourselves.
Wondrous Creator, we begin our Holy walk this week
we stand and sit and kneel in prayer, opening our hearts
and inviting your renewal and forgiveness on our lives.
The world is full of hurting, angry, hungry people
some have the power to destroy others completely
most of us have nothing to offer that will change things.
Yet you have given us the faith to stand and pray
to open our hearts to forgiveness every moment
trusting that you will help us move mountains again. Amen.
