Cleansing and Forgiving

On the following day, when they came from Bethany, Jesus 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 11:12-26

There are folks who have hurt my family terribly. It's all about money and selfish greed. The impulse is to knock things down and say mean things. I t would be wonderful to have the power to curse the fig tree as Jesus did and see it whither. We don't have that kind of magic. It is much harder to forgive. It is harder to turn the hurt and sorrow over to God for a yet undisclosed solution. 

Jesus enter the temple and drives out the money changers, who were taking advantage of poor people and aliens for their own gain. The were selfish and greedy, destroying others for their own happiness. The Creator has made all of this sacred land a place of blessing and bounty. Yet we cut it up, hurt the most vulnerable, all for gain and selfish glory. We are invited to forgive, despite I all, resorting to prayer at all times. We will know strength and power as we humbly offer our grief and sorrows to God. And God promises to give us what we ask.

Today, I ask God to help me live a life of prayer and forgiveness. May we acknowledge our hurts and sorrows and seek solutions in prayer, so that God's strength, love and power will shine through us.