Throwing a Fit Over a Fig Tree

We are studying some of the book of Mark on Wednesday nights in Bible Study.

This one is where Jesus is hungry.  He goes over to a fully leafed fig tree, but it has no figs. So he curses it and says it will never give fruit to anyone again.

Then Mark switches over to Jesus and the gang arriving at the temple and Jesus opening up a can of you-know-what on everyone. He turns over tables, uses a whip, and money and freed animals are going every which way and he lets them know His Father's Temple has been turned into a den of thieves.

The passage ends when they come back by the fig tree as they leave, and the tree is withered from the roots up.

This has always flummoxed me.

Was Jesus just in a bad mood that day?

The disciples are all excited about the tree (and the temple stuff, too, I imagine, although Mark doesn't say).

Jesus talks about faith and prayer.

I didn't really get that answer, either.

By now I'm feeling like Peter.

So, I'm sitting on my back porch after reading this and ask God to let me know what the heck this means.

The first thing that comes to me is this: The fig tree was in full leaf, out of season. It was way ahead of all the other trees in the way it looked, but it was bearing no fruit whatsoever.

Have you ever seen a church member like that? They talk the talk, but walk the walk doesn't happen.

The Bible says elsewhere (in Matthew) that we will know Christians by the fruits they bear. It says a good tree can't bear bad fruit and a bad tree can't bear good fruit. In other words, how a Christian lives and what he does for the Kingdom and glory of God shows his relationship (or lack thereof) with Jesus.

If we, as Christians, are known by our fruit, what symbolism that fig tree was! All dressed up and lookin' pretty, but not a fruit in sight.

No wonder Jesus cursed it.

So, thank you Lord for explaining that to me. I don't know if that's what you'll get when you read it, and that's okay.  This may have been meant just for me.

And the temple fit pitching?

That was Jesus just being Jesus.

Happiness is Fleeting

I called the library this morning to see if they had a book I desperately need.

You see, I am reading (or gobbling up) Craig Johnson's books. One must read them in order, as they are about the life of a small town sheriff.

I have two books that are to be returned, one I checked out and one I have on the sly from a friend (you know who you are). She read the book in one day, so I got it from her after church Sunday and finished it yesterday. It is still getting back to the library seven days before it's due, so if there is a person in line for it, they will be thrilled and none the wiser that I got to read it.

Anyway, the girl at the library said they did indeed  have the book I wanted, if I didn't mind large print. (I didn't ask her, but why would anybody mind large print?) I told her Husband would be by this afternoon to get it.

I was  happy! I could start a new book, one that I really, really was looking forward to!

In  less than five minutes the phone rang. It was the Library Lady. She said she'd looked everywhere and could not locate the book.

I was not happy.

Somebody needs to call the Li-burry Po-leece! I  mean, really. Has someone snuck off with my book without checking it out at the desk? Don't they  have detectors at the library doors for those thieving rat finks?

Anyway, see what I mean? Happiness is fleeting.

I believe we can have that deep abiding peace and joy Christ talked about. I have it, in fact, whether I'm happy or not.

And I also think God doesn't care whether we are happy. Many times He puts me in situations that makes me pretty unhappy. Growth and discipline aren't always fun filled, you know.

But I have His peace.

I wouldn't trade that for all the happy in the world.