The Power of Faith. Mark 11:20-26.
As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive your trespasses.”
Dear Household of Believers,
The disciples were obviously occupied with other matters and may have forgotten about the fig tree (v. 12-14) for a while. But the lessons to be drawn from the fig tree were not finished yet.
Amazement (v. 20-21). It was only the day before when Jesus had cursed the tree. Now it was “withered away to its roots.” This obviously made it clear that Jesus’ curse was responsible for the death of the tree. Peter points this out to Jesus, not as a point of information, but as an acknowledgment of the fact.
Assurance (v. 22-24). Jesus seizes the opportunity to teach the disciples about faith. In this, he uses hyperbole, the art of exaggeration, as he has done before. Obviously, the Mount of Olives (the most likely mountain on sight) did not need to be moved to the sea. But this was to show that faith in God can accomplish what is humanly impossible. We are to pray with the confidence that God has already answered our prayer. Obviously, we must always make allowance for the greater wisdom of God. Some things we ask for are not good for us. God will answer prayer but will at times not give what we ask for.
Amnesty (v. 25). Attitude is important in prayer. If we have grudges against others and are unwilling to forgive, it affects not just our relationship with them, but also with God. If we forgive, then God will also forgive us where we have gone wrong. The converse is also true. We should not expect to be forgiven if we refuse to forgive. The implication is that our prayers will be heard when we forgive others. Are you keeping a grudge? Have you reasoned that the offender does not deserve forgiveness? The choice is yours. Do you want your prayers answered or not?
Your Loving Pastor Chris.