Hey - if you could be the leading web browser in your field; or get Mad Cow Disease, which would you choose?
I am using the new web browser, Google Chrome, and ... so far, so good. I like it. I have been a fan of the open source innovations, like google documents, which I scrapped my old message board for a few months ago. I like to use the docs feature to share documents I'm working on with other magazine folks.
I reviewed the new Paramore live album this morning and I'm hoping to get a few hours of writing done today. I'm listening to Johnny Cash read me the book of Mark. I'm reviewing Cash Chapter & Verse, which is a Bible on DVD. I'm excited about this new issue.
Instead of reading Mark, chapter 11 for a blog devotional, I listen to Johnny read it. Earlier we looked at how people worshiped Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. In chapter 13, it mentions how He was hungry and a fig tree let Him down. He cursed the living thing, in a sense, telling it that it would never bear fruit again. This is kind of funny. On one hand, it showed off His power over the natural world. On the other hand, it could almost be seen as an abuse of His power. which is exactly the kind of thing He chose not to do in His time on earth for 33 years. It was as if He put Himself under a self-imposed limitation, leaving His powers as God untouched and unused, except for the leading of His Father (through, I presume, the Holy Spirit). On face value, it appears that He cursed this plant simply out of frustration for not providing Him some nourishment when He wanted it. I wouldn't accuse Jesus of doing this, thing, as I respect Him and trust that my lack of understanding is the fault here, not His actions. Maybe He said this simply for His disciples' benefit, for it plainly says that they heard it in verse 14. The guys pass by this fig tree later the next morning, where they see it dried up from the roots. Jesus took this point to encourage them to have faith and to ask God for miracles and moving mountains, as well as forgiving others.
There was the big scene in the temple in this chapter as well, where He turned over tables and rebuked the deceptive money changers and reminded them, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations."
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at January 1, 2009 12:47 PMI heard this once: The tricky thing with this passage, is in the beginning it says that "The tree had leaves". Later it mentions that "it was not the season for figs". The lesson, if I remember correctly, is that when the tree has leaves it is time for figs, so the tree was falsely displaying leaves out of season. Or it was pretending to be or do something it wasn't, so Christ cursed it for being a fake. The same can be said about us. There are many people that appear to be christian, but bear(sp?) no fruit.
Posted by: Robert at January 2, 2009 12:44 PM