05/04/09 Moving mountains.
The week prior to Jesus crucifixion started with his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. What a welcome --- we know it as Palm Sunday; today Palm Sunday Is remembered. We also know that by the end of the week the crowds who had wanted him to be their King had faded away and there was a crowd baying for his blood.
You will see today the harvest is being celebrated our autumn and harvest is about the same time as Easter. Today I will be talking about fruit, and the Bible passage that I will be looking into in detail is Matthew 21:18-21. This is a record of some of the events that occurred on the Monday after Palm Sunday.
We learn in this passage a little more of who Jesus is, now Jesus was hungry, Jesus had been hungry before we know that he fasted and was tempted after fasting forty days and nights in the desert.
Jesus knew real hunger, this day however on approaching this tree as mentioned by Matthew, this fig tree and seeing no figs he was involved in what we would consider an act of destruction, he cursed the fig tree. Immediately the tree withered, Matthew describes this as having happened immediately.
There are two important things within the first three verses, which we learn of Jesus, as a man he experienced hunger, but in this divine nature he was able with his words, to cause the destruction of part of his creation.
There is huge symbolism within this passage also. The Nation of Israel is referred to by the Old Testament prophets Jeremiah, Hosea and Micah symbolically as a Fig Tree. Hosea speaks on behalf of God saying (you may want to read this in Hosea 9:10).
“When I found Israel it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree.”
The significance of Hosea’s words is that God delighted in Israel and that this nation had committed herself to a covenant relationship with him, at the time of Hosea, Israel was turning her back on God. The tree is symbolic of the Nation of Israel both then and at the time of Jesus ministry. Hosea’s ministry was around 720 BC.
In Micah we read “What misery is mine! I am like the one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave.” (Micah 7:1) Micah’s ministry was around 700 BC. The significance was that the prophet was describing how God was feeling. Jesus was also looking for the fruit and there were none to be found. I Hosea’s time and in the time of Jesus ministry the religious leaders were not living righteously, they were not in a right relationship with God, this was also occurring in Jesus time on earth or they would have recognised Jesus for who he is.
The disciples were amazed at the events that occurred, if we look at the events that occurred that day we see these three things,
The authority of Jesus; Here is a man who with just his words causes a tree to wither, it’s dead done finished!!! It’s bit the dust, sucked a kumara, it will not grow again, that’s it, it’s all over, kaput, no fruit ever again. Amazingly he did this with his words.
We see that Jesus was hungry - very human. We see that he killed a tree with his words - very divine. We have in the Salvation Army have a doctrine about that these two things, his divinity and his humanity that Jesus was and is, it’s doctrine number four, “We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that he is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.”
The next thing was the amazement of the disciples; at his actions, in killing a tree, or was it that it withered so quickly. It interests me that even in the time they spent with him over those three years; the miracles they had seen him carry out that Jesus was still able to amaze the disciples by this one.
Jesus reply to them about what happened may have also amazed them: let’s look at verses 21 and 22 again. I wonder as they were walking from Bethany to Jerusalem was Jesus talking about the mount of Olives that he was walking beside or was he looking at the Temple Mount ahead of him?
The Temple Mount was where he was going to teach, accuse the Temple sect leaders and be accused himself of blasphemy, rejected and plotted against where his death was to be planned. Was this comment out of his frustration at not being able to get through to those of the temple sect?
Or was it that if his followers were to exercise genuine faith that they could change the world in ways that were as significant / as casting a mountain into the sea. They could carry out real acts of faith, life changing acts, world changing, and earth shattering acts of faith. Or may be both?
May be what Jesus was saying to his disciples was that in faith the mountain ahead of them the Temple Mount could be cast aside.
With all it’s denial of him and it’s future persecution of his followers. These disciples with their exercise of faith in him could throw off the old belief, with the new belief.
That through the new covenant in his blood they would be able to overcome those that crucified him and thought him forever done away with forever.
It should be remembered that we are able to gather here because of what those early followers of Jesus prayed for they received, because they prayed believing that God would answer their prayers. We are here in part because of their faithful legacy. Those disciples lived in God’s will.
We are here as a result of Jesus sacrifice but also due to the application of faith of his followers. What they did changed the world. They did earth shattering things, we can do the same through faith we can live in a way that is earth shattering.
How do we go from understanding Jesus authority and our amazement at this, to application of our faith in him, to how we live it out in everyday life.
Imagine a news report that goes something like this, “members of the Salvation Army have done something today that has been absolutely earth shattering they showed acts of love and kindness to people many would say didn’t really deserve it!
Not only that they showed self-control when a complete idiot was getting on their wick and if they didn’t have Jesus in their lives they would have preferred to slap him about a bit. Some were even seen to be showing patience to all people. They were seen to be joyful and at peace with their neighbors. These Salvationists are such gentile people you can see their goodness in everything they do.
Unfortunately a news report like that will not happen, this kind of living does not usually make the news, what makes the news is drama, dramatic stuff, all the better for the media if there’s pain and suffering and the like.
What my little story shows are the fruits of the Holy Spirit, in Galatians we read that against such things there is not even a law. If you break the law maybe then you will make the news.
We as Christians can ask God to help us be like this, to be non news worthy, to experience these fruits of his Holy Spirit in our lives, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, then others will be able to come to know him through our actions, we may not make the news, but there will be celebrating in heaven. Celebrating because if we have these fruits in our lives, it shows that we have crucified our sinful nature; celebrating because these fruits of the Holy Spirit will bring about a harvest, a harvest of right relationships with God and those around us, also a harvest of people who will come to be in God’s presence for ever. (Is that stuff to celebrate is that not earth shattering?)
Celebrating because we will be living in a way that is earth shattering and changes our own and influences others eternities; through faith we can live in a way that is earth shattering.
We have a choice we can either be fruitless and wither leaving no legacy like the fig tree or live with a faith that moves mountains, a faith that is earth shattering and bears fruit.
To live like this is uncommon, these things today, these fruits of the Holy Spirit in this dog eat dog, me focused and self centered society are often counter cultural; the acts that the early disciples carried out were counter cultural. They changed the world, because of their faith in this man, this man who withered a fig tree beside the road, this man who fulfilled prophecy, this man who proclaimed that ‘if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to this fig tree, but you can tell this mountain ‘Go throw yourself into the sea and it will be done.’’ This man who taught them to live in a way that with the help of the Holy Spirit changed the world, this man who in the weeks that followed, they realized was God!
Response. As always the place of prayer is open to our God, our God who changes lives who would have us be all we can be.
If you’ve taken the time to read this sermon please rate this sermon. Thanks Andrew.
