“Forgive, if you have anything against anyone.”

Mark 11:1-26 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

And as they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples, ² and said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. ³ And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it’; and immediately he will send it back here.” ⁴ They went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they untied it. ⁵ And some of the bystanders were saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” ⁶ And they told them just as Jesus had said, and they gave them permission. ⁷ They brought the colt to Jesus and put their cloaks on it; and He sat on it. ⁸ And many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. ⁹ And those who went in front and those who followed were shouting:

“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; ¹⁰ Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!”

¹¹ And Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple area; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.

¹² On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. ¹³ Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ And He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.

¹⁵ Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple area and began to drive out those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves; ¹⁶ and He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple grounds. ¹⁷ And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” ¹⁸ And the chief priests and the scribes heard this, and they began seeking how to put Him to death; for they were afraid of Him, because all the crowd was astonished at His teaching.

¹⁹ And whenever evening came, they would leave the city.

²⁰ As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. ²¹ And being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree that You cursed has withered.” ²² And Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. ²³ 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 is going to happen, it will be granted to him. ²⁴ Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you. ²⁵ And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you for your offenses. ²⁶ But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your offenses.”

2 Timothy 4:1-5 says: I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.  We all go through different seasons in our lives as individuals and corporately as followers of Christ. Surely it seems as though the season Paul is speaking of has come, a season when: they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.  What does it mean that we are to be ready in season and out of season?

In today’s text it says: On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.  If Jesus knew that it was not the season for figs, why did He go looking for figs? Why did He curse the tree for not bearing fruit out of season?  In John 15:1-8 Jesus says: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the  vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”  Last thing first: The Father is glorified when we bear fruit and it is by bearing fruit that we prove we are Jesus disciples. There may be different seasons in our lives, but being a disciple should never be out of season. Like the fig tree that was cursed, if we don’t bear fruit, Jesus says: If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. Here’s the thing, just as it may not seem fair that the tree was cursed even though it was not in season, so might we believe that we are not in the proper season to bear fruit. Jesus says though: The one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit. The fruit that He desires from us will be born through Him. He is the one who actually produces the fruit in us and through us. In John 14:12-14 Jesus says: “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”  Jesus does the work. He bears the fruit. Whatever we ask in His name, abiding in Him, He will do.  

In today’s text it says: As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. And being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree that You cursed has withered.” And Jesus answered and said to 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 is going to happen, it will be granted to him. Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you for your offenses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your offenses.”  We cannot abide in Christ if we abide in unforgiveness. We cannot bear much fruit if we hold unforgiveness in our hearts. Jesus says: “forgive, if you have anything against anyone.” Forgiveness is the first fruit we must bear to abide in Christ. In order to forgive as He forgave, we need to also abide with Him and in Him through His suffering on the cross, when He said: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Today, regardless of the season of my life, may I be in season and in sync with You. Abiding in You may I bear much fruit that You would be glorified. Amen.