Holy Tuesday

Matthew 21:18-22

There is no escaping the inherent strangeness of this episode. It is an image of Jesus that is hard to reconcile with our basic understanding of Jesus as the Christ—healer, teacher, redeemer—the embodiment of the love that is God—other-centered, self-emptying compassion. Here, Jesus appears vindictive, impulsive, and preaching a self-interested gospel. So what gives?

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE FIG TREE

This realization immediately protects us from misinterpreting the dynamic in play in Jesus’ action. Whether or not the fig had figs is beside the point—it is not about Jesus’ getting his wants met, his hungers fed, or being justified in being angry when he does not get what he wants, when he wants, as he wants, or from whom he wants—this is no divine hissy fit! 

IT IS ABOUT POWER

What matters is the revelation of Jesus’ power. He has the ability to alter nature itself. The same dynamic is in play here as was when Jesus stilled the storm—through God, Jesus can transcend the natural order. The same dynamic is at play in the healings—through God, Jesus can alter the normal circumstance that leads to broken human beings. Jesus curses the fig tree and it dies because Jesus is aligned with the power of God. 

What is that power?

Creation flows from God—all things come into being as acts of God’s creative will. Therefore, God has dominion over all that is. This understanding is the basic premise of the doctrine of God’s sovereignty—there is nothing in all creation that does not come through God, ergo, there is nothing in all creation that can thwart the will of God. Jesus can curse a fig tree because it has no power over as he is a conduit for the power of God.

The challenge in this event, though, is that it is inescapably power for power’s sake.

Or is it?

REAL POWER

The dumbstruck disciples fearfully wonder how the tree died instantly—it is not difficult at all to imagine that their commentary flows from real terror—who is this man they are with? if he can kill a tree with a word, what could he do to us?

Jesus answers first by saying nothing to alleviate their fears—killing a fig tree is nothing; my power could move mountains!! Reading between the lines, Jesus declares that this power is not his, but God’s, the Lord of creation. Focus on the phrase “if you have faith and do not doubt.” When Jesus uses the term “faith,” he means the deep connection between the believer and the God in whom she believes. Faith is full trust in the presence and promises of God. Faith is a singularly focused walk with God (i.e., righteousness)—there will be no distractions, no inhibitions, and no hindrances in one’s presence before God. Faith is complete trust in God’s promises—if God promises to abide, then one lives by that; if God promises to provide, then one lives by that; if God promises to protect and keep, then one lives by that, and so on. Faith’s most basic proclamation never wavers from “God is God, thanks be to God,” aligning one’s life with all the subsequent consequences of making such a statement, including how one views the world in which one lives. One need not fear creation, one can be bold within creation because one is with God. 

FAITHFUL PRAYER

The first consequence of walking with God is taking in the revelation of God of God’s own being. That means seeing all that is through the filter that God is love. 

That changes everything.

Jesus instructs the disciples to practice prayer in faith. First, he means that an essential to the praxis (embodied practice—I am what I believe) of faith is to be with God in full communion—i.e., pray. In prayer, we offer ourselves to God—all that is us at any given moment—the good, the bad, the great, the broken—ALL—speaking the words that reveal ourselves (even to ourselves). In prayer, though, we also listen for God—we fall silent, giving God room to reveal himself to us; waiting for God’s communication of God’s presence in any given moment through whatever means God chooses to do so. 

The first step to creating a presence for prayer is to empty oneself—part of that speaking of ourselves to God—we release ourselves to God. In emptying ourselves, we lose our self-interest. We allow God to determine what is right and proper in any given moment, accepting that intervention or interruption as it comes—sometimes in utter silence. 

That guards against the abuse of power as yet another tool for self-gratification—and, no, that does not completely answer the oddness of Jesus killing a tree because it did not meet his needs. 

But that is where the trust enters again into the praxis. Since Jesus is the embodiment of God with us, then the tree is a manifestation of God’s freedom to be God. This power over the tree is God’s alone—we have no part and no share in this power. We trust that God remains God.

Point made, however—if God has such power in this moment, think of how God’s love can transform and transcend our hungry souls! As we enter, encounter, and endure the inevitable suffering of being human, God is with us with the power to redeem us from whatever barrenness confronts us. God can change the world for us if that is what is needed in that moment. Here, God destroys a barren fig tree—read into it—illness, despair, poverty, hopelessness, pain, alienation, isolation—whatever desert you choose—God destroys them all. But if God can destroy, God can also resurrect. God has the power to turn death into life. There is hope in all things—even death. 

That is the good news of the fig tree.