the big mountain up ahead.

Mark 11:12-14; 20-25

¹² On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. ¹³ And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. 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 heard it...

²⁰ As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. ²¹ And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” ²² And Jesus answered 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 will come to pass, it will be done for him. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

I just read Mark 11:1-25 for my morning devotional. Reading this passage was convicting. You grow up in church hearing and reading verses 22-26. The whole thing about believing and the mountain moving and all, most of the time, without reading the context of forgiving and the fig tree. So interesting that Jesus began and ended this with the topics of pride and forgiveness. But cursing a fig tree? Really? And what does that ordinary incident have to do with asking and receiving from God? Why would Jesus pick on an innocent fig tree just because it didn’t have any fruit, especially since it wasn’t even time? It just didn’t make sense to me. Didn’t Jesus know it? Of course He did! But we find out later that it wasn’t about the tree at all. It was about us. Jesus opens with the tree because you see, the fig tree was a symbol of prosperity, peace, and abundance, both materially and spiritually. It stands proud and provides shade. Even some of its variety names are Impressive Black Mission, Charming Celeste Fig, Hardy Desert King, and Fantastic Brown Turkey. To curse it would be to make it dry, barren, totally unproductive. In essence, to totally humiliate it.

We too can be like a fig tree, standing tall, boasting in our religiosity and spirituality, while bearing no fruit and saying in contempt, “Oh, it’s not the season.” In the meantime, we face issues bigger than ourselves that stand in front of us like huge mountains. Genuine issues. Health issues. Relationship issues. Financial issues. Sin issues. We are prompted to hold on to verses 23 and 24, “tell the mountain to throw itself into the sea”, with no results. Then we complain that our prayers aren’t answered. But alas, the "issue" that we pray for is not the mountain. The issue is in verse 25. The mountain is our pride, our lack of forgiveness. That is the mountain that needs to throw itself into the sea. As good Christians, we know we should not boast about our possessions, looks, or social status. We know that it is a sin, and let’s face it, most of us are pretty good at it. But what about when we boast about our walk with Christ, our spirituality, our prayer life, our wisdom, our righteousness, our humility? That is also sin. And it is so subtle that we don't even realize it. That is also pride. That is the fig tree in us saying, “Yes, I can produce fruit, but it’s not time yet.” That is the mountain standing in front of us—the mountain of pride.

Yes, pride. Pride that shows itself in unforgiveness. When others hurt us, we justify ourselves and ask, “What, how can they do this to ME? Me! I did this and that for them, I served them. I loved them.  I… And Jesus says, “You want to move the mountain? Forgive. Like I forgave YOU." Then, once that mountain is leveled, you can ask for anything with a clear conscience, in His name (in other words, based on what He modeled), and you will receive it.

Father, may I recognize the mountains in front of me that keep me from letting Your life flow through me. Help me forgive and  love both friend and foe, just like you did for me. In Jesus' name, amen.