Lesser Tuesday

Matthew 21:18-22 + “The If’s of the Bible”

After spending the night in the nearby village of Bethany, the next morning, Jesus returns to the city called Jerusalem. 

On this morning, Jesus is looking to “break the fast” as he is hungry. Upon walking by a fig tree that has no figs - Jesus, before our modern culture started using the word “hangry” - Jesus lives it. Now, unlike Snickers, Jesus is still himself. He is still Jesus. Our emotions and feelings are all over the place, riding with the wind, steady as a roller coaster.

The problem, you see, is that he is at a fig tree and the fig tree is supposed to be bearing fruit - it’s why God created the fig tree, to be fruit producing, dare we say, “good for food”.

In an opportunity to provide a visual to his sermon on the mount teaching from Matthew 7 - Jesus speaks and the tree withers. But not in an elegant, autumn fall feel with pumpkin spice and everything nice. Haha, hardly, no this tree went straight from summer to winter. It had leaves and in an instant the leaves were gone!

This leaves (pun intended) the disciples amazed for like the 112th time!

They inquire of Jesus. How does that happen in an instant, so fast?!?!?

Jesus actually gives a simply complicated answer → if you have faith.

Here we go again with the faith topic. Jesus is relentless in teaching his disciples about the centrality of faith if a person is going to follow him.

The word to hone in on here is the word “if”, Jesus says it twice, in v21 and again in v22.

If you have faith - mountains move. If you have faith - ask and you will receive.

Jesus continues the theme of the Old Testament, like in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people humble themselves, I will heal their land.”

It’s important for us to recognize and come to terms with the truth of who the “if” is directed towards. Spoiler alert, it’s not God, it’s us. Not, if God will do something, but if we will ask and trust and believe in faith.

This is what Matthew 8 teaches us, when the leper comes to Jesus and says, “if you will, you can make me clean!” Jesus responds, “I am willing.” 

This my friends, is who Jesus is, the one who is willing, who wants to give to his children who are waiting to receive by faith.

God is willing. Are you asking in faith?

Now the results might not always be what we want. I know many people, myself included, who have yet to receive what we are asking for - we have faith, sometimes great faith and sometimes weak faith. Here’s the deal - the results are not up to us.

We are called to keep on asking, keep on seeking, keeping on knocking.

Which might leave us saying, “Gosh, I just don’t know…but…I know Him…and I know his heart is kind…his love is steadfast…his word is sure and I trust Him, so I will keep on in faith”

On this Tuesday of Holy Week, Jesus is still teaching, may you come face to face with Jesus and ask him in faith for what you need and may he richly provide out of his always and forever abundance of grace and mercy.