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Meditation

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Reader,

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Today's passage is the famous moment where Jesus curses the fig tree and it withers.

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Two things stood out from copying it. The first is that Jesus was "hungry," showing his full humanity, and the second, that the disciples were amazed not that Jesus cursed the fig tree but that it withered so quickly, right before their eyes.

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Such is our familiarity with the Bible and these stories that we often look for the meaning rather than simply observing the action and the reactions to what is happening.

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The disciples knew Jesus well, had witnessed countless miracles, including raising the dead, and yet they were still "amazed" by this.

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Jesus' full humanity and his deity are both captured in this passage, and they never lose their power to bring him close and yet still be exalted.

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Reminding us to always "stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene."

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Today's text is Matthew 21:18-22

Today's verses to copy are in black and red. Yesterday's are in gray for context.

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Jesus at the Temple

12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

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14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

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16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,

“‘From the lips of children and infants
you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”

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17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree

18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately, the tree withered.

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20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

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21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

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Encouragement

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

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Hebrews 4:15-16

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A bonus encouragement today. Click on this link to hear Robin Mark's worship-full version of "I stand amazed in the presence" on YouTube. You'll be pleased you did!

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Andy

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God's Word In Your Hand

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