Matthew 21-18-22
Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty.
“Notice what you notice.” I like what Debbie said two days ago about the fig tree. It had leaves and looked good on the outside, but it had no fruit. She had reflected that back to activity in the Temple – a lot of religious activity, but to what end? That comparison is dramatic when we look at yesterday’s incident with Jesus’ teaching in the Temple and the crowd’s “hanging on every word”!
I was surprised that this is the second time in Matthew that Jesus mentioned faith that could move mountains – see also Mt. 17:20. I don’t like people playing games with this verse. Years ago during my first year “in the Lord” I was at a Bible camp at Fort Collins, Colorado, one of the gateways to the Rocky Mountains. In his introductory comments one of our leaders asked if we believed that our prayers could move Longs Peak, that mountain to his left. Naturally we agreed that we could do that – it’s what Jesus had said. I don’t remember his response to our reply, but clearly he did not ask us to pray for that outcome. Still, I remember being embarrassed at what I knew was a gap in my faith – a gap that continues to this day.
So I’ve wondered if Jesus was speaking in hyperbole – overstating the need for faith so as to make a point. But I’ve always rejected that possibility, knowing that God can do anything He chooses. He is the One Who created those mountains and if He wanted the mountain moved to the sea, it could be done! But what level of faith would it take??!! And what would be the need for a prayer like that? So I come to the conclusion that, yes, it could be done, but it would be a prayer to which God could easily say “No, I have other plans for that mountain.” As always, prayer of this sort needs to be our talking to God about His plans for us, not just any willy-nilly thought that crosses our mind. We need to be as serious in our approach to Him as He is in His love for us.
Slava Bohu!
I think you answered your own question about faith in your next-to-last sentence — that our prayers need to line up with God’s plans, not “imposing” our plans on Him. I think we in 21st-century Western Evangelical-land greatly misunderstand the meaning of “faith”. We tend to think of it as “wishing really hard” so that if we “wish hard enough” we’ll get what we want. And that is definitely not what Jesus had in mind. I think a better working definition of “faith” for us would be just “agreement with God” (though that is clearly not what the Greek word literally means). Try substituting the notion of “agreement with God” just about anywhere you see the word “faith” (or “agree with God” for “believe”) in the New Testament, and see where that takes you.
That is helpful, John. Also I am learning to think of will as choice. Our will, choice, and God’s. Translating, the more we have faith, agreement with God, the more our requests, choices, will are in alignment with God’s and mountains move.
Welcome back, John!! We’ve (I’ve!!) missed you…!!!
Good analysis, John. Those are good substitutions for “faith” and “believe”!