Anchor My Faith

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Author: Stephen Weller
719 words, 4 minutes read time

Ask In Faith Without Doubting

Scripture: Matthew 21:20-21; Mark 11:20-24

With this lesson we begin a very long major section which covers the events that occur on Tuesday of the week of the crucifixion of Jesus, according to the harmonization we are following. About halfway through this major section, I will ask the question for us to think about that concerns whether it might now be Wednesday. I am concerned that this harmonization guide does not show any activity on Wednesday. We will consider that later.

^{Mk 11:20} 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.” ^{Mt 21:20} When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?”

It is Tuesday morning and Jesus and his disciples are on their way back to Jerusalem for a very busy day for Jesus. As they traveled along, Peter notices the fig tree, that Jesus went to when he was hungry Monday morning, and sees that it had already withered away to its roots from being cursed by Jesus. When the disciples saw the condition of the tree, they marveled and wondered how it had withered so quickly and ask Jesus about it.

The destruction of the fig tree represents the judgment of God on Israel for their lack of producing fruit in their walk with God. There were small judgments at first as pointed out in Amos 4:9 ESV: “I struck you with blight and mildew; your many gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.” As a result, their judgments will become more severe and eventually they will be invaded by their enemies and taken off into captivity.

^{Mk 11:22} And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. ^{Mt 21:21} Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea, ^{Mk 11:23} 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.”

Jesus doesn’t tell how it happened but with faith in God, without doubting, he told the disciples they could do the same thing. He even tells them that with faith they could say to a mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea,” and it would happen. However, moving a mountain with faith was a common metaphor in Jewish literature for doing what was seemingly impossible. We see this in Isaiah 49:11 ESV: “And I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be raised up.” and in Isaiah 54:10 ESV: “For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”

Care must be taken when trying to apply verse 24 because it says, “whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Remember the connection of moving a mountain as a metaphor and in that context, we have “whatever you ask in prayer.” Some things that would seem to be impossible that are truly needed can be obtained through prayer.

Conclusion

The fig tree that was cursed has withered up in just one day and caused the disciples to marvel. With faith Jesus tells them they could do the same faith, in fact they could move mountains, a metaphor for doing that which seems impossible. Jesus is not teaching that you can literally ask for anything and it will be granted, but that some things that seem impossible to us can be done for us and that we should ask in faith without doubting.