2 April 2012

Psalm 51; Lam. 1:1-2,6-12; 2 Cor. 1:1-7; Mark 11:12-25

Jeremiah laments over Jerusalem, recalling the heights from which she has fallen.  Only those who have seen her glory can truly set up such a lament.  How could this possibly have happened?  Rejection of the Lord explains it all, because she has rejected Him and gone after other gods she has lost His protection.  They are still in covenant but this is the judgment for sin, in particular the sin of apostasy, from leaving the Lord.  The devastation is complete, nothing is left and the sanctuary, the temple is defiled by those who were never allowed in her gates.  Why is it that we have such a difficult time being faithful to Him?  Why do we forget that He is holy and demands righteousness from us?  Jeremiah’s heart was broken over the situation.  Even though he prophesied these things and paid a price in being rejected by the leaders and the people for his prophecy, Jeremiah does not exult over being right, he is devastated by what he sees.  We are not called to rejoice at the difficulties caused by rejecting the Lord, we are called to grieve.

Jesus curses the fig tree for not providing figs when the season was wrong?  Why would He do that?  The cursing of the fig tree is connected with the next scene in the temple.  The nation was to bear fruit, righteous fruit, but they had failed to do what they were designed to do and expected to do and now God’s judgment would be against them.  They had defiled the temple by losing sight of its purpose and meaning, it was just another place for a market.  Jesus drove out those who were buying and selling there and wouldn’t allow anyone to carry anything through it.  They knew this was wrong but they had become so accustomed to it that they no longer gave it any thought.  They had lost their ability to see as God sees.  Jesus uses the fig tree to teach on faith and prayer, particularly forgiveness.  It is truly important that as we pray we forgive others trespasses against us that we might receive forgiveness. 

Paul seems to think it is a good thing to share in Christ’s sufferings, hardly an American Christian idea today.  The reality is that we live in a world full of hurting people, people who have gone through horrible life experiences, and none are exempt from that because we live in a world gone wrong through sin.  One of the truly remarkable things about the incarnation is that Jesus came and suffered rejection and pain, He did not avoid suffering, He embraced it and came through it without sin.  Because He suffered He is our comfort in our own affliction, He is with us as one who has suffered.  We want to be spared suffering but Paul says it serves a mission and ministry purpose for us to suffer.  Jeremiah was with the people in their suffering, not standing apart saying, “I told you so.”  The early church grew in some places quite rapidly because it entered the suffering of plagues to give comfort no matter the cost to themselves.  Where can we enter the pain and suffering of this world for redemptive purpose?

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
   O God of my salvation,
   and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
   and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
   you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
   a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.