Thursday 22 January 2009

Faith and Works (2)

Mark 11:13-21 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard it. 15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers." 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they(1 )went out of the city. 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."

So last time I was writing how Jesus hates the hypocrites:

This is seen very clearly in the fig tree
Like Adam and Eve who sewed fig-leaves together as loincloths
they were trying to deceive the Lord that they were fruitful together
but once the Lord draws near - He can see all their works are only a sham
Jesus is furious at those who try and deceive Him, and the punishment is quick and intense
Like Adam, we need the blood-soaked skins of the Lamb that was slain to deal with our nakedness, our shame
That blood, as we trust in it, walk in the Spirit, will cleanse and purge us from all our sins - until the last day, when we are truly washed clean - and are given white robes to wear
Mortality is swallowed up in Life

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