Tuesday, July 21, 2009

MkITN XI, Verses 12 - 33

12. On the following day, when they had come away from Bethany, He realized that He was hungry.

13. And, seeing in the distance a fig tree covered with leaves, He went to see if He could find any edible fruit on it (in fig trees, fruit appears at the same time as the leaves). But when He came right up to it, He found nothing but leaves, because the natural fig season had not yet arrived.

14. And, immediately reacting to this natural limitation, He calmly said to it, "Fig tree, no one will ever eat fruit from you again." And His disciples overheard what He said.

15. So they kept on walking, and as they came to Jerusalem, He went again into the Temple area. And as He entered the porches and courts, acting on instinct, He began to personally and violently drive out those who sold and bought in the temple area, overturning the four-footed tables of the money changers and the seats of those who dealt in doves for sacrifice.

16. He wouldn't even permit anyone to carry any household equipment through the Temple enclosure, because it turned the temple area into a short-cut traffic lane, and contributed to the general disrespect that the public had for such a sacred place.

17. And He began to declare to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?' But you have denigrated this hallowed place...a place set aside for such universal worship...into nothing more than a den of petty robbers!"

18. And the religious leaders and the scribes got wind of this occurrence, and, as a result, became more aggressive in seeking some way to destroy Him. They feared Him, intensely, because the entire population was awe-struck at His revolutionary and revelatory teaching.

19. And when evening came, He and His disciples, as was their custom, went out of the city.

20. In the morning, when they were passing along, they noticed that the fig tree He had so casually spoken to was completely withered away, dead down to its roots.

21. And Peter remembered it right away and said to Him, "Master, look! The fig tree which You sentenced to barrenness has withered away!
22. And Jesus, replying, said to them all, "Realize that you have the very faith of God resident within you...don't just try to 'have faith in God'...embrace, instead, the inherent God-faith that you already have.



















23. Let Me reveal this truth to you...you're impressed with what happened to the fig tree, but the fact is that you have the power and ability to say to this entire mountain, "Be lifted up and be thrown into the sea!", and see it obey you! You've seen me actually speak to a storm...or command the dead to live again...well, in the same way, if you can connect the God-kind of faith that is in your own heart with the creative ability that is in your own mouth...if you say what you believe, and believe what you say...you can produce these kinds of results!

24. This is why I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer...whatever you decree...BELIEVE...accept the reality that it exists in another, unseen dimension, simply because you say it. Don't suspend or delay belief until you see it manifested in the physical realm, because what is unseen is more real than what is seen. Be confident that your request is granted to you, and you will get it...your own irresistible faith will attract it to you.

25. But when you enter into a season of prayer, remember that it's meant to be much more than simply making a list of declarations and petitions. Your prayer-life is more about changing you than it is about getting God to change things for you. It's about creating personal transformation so that you can change what needs to be changed in the world around you. So, for that reason, prayer should affect your horizontal relationships, as much as it does your vertical relationship...that's why I tell you that whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone at all, you need to forgive him or her and just let it drop...leave the past in the past...let it go so that you can pray in the now, without having all the emotional baggage from yesterday drag you backwards. When you set these things in order, it's as if your Father Who is in heaven is forgiving you your own failings and shortcomings, and letting them drop, leaving you mentally and emotionally cleansed from distractions.

26. But if you do not forgive, you set negative, universal laws into motion that prevent you from receiving the blessing of forgiveness from your Father in the heavenly realm."

27. And they came once again to Jerusalem, but this time the religious leaders, Scribes and Elders were there in the Temple. So when Jesus was walking around in the courts and porches of the Temple area, they came to Him;

28. And they said to Him, "We want to know by what authority are You doing these things...who gave You the right to do them?"

29. Jesus said to them, "I will answer your question with another question. If you can give Me a legitimate answer, I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

30. Was the baptism of John a supernatural product of the heavenly realm, or was it simply a man-made ritual? Tell Me what you think.

31. And they stepped aside and conferred and argued with one another, saying, "If we admit that we think it was heavenly, no doubt He will say, 'Why then didn't you believe him?'

32. On the other hand, how can we say that we think it was merely an idea that originated from the mind of a man?" They knew they couldn't say that because they were afraid of the people, and practically everyone considered and held John to be a prophet.

33. So they came back to Jesus and said, "We don't know what to tell You." And Jesus said to them, "Fair enough...so neither am I going to tell you by what sort of authority have I done and do these things."

15 comments:

Unknown said...

V.25...odd, but I see EdithAnn in her big chair, jelly-smeared face saying: And that's the truphthh!

Linda Luke said...

Wonderful scripture and translation! Needed this one today! Blessings everyone!!!

'BELIEVE'

Iris said...

Imagine having a blank slate… now take a piece of chalk and write anything you want…Life is the blank slate… Your words are the piece of chalk... what do you want your life to say…is it speaking life or death to your dreams???…

We all have hopes and dreams… and our words have the power to turn our desires into reality… There is no limit to what we can ask for… as long as our requests hurt no one… What is it we want… maybe… vibrant health… a fulfilling relationship… greater happiness… more money… a better job… stronger faith… increased creativity and intuition…

Words were originally magic and to this day words have retained much of their ancient magical power.—Sigmund Freud

History has recorded countless times where written and spoken words through the power of faith have been a prominent part of most cultures… The prayer wheels in Tibet would be a great example of this…

The release of the human voice into the realm of the spirit is a powerful thing… God created the universe by speaking… The first mission He gave Adam was to release His voice in an inspired way and name the animals… God’s promises are powerful and manifest when a person believes in their heart and speak it out.

So many times I underestimate the power of my words. I have am reminded several times thru my day by the prompting of the spirit, whether I am going to speak life or death… I decide…He has given me the choice…When I realize I create my world through my words, it causes me to pause… meditated… take 10 if you will, before I speak…

Being aware of my words, especially lately, has been very real to me... They are a prophecy to what I want my future to be…

Here are some quotes…

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” - Anne Frank, while hiding in her attic.

I think that’s what it’s like with all our dreams and our nightmares, Martin, we’ve got to keep feeding them for them to stay alive. M ovie—A Beautiful Mind, spoken by Nobel Peace Prize Winner, John Nash

Proverbs 18: 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

With each positive word we speak...our dreams are manifested in our tomorrows…

Iris

Northern Light said...

Months ago, God told me to "BELIEVE".....

HE showed me a "snapshot" and told me "BELIEVE".....

Since then, I believe HE has been aligning things up and I have been made to make decisions (and bear the consequences of; as well as the blessings of), and they also are aligning up with what HE showed me and told me to "Believe" for.

In my natural life, it doesn't all seem possible, but in my prayer life and in my "belief" life, I KNOW that ALL IS POSSIBLE WITH GOD~

That's enough for me to BELIEVE, anyday!

Peace,
Northern Light

Son of Zadok said...

When what is being said,
and what is being revealed,
comes to term in this world;
all the opposition and disbelief that ever tried to oppose it,
will show as a passing cloud
in the minds of men.
When naysayers and brow beaters, whose hearts are darkened
from holding on to all of yesterday
are Thunderstruck!..
they will be forgotten.
When this ship,
whose mammoth bow is turned on the tide
of the breath and the ocean,
bends its forward arc
to sounds of twisting metal;
then the air will rise on the morning and the world will hear.
Truth is carried
on the backs of poets
and long days and nights,
with noses in books, and fingers on letters, and thoughts in hearts,
but tomorrow,
and unto ages,
it is spread to all the Earth.

Erik said...

First – Exquisite Iris, Amen.


God kind of faith in (every)… own heart.. creative ability in every mouth.. .. believing what we each say and saying what we each believe.. Truth manifest.

Whatever We Each Believe—Confident, irresistible Faith , creates.

Prayer = Personal Transformation – Yes, exactly. Pray Free in our Spirit.

God gives freely our lives to us, with no sacrifice expected. The Universe goes on, anticipating each one who joins in the Joy, reveling in it. God speaks exposed truth in all areas, believing what is expressed, celebrating how we each perceive it.

Foundation is what is completely true, without hesitation or any disguise. That is the straight and narrow path of our words creating our world.

Halell to Jah !!

Word veri - vishi, as in Hindu blessings

Son of Zadok said...

Halell to Jah !!

Erik said...

SOZ ,

A passing cloud in the minds of men, yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy

The bow of the mammoth ship of paradigm, as the world hears the Truth exposed freely,

Poets express across The Earth the Truth of what they see, as we ALL do. Amen.

Karl said...

I say to every good fruit tree in me that it will be productive!
I want all passers-by who are hungry to come and dine on the fruits of the Spirit made manifest on my branches!

hmmm...are there money changers or robbers in my house of prayer, the temple of the Holy Spirit, my secret place with the Most High?
Are there distractions I have placed there that need to be driven out?...by whip or will?

How can I show the most respect while I am in that place?

Bishop, thanks for the post this morning. I seek to understand more fully and "embrace the inherent God-faith that you already have.", and appropriate it in my life today.

I liked the visual of the chalkboard, Iris. It made me also think of a dot-to-dot, where each word we speak out(if it's a life word) will connect us to the next and correct dot(place).

SCRIBE said...

This is yet another ultimate example of how Jesus showed up in places and set the records straight and environments in proper order, while making absolutely NO APOLOGIES for telling the truth to put all the foolishness to shame. WOW! When everyone tends to use the catchy phrase "WWJD- What would Jesus Do? Well we can see clearly that what Jesus would do is what He always did, which is TELL THE TRUTH... not the truth that was comforting or popular, but the Divine Truth which is delivered to Set the Captives Free. And those that became disgruntled and uptight by this, these were the very ones that were confound and confronted by their own madness and mayhem. Perhaps, they would have been more comfortable and jolly had Jesus left them alone to abide in all the nonsense, even if their habitual rituals were damaging and debilitating to their own livelihoods and well beings.

Therefore, when the Word instructs us to speak the truth in love at all times, the truth of God itself IS LOVE whether it is well received or not. Selah... It is nonetheless the truth simply because it may not be what some want or care to hear. The TRUTH by way of the Holy Spirit comes forth to create shifts in thinking, realigning or changing paradigms and the opening of eyes and hearts to the GREATER GOOD, not the common good. The TRUTH of God is not about what simply FEELS good, but more so about what will be FOR OUR GOOD. For example, if there is an open wound present on our bodies or in the BODY OF BELIEVERS that is leaking, oozing, bleeding, whereas no treatment is sought for proper, deep, and thorough cleaning of the wounds, sometimes through cauterizing, snipping or scraping away dead tissue which can be quite painful, yet far more detrimental to the entire being as a whole if it is not cared for through appropriate medical attention, then the life and lifeblood itself is in grave danger of becoming a casualty as disease and rampant infection sets in. So, the crucial and timely decisions must be made as to whether we go through the immediate pain and suffering for the medical care to be administered that has the potential to save a life, or would we rather have someone simply put a bandage on the wound without treating it, where further infections set in, creating the reality of probably amputation or death because the healing process is stagnated due refusal of treatment?

SCRIBE said...

Meanwhile, we walk around with the bulky bandages that are more than visible, and even become a prop for a conversation piece that we may nurse and rehearse how painful it is, pull up the bandages to show everyone how badly we are injured to conjure up sympathy and attention from others, while DEATH is creeping in day by day. However, this should not be, especially when treatment IS AVAILABLE and HAS BEEN OFFERED to us, yet we reject the treatment because it didn't not come with spoons full of sugar or honey or rubbed on as fragrant salve and ointment which we believe would fix everything, if we would have had more understanding, more love in our childhoods, people to nurture / pacify us,co-workers to encourage us, etc. In essence, it may not be to our own liking or choosing where or how we began the journey, yet the power of decision, perseverance, faith in God, and willingness to MOVE FORWARD to receive what is necessary serves as the turning point of the healing, deliverance, breakthroughs, miracles, etc. A change of mindset and deciding to let go of all the crutches and bottles that have been used to prop us up through our lives is a true sign of Maturity in Christ, "Coming of Age" so to speak, and GROWING UP and cutting spiritual teeth that we may be able to chew and digest Meat and not live life being spoon and bottle fed babes. Jesus came about to set the captives free, yet we must choose if we will walk in freedom or self-imprisonment based on our own words and actions. May God's word become so real to us that we allow the Holy Spirit to REVEAL IN US and THROUGH US the plan of GOD FOR US that we may bask in His Presence, showing forth as Lights unto and in the darkness, even if the darkness is the recesses of our own minds.

Pamela H said...

On twitter this morning I was going to say something about "believing" about how powerful it is - God is showing me this lately in a situation dealing with my mother. If you believe something it will be reality to you, you can actually make it happen. I just now read your posting Bishop on verses 12 - 33. Definitely a word for me.

Izumi/JOY said...

God afternoon beloved Universe,

Here's what the post illuminates for me:

v.12 - Jesus and His disciples had just left Bethany, "house of dates". Dates are fruit from a certain type of palm tree.

Some descriptions of such are: tall, flourishing, and upright. Its branches are (prophetically) symbolic for victory.

The crowds in v. 8 (previous chapter) waved their branches, and placed them along the route where Jesus travelled.

He entered into the holy city by praise.

What did He find in His serious observations? John 9:4, maybe?

Did He confer with Himself about the date and advent of the Comforter?

Verse 9 notes that some in the crowd proclaimed God's plan: "Infinitely blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."

But, it wasn't yet the hour.

Isn't it interesting that Jesus realized He was hungry? He'd just left places known as, "house of unripe figs", "house of dates", and Mount of Olives.

Plus, He had just assessed the earth's topography; took everything in v. 11. (think, John 4:34)

In the natural, we see Jesus, the man. One site notes that figs are symbolic of peace, and prosperity; used medicinally.

Maybe that's a reason why He calmly spoke to that tree. (redeemed it from Genesis 3:7, if you can imagine)

Outwardly, it seems like the Lord cursed the tree. But, what if He restored the Kingdom with His words?

Anonymous said...

Yes it is quite visable now. The fig tree representing the knowledge of good and evil would not dare to offer fruit to what it knew to be the Creator and in return it was blessed rather than cursed because of its reverence. When it was made complete for all mankind to know what already existed concerning good and evil versus life, then there was no more any fruit to be eaten from that tree. The only reason humans percieve they are eating from that tree today is a figment of their own imagination.

Peace to all, God is God and there is no good or evil.

Thank you Izumi, you are a sweet prophet.

Izumi/JOY said...

God morning beloved Universe,

Dear Anon @ 6:40,

Your generous spirit, and revelation convicts me of my aversion to cilantro. I repent.

Peace!

wordver: inemo

(yes, really)