Christ Cursing the Fig Tree (1485)

Holy Week Reflections: Monday

Monday March 25

Journey through Holy Week with daily reflections from the Rev Roddy Hamilton

Mark 11:12-19

On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again.’ And his disciples heard it.

Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.

Reflection

The fig tree and temple
Are one and the same.
The tree fails to bear fruit
So does the temple
You’d expect figs
You’d expect justice
You’d expect a harvest
You’d expect righteousness
What you‘d expect to find
Is nowhere to be seen.
Both lie barren
Unfit for purpose.

The fig tree has failed
The temple is broken.

This is less a cleansing
And more a shutting down.
It cannot be redeemed
It is ruptured
Beyond repair.

The temple might be full of prayer and sacrifice
The rituals and rites of religion are carried out
But when worship becomes a substitute for justice
It bears no fruit.

The temple is the fig tree
And the fig tree is cursed.

The kingdom needs to take the temple
But it will take more than the scattering of a few tables.

Prayer

Holy God
When justice has a substitute called piety
And righteousness replaced by ritual
May we stand among the coins and feathers
And dare believe
Dare trust
Dare cling to the hope
The kingdom
Is doing a new thing

The Rev Roddy Hamilton is minister of New Kilpatrick Church, Bearsden