During Jesus' final days before His arrest he was staying with friends in Bethany, just outside Jerusalem (Matthew 21:17). Here he stayed with His friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (John 12:1). Each day He would travel into the city; at night He would return to Bethany.
During one of these morning jaunts to Jerusalem, Jesus encountered an unfruitful fig tree. He was disappointed there were no figs for breakfast and so he cursed the tree, which quickly withered. Matthew tells the story as follows,
During one of these morning jaunts to Jerusalem, Jesus encountered an unfruitful fig tree. He was disappointed there were no figs for breakfast and so he cursed the tree, which quickly withered. Matthew tells the story as follows,
"In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once?" And Jesus answered them, "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,' it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." - Matthew 21:18-22
We need to be careful not to make this passage say more than what is intended. We can't expect that God will always answer the most impossible prayers; nor can we conclude that if we can't move literal mountains we don't have enough faith. Both of those extreme errors place the emphasis on faith and prayer alone without any consideration to God's power and will ('Our Father in Heaven...Your will be done').
What is important to highlight, though, is Jesus' emphasis on the importance of prayerfully coming to God with faith.
It is simply enough to ask ourselves and consider: when we are struggling with sin and temptation do we seek God's help through prayer and faith?
Often, our first port of call is to work harder to discipline ourselves. We act as though we think we need to pull ourselves in line before we can come to God when, in reality, we need to seek God's help to pull us into line
Thomas Watson shares some wise words with this respect,
What is important to highlight, though, is Jesus' emphasis on the importance of prayerfully coming to God with faith.
It is simply enough to ask ourselves and consider: when we are struggling with sin and temptation do we seek God's help through prayer and faith?
Often, our first port of call is to work harder to discipline ourselves. We act as though we think we need to pull ourselves in line before we can come to God when, in reality, we need to seek God's help to pull us into line
Thomas Watson shares some wise words with this respect,
"Let us be much in prayer to God, to keep us from engulfing ourselves in sin.... We have no power inherent to keep us from evil. Arnoldus says, that man in his corrupt estate has some relics of spiritual life left. And Arminius says, man has a sufficiency of grace within himself whereby he may abstain from evil; that free will is a sufficient curb to check and pull him back from sin. But what needed Christ to have taught us this prayer, 'Deliver us from evil'? If we have power of ourselves to keep form sin, why pray to God for power? ...let us therefore sue to God for strength to keep us from sinning!"
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
- When you are wrestling with a particular sin or temptation how do you normally try to overcome it?
- How often do you find yourself praying for God's help with your sins?
- How does Thomas Watson identify some wrong approaches? What is the right approach?
- How does this lead you to pray each day?