Mark 11

6 hours from now, the Rangers should be coming to bat in their half of the first inning, and I will be giddy beyond belief sitting in section 327, Row 23, Seat 25, right next to Cameron in Seat 24 (unless 24 is a better seat, then I'll switch and take that one!) The passage I'm taking with me to my favorite hamburger place in Fort Worth, then to the game and back to Waco tonight is Mark 11, specifically verses 22-26.

This passage is actually part two of a story started back up a few verses. The day before, Jesus had come upon a fig tree. He only saw leaves because it wasn't fig season yet. This was expected. Then he cursed the fig tree and removed it's fig-bearing potential. Why would he do such a thing? What was the fig tree doing to him? Wasn't it simply doing what a fig tree does - it was 2 or 3 months away from bearing fruit anyway? Shouldn't Jesus have known this? Maybe Jesus knew something about the fig tree that we don't, nor did the disciples. Maybe he had experience with this particular fig tree?

Now it's the next day and they walk by that tree again and leave it to Peter to be the one to point out the withered up fig tree that Jesus had God-handled the day before. Jesus doesn't interpret the even for them, but the meaning does become a little clearer...maybe.

Jesus was matter-of-fact: “Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, ‘Go jump in the lake’—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it’s as good as done. That’s why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you’ll get God’s everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it’s not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins.”

Jesus turns toward Jerusalem and implores them to take hold of his way of life fully - not partially. He wants them to truly embrace the life. This seems to be a bit of a judgment against Jerusalem and the believers who honored God with their lips but kept their hearts far away from him. Jesus wants to see the heart and the lips match. In living this life fully, nothing is impossible for us - no addiction to strong to overcome, no marriage to damaged to save, no child to far away to rescue, no nothing. Many of us are trapped in a life void of this kind of possibility. We have chosen this by not embracing the God-way-of-life to its fullest. We may attend church services, but that's about as far as we allow this way of life to seep into our every day.

Jesus uses the example here of forgiveness. He implies that it's not uncommon for people to say they embrace the forgiveness of the Father, but then fail to forgive those around them. This cannot be. In our embracing of the forgiveness given to us by Jesus, that same forgiveness ought to make its way out of us and into those around us. I really believe people who have a hard time forgiving others, have not embraced the depth of the forgiveness of Jesus.

Jesus sees the possibilities and does not want people to miss out - he does not want you to miss out. He wants us to live fully and experience his life daily, not in a meeting, but in a neighborhood, not in a church service, but in a cubicle, and not simply one day a week, but every day. Embrace, live, love.