What Jesus does instead

03Apr
Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ‘Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.’ Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, ‘You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.’ Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come.
-John 7: 25-30


Jesus deliberately entered Jerusalem and walked into death threats. Even so, he continued to teach and love until His final confrontation with the evil humanity is capable of and his torturous death. We are nearing the end of Lent and our pilgrimage, following Jesus into Holy Week. Palm Sunday is two days away. Jesus knew what was coming. He knew what He was doing. Why did He do it? Why didn’t He just curse the evil and make everything good? 


There are two Gospel stories about Jesus and trees that help me understand this. One He cursed. The other He blessed. These stories also helped me with my lemon tree and my life.


One day Jesus was hungry as he was going to Jerusalem. He saw a fig tree that didn’t have any figs on it. He cursed it because it wasn’t bearing any fruit. Then He continued to Jerusalem where he got angry with the money changers in the temple and overturned their tables. On the way out of Jerusalem his disciples pointed out that the cursed tree had withered up and died. Jesus replied that God answers their prayers. He told them to forgive others when they pray: “the same way your Father in Heaven forgives you.” (Mark 11: 25)


I have always had trouble with this story. I can’t imagine Jesus ever cursing and killing anything.


In the second story the disciples ask why people suffer: is it because they are sinners? Jesus told them to repent of their own sins. Then he told them the parable about the farmer who had planted a fig tree that didn’t bear fruit so he told his gardener to cut it down. But the gardener pleaded for time to nurture the tree: dig around it, fertilize it. What is Jesus trying to tell us with this parable? (Luke 13:7-9)


Years ago a friend gave me a small sprout of a lemon tree that I planted. I loved that young tree. I watered and fertilized it. It grew but never put out any fruit. I was ready to cut it down when I remembered the chorus for the song “Lemon Tree” by Peter, Paul, and Mary. So I went out every day for weeks and sang that chorus to it. “Lemon tree, very pretty, and the flower - oh so sweet…” But I could never bring myself to disdain its fruit by singing “but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat”. I felt that would put a curse of the fruit. So I sang a blessing for it: “ and the fruit of the dear lemon - it is wonderful to eat!” That lemon tree was proudly producing lemons the next year! Today it is taller than our house. We have lemons and juice from it all year long!


As I meditate on these three trees and Jesus’ final acts, I notice the contrasting effects of cursing and blessing.


I have worked with kids who had problems with behavior all of my life. Cursing them – or acting toward them in a cursing manner - never helped them or me. Indeed, it was the verbal cursing or a cursed life situation that contributed to their behavior.


As Jesus enters the last weeks of His life I have often wondered why He put up with the hatred, sin, and evil of humanity. Why didn’t He just curse the sinners, the evil doers, and put us out of our misery? 


But. If He’d done that … there would be no one left. 


Instead, Jesus loves, heals, blesses and forgives. During the Last Supper He blessed His disciples. He blessed, broke and gave bread and wine to them. “This is my Body, my Blood.” He promised that He would always be with them no matter what. That is why I come to Communion every Sunday. I need that blessing. That forgiveness. That Love. As Jesus hung on the cross He loved. He forgave. “Father, forgive them. They don’t realize what they are doing.” He blessed rather than curse. Humanity had done its worst. It was killing Him. But that didn’t stop Him. He returned three days later. He continues today – never ceasing: To love. To forgive. To bless.


As I experience the brokenness of our world today I try to practice the same: Love, Heal, Bless.


Musical Reflection - Worthy - Mavis Staples


Dear Jesus, thank you for loving, forgiving, and blessing me in every way every day. Thank you for giving me others who love, forgive and bless me so that I may grow, mature, and bear fruit to love, forgive and bless others in your name. Amen.

GospelLentBlessing

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