The Father or the Fig Tree

S: Mark 9:14-29; Mark 11:12-26

O: In the first passage, a desperate father brought his suffering son to Jesus’ disciples, but they could not heal him. His son had suffered since childhood, so this father had likely carried years of grief, disappointment, and exhausted hope. Then he heard about this miracle-working rabbi and thought maybe this was finally a way out.

However, when he brought his son to them, the disciples failed to heal him, he was disappointed yet again. No wonder when Jesus finally showed up (after the transfiguration! But he didn’t know that) he said, “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

Jesus almost sounded offended, “If you can? Everything is possible for one who believes.”

No wonder the father desperately cried, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” He didn’t have much faith at that point, but he was desperate, and he brought the little faith he had to the right person.

And Jesus demonstrated His power and healed the boy.

Then in the second passage, Jesus saw a fig tree that was “in leaf” but had no fruit. Fig trees of the kind found in Israel can produce early small figs, sometimes called “early figs” or “breba” fruit, before the main crop. These early figs may appear around the time the leaves come out. So, if you see a tree full of leaves before the main season, you would expect there to be some early fruit.

This became a living parable of the religious leaders and the Temple establishment. They had the appearance of faith but no spiritual fruit. They had the leaves but no figs. So they fell under the curse the same way as illustrated by the fig tree Jesus cursed.

The tree looked fruitful from a distance because it was leafy, so it invited inspection, but it proved barren—making it an apt symbol for outward religiosity without corresponding fruit.

A: In the first story, the man didn’t have any polished religious image. He had no beautiful robes, no fancy theology. Even his faith was frayed, mixed with unbelief. But he was desperate, and he put his trust in Jesus. Jesus showed mercy and healed his son, in spite of his imperfect faith.

In the second story, the priests, scribes, Sadducees and Pharisees had plenty of religious sophistication, but they rejected Jesus, having no true faith and fruit as a result – and so they fell under the curse of the fig tree. This also was repeated many times through history as churches became so caught up in the pomp and pageantry of official sanction but did not have the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, we should trust Jesus even if our faith is imperfect, rather than being caught up in religiosity. This is not to say that you cannot have true faith if you’re in a formal traditional church. You certainly can. And it’s certainly possible to have fake faith for show only in a “contemporary” church. What matters is the heart, sincere trust in Jesus, however imperfect or desperate.

P: Father, thank You for Your grace that overcomes our imperfections. I confess that my faith is often imperfect and have mixed motives. May I always be sincere and following You, even in my shortcomings. I repent of my sins and put my trust in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Illustration created by ChatGPT.

Desperation - I believe, help my unbelief.

Today, instead of my usual Friday SOAP, my meditation on Mark 9:14-39 became the start of a song. Right now, I only have come up with the lyrics; haven’t figured out the music yet. (I might modify the lyrics when I put it to music later, I dunno yet.)

I was meditating on the passage, when it occurred to me, all the songs I know about “I believe, help my unbelief” are meditative, reflective songs. But in the original situation, the phrase is not a meditative phrase – it was a cry of desperation! The father wasn’t reflecting on faith – he was in despair that his son would ever be healed! The disciples had failed. Could Jesus do it? He didn’t know! That’s why he said what he said to Jesus. 

So I tried to come up with a song that echoed that desperation.

[Image source]

[Verse 1]

Coming down the mountainside,
The Lord beheld the scene;
The scribes and disciples argued there,
A crowd stood in between.

A father stepped before the Lord,
His voice was weak with grief:
“Teacher, I brought my only son,
But they brought no relief.”

[Verse 2]

“Since he was but a little child,
A spirit troubles him;
It casts him into fire and streams,
And leaves his body grim.

I begged Your followers for help,
To set my poor boy free;
They failed to drive the spirit out.”
He said, “Bring him to Me.”

[Chorus]

Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!
My doubt is heavy and my trust is small.
I bring no mighty faith to win relief,
Just a shattered hope, and yet I bring it all.

I am hoping against hope You are the one,
I’m holding to the fraying edge of grief;
I have nothing left to offer for my son,
But “I believe, oh, help my unbelief!”

[Verse 3]

The spirit saw the Saviour near,
And threw him to the ground;
He writhed and foamed before them all,
While crowds stood gathered round.

“How long has he been suffering so?”
The Lord in mercy said.
“Since childhood, Lord, and every year
I’ve lived with fear and dread.”

[Verse 4]

“If You can do a thing for us,
Have mercy, Lord,” he cried.
Jesus answered, “If I can?
Why let your faith now hide?

All things are possible indeed
For those who will believe.”
Then tears broke from the father’s eyes,
This mercy to receive:

[Chorus]

Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!
My doubt is heavy and my trust is small.
I bring no mighty faith to win relief,
Just a shattered hope, and yet I bring it all.

I am hoping against hope You are the one,
I’m holding to the fraying edge of grief;
I have nothing left to offer for my son,
But “I believe, oh, help my unbelief!”

[Bridge]

Not a perfect faith,
Not a fearless heart,
Just a father on his knees.
Lord, I cannot save my son,
So I beg you, Jesus, please.

[Verse 5]

Jesus saw the crowd draw near,
And spoke a stern command:
“You deaf and mute spirit, depart,
And leave at My demand.”

The spirit shrieked and left the boy,
Who lay as one long dead;
But Jesus took him by the hand,
And raised him up instead.

[Chorus 2]

Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!
When shadows fall and future trials arise,
I will remember how You brought relief,
And chased the ancient terror from his eyes.

I will anchor to the victory You have won,
How You rescued us from tragedy and grief;
When You reached Your gentle hand to raise my son,
Lord, I believe! Oh, help my unbelief!

[Outro]

In the valley after glory,
In the struggle after light,
The Saviour meets the trembling soul,
And leads it through the night.

---

Note: I used several discussions with various AIs to help work through the ideas and help me with rephrasing my ideas with rhyme and meter.

Two-stage healing

S: Mark8:22-26

²² They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. ²³ He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spat on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, ‘Do you see anything?’

²⁴ He looked up and said, ‘I see people; they look like trees walking around.’

²⁵ Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶ Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘Don’t even go into the village.’

O: Oddly, Jesus’ healing seemed to be not complete the first time round, and he had to heal again. But this actually makes sense, given modern research.

Neurologist Oliver Sacks documented a case of Shirl Jennings, who was medically healed of blindness, but his brain had difficulty processing the visual information. It took him weeks and months to adapt to vision, and actually never managed to achieve completely normal visual processing. [1]

Others also documented other cases of people who had been healed of blindness needing time to relate objects they saw with what they had only experienced before by touch. [2]

So, perhaps Jesus healed the blind man twice because there were two things that needed fixing – first, the hardware: his physical ability to see, and second, the software: his cognitive ability to process what his eyes were seeing.

During my master's research, I worked a little with machine vision. It gave me a new appreciation for the miracle of sight. Even getting a computer to identify simple lines in engineering drawings was remarkably difficult. (This is now largely a solved problem; my research was decades ago.) If recognising lines is hard, how much more remarkable is the human ability to instantly recognise faces, trees, and people? [3]

A: Sometimes God’s work in my life unfolds in stages. I may pray for help, healing, guidance, or change, and the answer may not seem complete at first. Like the blind man, I may see something, but not yet clearly.

This passage reminds me that Jesus is not limited or struggling. He is Lord over both the miracle and the process. If His work seems gradual, there may be reasons I do not yet understand.

The blind man was honest with Jesus. He did not pretend that everything was clear. He simply said what he saw. I need to learn that kind of honesty in prayer too. Instead of pretending, giving up, or becoming quietly disappointed, I can tell Jesus where things still feel unresolved: “Lord, I can see a little, but not clearly yet.”

I also need to keep trusting Him after the first touch. Partial progress is not failure. It may be part of the process by which Jesus teaches me dependence, patience, and deeper faith. My responsibility is to stay with Him, be honest before Him, and trust Him until He brings clearer sight.

P: Father, when Your answer seems delayed, partial, or different from what I expected, help me not to give up or pretend. Teach me to be honest with You, to trust Your process, and to keep looking to Jesus until I see more clearly. In Jesus’ name, amen.

References

1.     Oliver Sacks, An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995), chap. 2, “To See and Not See.” ISBN 0-679-43785-1

2.     Held, R., Ostrovsky, Y., de Gelder, B. et al. The newly sighted fail to match seen with felt. Nat Neurosci 14, 551–553 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2795

3.     Chai, I., Dori, D. (1992). Orthogonal Zig-Zag: An Efficient Method for Extracting Straight Lines from Engineering Drawings. In: Arcelli, C., Cordella, L.P., di Baja, G.S. (eds) Visual Form. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0715-8_14

Note: The ideas are mine, but I did get some help from AIs to copyedit what I wrote.

One woman’s touch

S: Mark 5:24b-34

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

At once Jesus realised that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

O: So many people were touching Jesus, bumping into him, jostling, etc. in the crowd as Jesus made his way from the shore to Jairus’s house. Yet one woman’s touch was different. One woman’s touch made Jesus stop in his tracks! One woman’s touch, in faith, brought healing. One woman’s touch.

It’s not that the people crowding around Jesus were not interested in Jesus. They obviously were – otherwise, why would they have come crowding around him? But there was a qualitative difference between their interest in Jesus and that one woman’s. They were interested in Jesus – she put her faith in Jesus.

The crowd pressed against Jesus with curiosity and excitement. She reached for Jesus with desperate faith. Many touched him accidentally; she touched him intentionally. For twelve years she had lived with shame, weakness, loss, and isolation. And yet Jesus didn't simply let the healing happen quietly. Instead, he called her forward so that the one who had been known by her condition would now be known by his compassion.

A: Daily I encounter Jesus. Most days, I pray and read the Bible. But often, it’s just part of my routine. Many days, I touch Jesus… like the people crowding against him as he walked from the shore to Jairus’s house. How often do I touch him like that woman touched him?

P: Psalm 27:4 says “One thing I have asked of Yahweh, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in Yahweh’s house all the days of my life, to see Yahweh’s beauty, and to inquire in his temple.” I admit, Father, that I do not often feel like that. I’m filled with other things I’m seeking than to spend quiet time with you. Father, forgive me. May I learn to be content with you above all else. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Why Did Jesus Speak So That People Wouldn’t Understand?

S: Mark 4:9-12

⁹ Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

¹⁰ When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables ¹² so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
    and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’^[a]”

O: Jesus quotes Isaiah 6, where Yahweh commissions Isaiah to preach to a hardened Judah. Isaiah’s preaching does not create innocent unbelief, but exposes and confirms rebellion already present. In the larger sweep of Isaiah, Judah’s refusal of God’s word leads toward national devastation, exile, ultimately culminating in the Babylonian captivity.

Jesus applies that same prophetic pattern to His own ministry: He’s announcing the Kingdom of God, but not everyone receives it. This is preceded by the Parable of the Sower – the same gospel seed is sown, but the condition of the heart determines the response. Some reject immediately, some respond shallowly, some are choked by worldly concerns, and some truly hear, accept, persevere, and bear fruit.

Jesus is not saying, “I arbitrarily do not want people forgiven.” He is saying that the mystery of the kingdom is given to those who draw near to Him in faith, humility, and repentance, while those repeating Israel’s old pattern of hardness remain blind even while hearing. The issue is not mere intelligence. The disciples themselves often misunderstand. The issue is the posture of the heart: whether one comes near, asks, listens, repents, and follows.

At the same time, a person’s heart condition is not necessarily static. People can later repent. Even in Isaiah’s larger context, judgment does not destroy God’s mercy; a remnant remains. Therefore, this passage warns us not to presume upon hearing the word, but to receive it with repentance, perseverance, and fruitfulness.

A: Spiritual understanding grows as we stay near Christ. I must not be content merely to hear God’s word outwardly. I must receive it inwardly with repentance, faith, and obedience. I should draw near to Christ in prayer, study of Scripture, and faithful living, trusting that spiritual understanding deepens as I remain close to Him and bear fruit in perseverance.

P: Lord Jesus, I thank You
with my whole life and soul, I do
My heart belongs to You,
I know You love me true

The only sacrifice
I can bring is my soul,
my body and my heart,
You can take me whole.

My riches are like rags
compared to You, my Lord
My works are not enough
the ones I could afford.

So take my heart, O Lord,
I offer it to You
Tell me now my Lord,
what You want me to do
Receive it all my Lord,
this body that was mine
until the end of time.

Amen

Subtle idols

S: Mark 2:16-17, 24, 27-28

Some of the teachers of the Law of Moses were Pharisees, and they saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors. So they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus heard them and answered, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I didn’t come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners.”

…

Some Pharisees asked Jesus, “Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? They are not supposed to do that!”

…

Jesus finished by saying, “People were not made for the good of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for the good of people. So the Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath.”

O:

We have a tendency to make an idol of our own rules and interpretations of the faith, of our own tribe, and hence end up pushing people away from Yahweh. We may excuse the wrong things people we support do, while emphasising the wrong things people we disagree with do.

Jesus came to reconcile the ungodly people to Yahweh. We are His ambassadors, so we should be in that same business. But too often, we let our own prejudices get in the way of that.

A: I need to repent of my own sins, and show God’s compassion to others, whether they are already with Christ or still outside the family of faith. Many or most of those tax collectors and sinners Jesus ate with were not yet converted, yet He openly fellowshipped with them. I must show that same love and welcome as well.

P: Father, give me your heart for those outside the family of faith. Help me to show Your love to them. Let me recognise my own sins and grow closer to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐞

For All The King’s People

By Rob Hibbitt

Look my people, look what you’ve done

And there is nothing new under the sun

In your freedom you’ve bowed down to gold

It′s the same story, that same story of old

Come now children, put down that calf

I want the whole heart not just the half

By all means sing, I love to hear your voice

But O my children, love is freedom’s choice

Look my people, where is your fruit

That Love and peace and kindness

Stemming from my Spirit root

You sing, and dance, while the poor they die

You worship me while the nations cry

Come now children, put down that calf

I want the whole heart not just the half

By all means sing, I love to hear your voice

But O my children, love is freedom’s choice

Look my people, it is all in my Word

Why chase compromise and the absurd

The nations blaspheme because of you

So repent, my people, ’cause I still love you

Come now children, put down that calf

I want the whole heart not just the half

By all means sing, I love to hear your voice

But O my children, love is freedom′s choice

Throw down that calf of gold

Remember the promise of old

You will be like the stars up in the sky

And a land of promise for you and I

Now throw off the yoke of lust

And in my Word alone trust

Look my people, it is all in my Word

Why chase compromise and the absurd

The nations blaspheme because of you

So repent, my people, ’cause I still love you

Come now children, put down that calf

I want the whole heart not just the half

By all means sing, I love to hear your voice

But O my children, love is freedom′s choice

Come now children, put down that calf

I want the whole heart not just the half

By all means sing, I love to hear your voice

But O my children, love is freedom’s choice.

By the way, I just discovered this artist today. I mentioned the line “The nations blaspheme because of you” in a conversation with Eric Skattebo and he thought I was referring to a song, and so he Googled for the song and found this song. I was actually referring to Romans 2:24, but this was a serendipitous discovery because I really like the few songs I’ve since listened to from this channel.

Persist in repentance

S:

1 Kings 21:21, 25, 27-29 Behold, I will bring evil on you, and will utterly sweep you away and will cut off from Ahab everyone who urinates against a wall, and him who is shut up and him who is left at large in Israel.

…

But there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

…

When Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his body, fasted, lay in sackcloth, and went about despondently. Yahweh’s word came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “See how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but I will bring the evil on his house in his son’s day.”

2 Kings 3:1-2

Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, but not like his father and like his mother, for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made.

2 Kings 6-9

When Syria repeatedly attacked Israel, God had Elisha warn Jehoram many times where he would be, until the king of Syria thought he had an Israelite spy in his camp, but then when he was told it was the prophet, he tried to kill the prophet, but God blinded them so that Elisha could lead them into Samaria where they were shown Yahweh’s power, so they stopped attacking Israel.

But later, the next king of Syria, Ben Haddad, invaded again, but God didn’t warn Jehoram anymore and Samaria besieged and staving, and Jehoram said “God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat stays on him today.”

But the next day, God miraculously made the Syrians run away, and Samaria was saved.

However, some time after that, Elisha instructs one of his disciples to anoint Jehu to enact the earlier pronounced judgment on the House of Ahab, and Jehu kills him.

O: At first, we might wonder: “there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight” yet when he showed remorse (though temporarily), God postponed that judgment to his son’s time.

Yet, his son Jehoram seemed less evil, having “put away the pillar of Baal”. Yet did Yahweh jinx him by the curse on Ahab earlier? Didn’t Yahweh say not to punish the children for the sins of the parents? (Ezekiel 18:19-20)

Then there’s the interesting thing: Yahweh first helps Jehoram against Syria by sending Elisha to warn him whenever they would attack. But then later He allows an attack so severe Ben Haddad had actually besieged Samaria till they were resorting to cannibalism from their hunger! And then Jehoram demanded Elsha’s life before God intervened and rescued them.

What’s the deal there?

My theory is: Jehoram did make steps towards Yahweh… but didn’t persist. Because if there’s anything the Book of Jonah taught us, it’s that God always has an implicit “unless they repent” clause on all His judgments even if it’s not stated. Even the Ninevites knew that.

So my theory is that God sent Elisha to warn Jehoram of the Syrian attacks at first because Jehoram was at least kind of trying to follow Yahweh. But then he drifted back to the bad old ways. So God allowed Syria to attack. But I’m guessing that Jehoram didn’t repent even after God delivered them miraculously from that siege.

So God had Elisha’s disciple anoint Jehu and enact the judgment earlier pronounced.

So: God is not unjust. While there are natural consequences that might harm one’s descendants, God does not judge a person’s offspring for their parent’s sins. And there is always an implicit “unless they repent” clause.

A: So we must always be quick to repent and turn back to God. And stay heading back to God. Both Ahab’s and Jehoram’s problem was an incomplete and temporary repentance – then going back to their bad old ways, which then brought back the judgment. Contrast that with David’s horrible sins of adultery and murder: when he repented, he stayed repented. Not that he never sinned again (he did.) But he kept heading back to God, even after later failures.

P: “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned,” as the Catholic confession prayer goes. Father, I mess up again and again but I repent each time and head back towards You. Renew my mind and conform me to Your Son. May I be a good ambassador for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.