Here is one that has always baffled me and so far God has seen fit to leave me baffled. There are many scriptures that leave me puzzled but not baffled. What's the difference?
Scriptures that simply puzzle me at least have a plausible meaning to me. What I mean by that is that while I don't get it totally I have a vague idea of the point it is trying to make. Total bafflement on the other hand means I just don't have a clue.
Mark 11:12-14(NKJV)
12Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.
13And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
14In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.
Here is what I find odd. God is a just God and so by extension Jesus is also just. That was the whole purpose behind Jesus dying on the cross. As much as God wants to forgive us, someone had to pay the just penalty. Jesus stepped up and paid for us all.
In the case of the scripture above, I don't see any justice. Figs weren't in season. Why would Jesus get mad and curse a tree for not providing fruit in a season that God had not designed it to provide fruit in? If it was the middle of harvest and the tree wasn't producing figs I could see it, but out of season?
Oh well, that's what makes the journey so cool. While I am baffled by this scripture I take comfort in knowing that I don't need to know it all, God's got it all under control and I will ad this to the list of things I want to ask God about someday when I get to Heaven.
This is just what came to mind first when I read it: God wants us to bear fruit and spread His word in all seasons. It is not acceptable for us to have an "off season" for bearing fruit. Just like you have said before, in order to grow in your relationship with God, you need to be active, not just put in an effort during the "in-season". Maybe God was punishing it for being stagnant and not producing fruit all year round.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if this is what it was meaning but that's what I got from it.