Tag Archives: doubt

Cursing Trees and Hurling Mountains – Not Quite What I Had in Mind

Cursing fig trees and hurling mountains into oceans – Jesus said that we will speak such acts if we have faith and no double minds.

I’m unsure…

But fruitless trees feed themselves, and obstacles impede and divide.

Your will be done.

Matthew 21:17-23 (ESV)

And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there. 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.”  And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”

Waiting for Advent – I came, I saw, I worshiped but I doubted

I came, I saw, I worshiped but I doubted
I wonder what the Latin would be? (Veni, vidi, venerari, dubitari, vadi)?

Matthew 28:16-18
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and [spoke] to them…

They worshiped him – and doubted. It was hard for them to believe.  Here, just a short time after the Resurrection, when they saw Jesus, risen from the dead, they worshiped him, but some doubted. When they saw Jesus, some doubted.

Then Jesus came and spoke to them. Presumably, even to the doubters.  We know that He addressed at least one man’s doubts (Thomas).  It was not: ‘Okay, you doubters, stand over here while I talk to the righteous, real disciples…’ No! Jesus came and said to them:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

If it was difficult to believe then, we need not be surprised when we doubt.  Doubt does not mean we cannot believe. We still need to go to Jesus, worship him, listen to him.  If Thomas had stayed away because of doubt, he would not have heard Jesus say “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (john 20:29)

It was the eleven disciples who went, no doubt at various stages of belief, faith and doubt, but they went together.  I think this is part of what it means to be the church.  We gather, we see Jesus, we worship, and we hear Jesus.  Then we go and do what he tells us to do.