“On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.” {Mark: 11:12-14}
Sometimes when you’re listening to the Gospel in Church {or preaching on it as the case may be} it can be easy to disconnect from the human side, the real person side of Jesus. We often discuss his teachings and his life. We speak about how wonderful he was and are grateful for the grace and forgiveness we’ve received through his death and resurrection. We embrace him as our savior, as God and that’s a good thing. Sometimes though I wonder if we miss out when we neglect his humanity. Sometimes I wonder if we really understand the enormity of the decisions he made.
When you read through the gospel of Mark it’s almost like Jesus’ life is in fast forward. Things happen quickly. Event after event happens and we do not see what happens in between, what happens in between the times Jesus is being ‘Jesus’. Until this point that is. Until the point when Mark shows us a little of the human side of Jesus. He’s just been carried into the city on a colt. He knows what is coming, what will need to happen next. The energy and excitement of the day would wear out even the most extroverted person. The next day he seems tired. He appears to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed and he’s hungry. So hungry in fact that he curses a fig tree that’s not even in season. He then enters the temple {as he’s done many times before} and he loses it with what he sees. He cannot stand their actions and their misguided ways. He gets angry. He shows emotion. He is real. Jesus is human in this text.
This real Jesus is far more meaningful to me than the ‘pink puffy heart Jesus’ we see today. The real Jesus gets hungry and angry and irritated. He turns an angry episode into a learning lesson for his disciples. This is the man I want to follow. This teacher is the one I want to learn from. He’s a presence, not a caricature. He’s God on earth and it’s powerful. It’s forceful. It’s real.
As Christians today we are called to follow. We are called to follow Jesus and embrace his teachings. I think sometimes we have forgotten what that means. We have forgotten that he was passionate about people, that he died for us all and he wants us to make a true difference in the world. Today we use words like ‘personal savior’ and think as long as we accept him we will are alright with God. I’m almost certain that’s not true. When I read through the Gospels I get the sense that being a Christian isn’t just about making a choice to accept Jesus as a personal savior but instead making many choices constantly to live the life that he has wants us to live, to persevere when things get tough and to get up the day after an angry episode and start all over again. Jesus is the messiah but it’s not enough for us to just accept that. We cannot just show up to church on Sundays and think we’ve done our job. We need to live it, to live out this grace we’ve been given and spread it throughout the world.
I want to follow a real man, a real God, a real presence. I want to go to a church that lives it’s mission, that feels God’s presence and moves with it when it pushes. I want to stop waiting and start doing. The real Jesus is a man of action. This real Jesus reminds us that being human is no excuse. This real Jesus wants us to understand who we are and start being that. I like the real Jesus. I’d like to see where following him would take us.
