Faith Without Doubt

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

FAITH WITHOUT DOUBT

Matt 21:18-22

18 Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. 20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked. 21 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." 

NIV

It is interesting that Mark records this same event regarding the fig tree, but he states that Jesus cursed it this morning, and then in the evening they left the city again and returned the next day and found the tree withered. Whenever, immediately or the next day, it happened, the point is that it happened and it was, as always with Jesus, a teaching moment. It is noted this fig tree was beside the road which would have been on public land, and hence available to anyone traveling the road. This is important as Jesus did not take from someone or would have had the tree had figs. There are all sorts of commentators that what to spend a great deal of time on the tree and no figs, but just leaves, and how that set the time of the year and why that was important. Still, that is not the point of this teaching moment of Jesus. He knew full well what time of the year it was and the pattern of bearing figs for the trees. It was not that Jesus was hungry, as some would suppose, for Jesus and his disciples when they left the city could have gone back to Bethany or Bethphage, both just a few hours walk and spent the evening eating and enjoying more fellowship with friends. However, Jesus used this tree to teach his disciples, and us, about having faith and not doubting. Although over the years some believers have misused the parallel account of Mark, as a name it and claim it philosophy. We will not call it theology for that type of belief is not based on the study of God. The basis is on prayer. Yes, Jesus said that we can say to this mountain to go throw yourself into the sea. Yes, we could say to the fig tree, be cursed. But Jesus is making that reference in conjunction with whatever we ask in prayer. However, the point is still the same. We must ask, or say with one hundred percent faith, leaving all doubt, all unbelief behind. This may not be quite as possible as it sounds. We do live and have lived all our lives in this physical world, which is, for all practical purposes, based on science and what is possible for a man to achieve, including some things that man cannot accomplish. One of those impossible things is to move mountains or cause a tree to wither with our words. We have invented machines and chemicals for those purposes, so our words or faith are not needed. Living in this environment and modern culture may have stunted our ability to have that type of faith. Still, being a follower of Christ, should we not take Him as His word and believe without doubt, that we will receive whatever we ask in prayer. This then would be faith without doubt.