DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Saint Mark 11:11-23
(12/27-1/9)
Tuesday of the Thirty-second Week after Pentecost
Do Not Delay: Saint Mark 11:11-23, especially vs. 11: “And Jesus went into Jerusalem, and into the
temple. So when He had looked
around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with
the twelve.” We live in flux, moving as events bear us along. Inexorably, we leave situations that
once seemed permanent to confront new circumstances and demands. This onward sweep infuses urgency into
today’s decisions and actions.
There are constant pressures to accomplish, dispose, settle, arrange,
decide, fix or forget. From
childhood, we learn that delay compounds difficulties. Homework ought not to be put off. The exam is tomorrow. As adults we learn that relationships
cannot be neglected or else we collect bitterness and isolation. Dust and disorder quickly overwhelm
us. So the flux of life forces us
to ask, “What must be addressed first? What can be delayed? What is most important? Which task, focus, or effort must be
abandoned so that we may attend to this present matter?”
The present reading speaks to the flow of time, choices,
and the cost of delay. In the opening
line quoted above, notice the phrase, “...as the hour was already
late....” It has a triple
meaning: 1) it was late that particular day, being the time to find a place for
the night. 2) In addition and more
important, the hours of the Lord Jesus’ time on earth were growing late;
soon it would be His last tangible hours in Jerusalem and among His own. And further, 3) it was late
historically: going into the Temple, Jesus “...looked around at all things...”
(vs. 11).
There He knew that the end of Israel’s worship in her temple was
very near.
“Late now being the hour” (the original
word-order of the text, vs. 11), and Christ knew that soon would come the siege
of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. Of great importance also is the fact that
the impending judgment of God needed to be conveyed to the wayward Jewish
leaders and their priests. The coming cloture had to be impressed on His
disciples. Delay was out of the question.
“Late now being the hour,” our Lord came upon a
fig tree. There, for the sake of
His disciples, the Lord Jesus expressed the Divine ‘hunger’ for
God’s people to repent and bear fruit. However, there was abundant evidence
that the majority were not ready to accept their true Messiah. He was among them, but it was “...not
the season...” (Mk. 11:13).
The People would not bear fruit for Him. Neither man nor God would find much
fruit of the Spirit within the community under the Old Covenant. Ancient Israel would reject the Messiah,
and the Temple would be destroyed.
All this the Lord saw as He looked at a barren fig tree.
Thus, deep urgency filled the Lord. “Late now being
the hour.” Who could
be wakened? In judgment, He went
into the Temple and drove out the moneychangers. The two passages concerning the fig
tree, with the intervening account of the cleansing of the Temple, must be read
within the context of the urgency in Jesus: the end of the Old Covenant and the
inauguration of the New were certain and now. And He reminds us as well - do not delay
with God.
The present demands of this life and world press us for
action. At the same time,
God’s Word faces us with His claim over our lives. We are to seek Him now, to cleanse our
lives today, “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance...” (Lk. 3:8). Do
not delay and make excuses. Do not
delay preparing “...a good defense before the dread Judgment Seat of
Christ.” Claiming that we are
Orthodox, that we contribute regularly, oc that we
help the needy, is not enough. Listen to Saint Seraphim of Sarov: “All that is not done for Christ’s sake,
even though it be good, brings neither reward in the
future life nor the grace of God in this.” Do not delay!
O Lord, grant us the grace of a right faith in Thee, that
without delay we may apply our hearts to acquire the grace of Thy Spirit and
prepare to receive the blessings of the future age.
Return to the December Calendar