Jesus demonstrated his condemnation of the improper use of religion by the side story of the fig tree. I think those with him understood the point. What seems out of place at first glance is not the fig tree but the final statement about forgiveness.
It seems like the amazing actions are those of withering a tree or moving a mountain. Yet Jesus assures all of us that these can be done with faith. The hard part is forgiveness. Mountain moving is no big deal when compared to turning loose of pain. Perhaps it is easier to change the future of a tree than to let go of a desire for justice. Maybe the real mountains that we must grapple with moving are those in our souls. To let go of my right to demand justice against the person who mistreated me, the person who abused me, the one who lied to me, the one who betrayed my trust, the one who hurt my child . . . those are truly mountains. And those are hard to move. Indeed they cannot be moved without faith.
So in spite of the fact that it seems like the miracle of the fig tree was an impressive miracle to teach us about the condemnation of misguided religion, perhaps the weightier teaching is that the greatest miracle is the one that God works in the human heart when we forgive.
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