The Bible

 

Mark 11:12-24 : Jesus Curses the Fig Tree (Gospel of Mark)

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12 The next day, when they had come out from Bethany, he was hungry.

13 Seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came to see if perhaps he might find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

14 Jesus told it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" and his disciples heard it.

15 They came to Jerusalem, and Jesus entered into the temple, and began to throw out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of those who sold the doves.

16 He would not allow anyone to carry a container through the temple.

17 He taught, saying to them, "Isn't it written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations?' But you have made it a den of robbers!"

18 The chief priests and the scribes heard it, and sought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching.

19 When evening came, he went out of the city.

20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away from the roots.

21 Peter, remembering, said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away."

22 Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God.

23 For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and doesn't doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening; he shall have whatever he says.

24 Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them.

Commentary

 

Speaking to the Enemy

By Todd Beiswenger


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There are times to pray, but there are also times to act. The disciples couldn't cast out a demon because they lacked faith, which is to say they lacked conviction. When we speak to our demons, we don't ask them nicely to leave, we need to command them to leave.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 968; Mark 11:12-24; Matthew 17:14-20; Zechariah 4)

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #969

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969. In so large a kingdom where all human souls have been converging since the start of creation (almost a million from this planet every week) where each person's character and disposition is different from everybody else's, where all the ideas of everyone are communicated, and where nevertheless every single thing has to be, and is constantly being, restored to proper order, it is inevitable that countless things manifest themselves there which have never entered anyone's head. Now since scarcely anyone has anything more than one vague concept of hell, as they have of heaven, these matters will inevitably strike them as strange and extraordinary, especially as they imagine that spirits do not have any sensory perception, when in fact these have keener sensory perception than men do. In addition to this, by devices unknown in the world, evil spirits produce within such persons sensory feelings almost the same as those of the body which are duller by far.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.