The Worthy Heart V - Bears Fruit

St. Matthew 21:12-14, 17-20 (8/15) Gospel for Friday of the Ninth
Week after Pentecost

The Worthy Heart V ~ Bears Fruit: St. Matthew 21:12-14, 17-20,
especially vs. 19: "And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and
found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, 'Let no fruit grow on
you ever again.' Immediately, the fig tree withered away." Talking
once with a Samaritan woman at Sychar (Jn. 4:6-26), the Lord Jesus
described the nature of true worship: "...true worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to
worship Him" (Jn. 4:23). In the present passage from St. Matthew, the
Lord repeats the message but demonstrates His word graphically by
driving out those who were defiling His Temple (Mt. 21:12-13), healing
those who came to Him in His Temple (vs. 14), and emphasizing His will
either to fill with life those who bear fruit for Him or to withdraw
life from those who fail to bear Him fruit (vss 17-20). Those of worthy
hearts trust God, worship Him truly, and bear Him fruit.

When the Lord Jesus came to the Jerusalem Temple, do not miss the fact
that the Master of the House had come, God Himself, but Incarnate as a
man, yet deserving all honor, glory, and worship in His Holy Temple.
What He found was buying and selling, profane arrangements of tables,
chairs, various denominations and forms of money, and animals - a tidy,
bustling business for the merchants, a convenience store for those
coming to offer sacrifice. In His "driving out" and "overturning," the
Lord Jesus dramatized His ownership of the Temple, expressing plainly
His disfavor with the business operations. All this should be clear
enough.

In addition, in His act of cleansing of the Temple, the Lord Jesus
reiterates the same spiritual truth He made in conversation with the
woman (St. Photeini) at Sychar (Jn. 4:7-26): God's Temple is not a place
but a condition of the heart - our heart is the temple of the Lord.
Therefore, it is possible, if we are mindless and not attentive, that we
can set up business in our heart and displace the true worship of God
for which our heart is consecrated through the Holy Mysteries. As
Blessed Theophylact pleads, "O reader, look and see whether perhaps you
have made God's temple, that is your mind, a den of thieves, that is a
demon's lair. It will be such a den if we have thoughts full of the
desire of material things, of buying and selling and a love of money...."

The facts are that the Lord Jesus came into the physical Temple to heal
those who would "come" to Him (vs. 14), but a false practice had
developed that forbid the lame and the blind to enter the Jerusalem
Temple: no "imperfect" thing or person, was allowed to "desecrate" the
Temple by their mere presence. From the Lord Jesus' perspective, the
very ones who needed to be admitted were excluded while "business for
profit" actively took their place.

Once Christ our God disrupted the false "business as usual," the blind
and lame readily made their way to Him (vs. 14). This applies to you
and me: we may enjoy the Lord's presence within our physical Temples,
but never forget that "His True Temple" is in your heart. Those of
"worthy hearts," those who know their spiritual blindness and crippled
state, joyfully throng to the Lord, go into the Temple of their hearts,
and seek the healing touch of Christ our God. Therefore, anywhere in
the world, men and women may worship the Lord, come "to Him" (vs. 14) in
spirit and in truth, and be illumined and strengthened, and be healed of
sin and evils.

Finally, heed the warning of the fig tree. When the Lord Jesus found a
thriving but fruitless tree, He cursed it to wither away (vs. 19). He
continues searching for those of true worship who will bear fruit to Him
from their hearts. His message is stark, yet full of hope. He will
give life to those who seek Him, but He will also surely withdraw life
from those who turn away from Him being "invested in their own business"
and who do not bear fruit to Him.

"...the meditation of my heart shall be before Thee for ever, O
Lord..." (see Ps. 18:14).