Are we doing what we are supposed to?

We are celebrating Holy week, or the week of the Passion or whatever you want to name it. It was the last week Jesus spent with his disciples before He died and resurrected. In that particular week many things happened. One of them calls my attention, when He gets mad. And it does not happen once, but twice. Once is in the temple, when he turns the tables upside down and things fly around and the money of the change –I imagine of the different monetary units for people from all over came to that temple (built by King Solomon and rebuilt by Ezra with the help of the king of Persia) to worship. Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia, “The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem. …”(Ezra 1.2)

When Jesus got mad in the temple was because people were doing what they were NOT supposed to do there, the temple´s patio area had become a commerce area . The next day He got mad when hungry, He could not find fruit on a fig tree on the road, only leaves, and He cursed it. (See Mathew chapter 21) The tree did NOT do what it was supposed to, which is to bear fruit, so it withered at once.

What are we supposed to do? We were created NOT to only be pretty like that particular fig tree; NOT to use the Holy places or institutions to make money off them, either. We have to bear fruit: love one another, give to the hungry and needy, and do like Jesus instructed us: “Go into all  the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”(Mark 16.15): tell the truth to everyone that God came to our world and made himself human so we could learn to be like him and become of His family, and when He died and shed blood to pay for the sins of the world, rose up at the third day and went to heaven after 40 days to be with the father. We should  bear fruit, and use the holy places to get together with the chosen ones to worship and sing hymns. If we do not bear fruit, we deserve to be treated like the fig tree. Paul the apostle wrote to Titus who was his assistant in some of his missions and advised: “Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they not be unfruitful.” (Titus 3.14) That is what we must do and celebrate salvation, if of course, we want to be with Him. If you want to be with the devil, you are probably already doing what you are supposed to. Before He ascended to heaven Jesus said: “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.” (Mark 16.16)

Do not take me wrong, I am NOT saying you have to do (to earn) anything “to be saved” for that is a gift from God which He paid with his blood. But if you believe, you will do what you are supposed to. That is a consequence of our belief in Christ, so that is what I meant with the question. Like Paul said about Christ in his letter: and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again for their behalf. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.  (II Corinthians 5. 15, 17)

Happy Easter!