Monthly Archives: December 2024

Tom's Photos, Wayfarer's Journal

The Latest (Summer & Fall 2024)

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It has been quite a year on several fronts in 2024, which is why I’m sitting here on Christmas Eve to finally update the Latest from this past summer and fall.

My last update from Spring 2024 left off after Pella’s annual Tulip Time, and May always brings the beginning of Lake season. What Wendy and I didn’t know going in was that this would be our final summer at “The Playhouse,” our place on Lake of the Ozarks that has been a part of our family for over 25 years. By the end of the summer Wendy and I decided that this season of our lives was over. God provided a very clear and simple path in selling it to friends who we know will be blessed by it, and will pass that blessing forward.

So, it was a great final summer with annual trips with friends and family. Most memorable for me was the opportunity to meet at the lake with my dad and siblings. It was the first time we’d all been together at the lake, ever, and it was a great opportunity to share time together as a family. We tried to remember the last time we’d been together as a family for more than a couple of days and we couldn’t really come up with an answer!

Taylor, Clayton, Milo, and Sylvie had been living with us from December 2023 until Tulip Time in May. They bought a house in Des Moines, but having them in Des Moines has been a much better proximity than Edinburgh, Scotland! Clayton has been working for Lutheran Services of Iowa in their Refugee Settlement program and Taylor continues to work for Storii. It’s been fun to have them nearby where we can visit them when we’re in Des Moines, take the kids out for special times with Papa and/or Yaya, and have them visit. Milo has loved coming to church with Papa, Yaya, and Papa Dean. I continue to teach regularly and even had the blessing of being asked to baptize a dear friend this Spring. We even had a very rare treat when solar flares gave us a glimpse of the Northern Lights over our house!

My dad continues to live here in Pella in independent living. He stays busy making stained glass and won the blue ribbon at the Iowa State Fair this year!

Madison, G, and MJ (Maddy Jo) continue to live in South Carolina, but we were blessed to have them home this summer. Madison continues to work at a boutique and spa in Columbia. She took a management position this year. Garrett continues in real estate, but he worked to get his teaching certificate so that he can both teach and coach football at the high school level. Late June and early July ended up being full of gatherings with family and friends as we celebrated Sylvie’s 2nd birthday and welcomed the SC crew back to Iowa for the Fourth of July weekend. The Pella VLs had us down to their pool for fun in the sun and water. Even Taylor and Maddy Kate’s Godfather Dave made an appearance! The summer also included my 40th High School Class reunion (Hoover High School Class of 1984). Wendy’s friends, “The Golden Girls” had a sleepover at our house, as well. I got to play bartender.

Of course, Wendy and I love spending time with friends over good food and good drinks. We enjoyed a couple of weekends together. In the summer, we headed to Kansas City to catch our Cubbies at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and had dinner with friends there. In the fall, we headed to Minneapolis for our annual pilgrimage to the Mother Ship (USBank Stadium) to watch the Vikings. We also took in a show at the Guthrie for the first time since COVID. In the fall, we headed to Park City, UT to visit friends, found our way to the top of Sundance Mountain, and enjoyed some spectacular views!

While we were in Park City, Wendy got word that her Grandma Vander Hart had passed away. As the only family member actually in Pella, Wendy has ceaselessly cared for her grandmother and her grandma’s needs for years. We returned from Utah to meet with Wendy’s family and lay Grandma to rest. I was blessed that she asked me to do her funeral.

No year is without its share of adversity. Torrential rains and drainage tiling that was blogged by tree roots combined to back up our sump pump and flood our basement twice this summer. The carpet was able to be salvaged, but the floods required us to pull up all of our carpets in the basement, tear out all of the carpet pads, and then have new carpet pads installed and the carpet re-laid. We used it as an opportunity to employ some local high school and college students. I’ll be very happy if we never have to do that again!

Wendy and I have not been involved in theatre for about six years. In the fall, I was recruited to once again run for President of our local Community Theatre. I was elected. So, we’re back in the mix of things, including presiding over Union Street Players’ annual Awards Dinner. Wendy is not on the Board but has been assisting with finances and the box office. She also helped organize the Awards Dinner. I might even make it back on stage this coming year!

We also enjoyed a visit from Wendy’s sister and her children from their home in Mazatlan this fall, as well as a wonderful picnic with our faith family from the Auditorium at Third Church.

Fall also brings Pella’s annual Tulip Queen Announcement Party. Wendy once again presided as Director of the evening’s festivities and I served once again as Master of Ceremonies. It’s always amazing to spend time with such talented young ladies who instill such hope for the future. Both Wendy and I are blessed every year to get to know these amazing women and be a part of our Community’s annual tradition.

Book Summary List, Chapter-a-Day

Mark (Dec 2024)

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Each photo below corresponds to a chapter-a-day post for the Gospel of Mark published by Tom Vander Well in December 2024. Click on the photo linked to each chapter to read the post.

Mark 1: Flyover Country
Mark 2: Opposition!
Mark 3: When Rest Becomes Work
Mark 4: Of Prophets and Plants
Mark 5: “Just Believe”
Mark 6: Of Motives and Outcomes
Mark 7: Big Dogs and Bad Dogs
Mark 8: God’s Base Language
Mark 9: Mountains
Mark 10: The Lead
Mark 11: The Fig Tree Mystery
Mark 12: Anonymous Cogs
Mark 13: The Tension
Mark 14: When the Rooster Crows
Mark 15: Of Appointees and Crowds
Mark 16: Needed Words
These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!

Book Summary List, Chapter-a-Day

Ephesians (Nov 2024)

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Each photo below corresponds to a chapter-a-day post for the book of Ephesians published by Tom Vander Well in November 2024. Click on the photo linked to each chapter to read the post.

Ephesians 1: Better Knowing
Ephesians 2: “The Why”
Ephesians 3: Dwell
Ephesians 4: Word Budget
Ephesians 5: Profound Simplicity
Ephesians 6: Plethora of Prayer
These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!

Chapter-a-Day

Needed Words

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“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
Mark 16:6-7 (NIV)

Wendy and I read an article over the weekend in The Free Press about The Absurd Genius of Netflix Christmas Films. Apparently, Netflix has been producing an entire genre of Christmas themed romantic comedies aimed specifically at the Millennial generation. Hot Frosty?! Yes, it’s what you think, and you don’t want to know. No thank you. I enjoy a number of modern Christmas movies, but I’ll always be an It’s a Wonderful Life kind of guy.

In my lifetime, the Christmas movie genre has become a thing. Yes, there were a handful of classic Christmas movies that played annually on the four broadcast television channels we could get in home growing up. But then cable television became a thing with tons of channels looking for Christmas programming to attract viewers, including the Hallmark Channel. You might not know it, but no one had really heard or remembered It’s a Wonderful Life when I was a kid. It took on a life of its own because it had fallen into obscurity and no one claimed the rights to it at that time. This meant that every cable channel could broadcast it for free, and they did. For a few years it was on every channel all the time. Between that and the invention of home video cassette recorders, millions rediscovered the movie for the classic it is. Everyone today knows the story of George Bailey, and that’s a good thing.

I have a file in a drawer in my office. In this file are words of encouragement I’ve received from people across my life journey. I keep the cards, hand written notes, postcards, and the like because one of the things I’ve learned about myself across the years is that I have a penchant for occasionally spiraling into a pessimistic funk. People are always surprised to learn this, but you can ask Wendy. It’s a thing. Like George Bailey, I start to think that nothing I do in this life really matters. It’s funny to even write that sentence because it sounds silly and dramatic enough to be in a Hallmark Christmas movie. Still, that’s the point. I occasionally need a reminder that my feelings are silly and dramatic, and the words in that file folder remind me of that. I honestly can’t remember the last time I actually opened that file, but I know it’s there.

I thought of this in the quiet this morning because I noticed that when the angel announces to the three women that Jesus had risen from the dead, Mark records that the angel says, “tell his disciples, and Peter.”

When we last saw Peter in the story a couple of chapters ago, the rooster had just crowed. Peter’s rock solid commitment to be loyal to Jesus to the death had crumbled into three fear-driven lies. He claimed he didn’t even know Jesus.

It’s not hard for me to imagine Peter’s shame. He was the man Jesus had appointed leader of The Twelve. Peter was one of Jesus trusted inner circle. Jesus depended on Peter. It was Jesus who turned “Simon” into “Peter, the rock.” When it came to the crucial moment when Peter assumed that Jesus needed him the most, “the rock” turned out to be pea gravel. He failed the test. His faith in Jesus turned out to be a sham, and Jesus’ faith in him was all for nothing. At least, I can imagine Peter muttering that to himself.

Then, the angel names Peter specifically. Tell the disciples and Peter.

Peter, this isn’t finished.

Peter, don’t think for a second that you’ve been relieved of duty.

Peter, meet Jesus in Galilee. He needs to have a word with you.

Life is a marathon, and along the way I believe every person hits the wall, not just once, but multiple times. Along the race, we need occasional reminders like Clarence provided George, like the words in that file folder in the drawer behind me, like the angel gave Peter through the ladies at Jesus’ empty tomb.

I’d like to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I am taking a break from this chapter-a-day journey for the rest of the holiday season, and will see you back here, Lord willing, in 2025. If you need a fix, please remember there’s an entire archive of past posts on the website at: https://tomvanderwell.com/2019/09/02/chapter-a-day-posts-by-book/

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!

Chapter-a-Day

Of Appointees & Crowds

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Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law, and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
Mark 15:1 (NIV)

For sports fans, December is a busy month. Of course, there are all of the college bowl games and the NFL season comes to climactic end as teams scramble for a playoff spot. Yet, even in baseball there are a flurry of off-season trades sparked by the MLB’s winter meetings. Wendy and I have been keeping tabs on several trades our beloved Cubs have made this past week.

As much as fans hate it, trades are part of the business in sports. Every team has legendary trades that fans talk about decades after the fact. Some are positive, but the ones that tend to live on in legend are the trades that produced the deepest scars. For Cubs fans it’s the trading of Hall of Famer Lou Brock to our rival Cardinals. For Vikings fans, its the trade we made with the Dallas Cowboys for Hershel Walker. That trade helped set up the Cowboys for a Super Bowl and relegated the Vikings to continued, perpetual mediocrity.

Hershel Walker made news in recent days. He’s been appointed the U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas. It’s not surprising. Ambassadors are appointed by Presidents and it’s how Presidents reward followers and loyalists. Lots of banquets, meetings with visiting dignitaries, and for Hershel, I imagine colorful drinks with little umbrellas on the beach.

This came to mind this morning as I pondered one of history’s villains, Roman Governor Pontius Pilate. The truth is that being a Roman Governor was also a political appointment, and Caesar doled them out like a President doling out Ambassadors. It wasn’t what you knew, it was who you knew that got you appointed a Roman Governor. Governors had two basic jobs: Keep the tax money flowing freely and generously to Rome, and maintain order. For Pilate, the latter was his greatest concern. Judea was a powder keg of Hebrew rebels and insurrectionists bent on driving the Romans out. Pilate’s life, financial well-being, and political reputation back in Rome hinged on maintaining order.

The Chief Priests were not stupid. Their ascent to and hold on the power and wealth of the Temple racket required political savvy. They needed Pilate to give the execution order of Jesus, because under Roman occupation he was the only one with the authority to do so. With their trumped up charges they made Jesus out to be a threat to Rome. Their hastily produced protest with a crowd calling for Jesus’ crucifixion, they applied maximum political pressure right where it would have maximum impact with the Roman Governor. Pilate, the tenuous political appointee, knew he was being played, but the cost of making the right decision and releasing an innocent man was outweighed by the personal political cost of making an unpopular decision with the crowd of constituents that were screaming at him.

One of the things that I’ve noticed in this chapter-a-day trek through Mark is his repeated reference to “crowds.” Thirty-four times in 16 chapters, Mark mentions the “crowd.” He is clear to mention that the Chief Priests were afraid of the crowd. He mentions in today’s chapter that Pilate was motivated to satisfy the crowd.

And that has me meditating in the quiet this morning. As human beings, the crowd continues to have a tremendous impact on lives, culture, and personal decisions. Individuals refuse to speak truth, or their objections to prevailing ideologies, to avoid getting cancelled. People follow the crowd trending online like a herd of sheep as fads emerge from influencers. Doing the right thing is sacrificed time and time again on the altar of doing the politically correct thing. I don’t think Pilate was so much a villain as he was like any normal human being who chases after power, authority, status, and influence. You’re always going to do what is best for you in any given situation.

Which is an interesting contrast to Jesus as He stands before this mid-level Roman, political appointee. According to Roman law, if a defendant refuses to make a defense, Pilate had to find him guilty. With His silence, Jesus is actively choosing His fate. Why? Because He is choosing to do the right thing for all of humanity. He is choosing to be obedient to His Father’s will. He is sacrificing Himself pay sins penalty for all, for me. He is choosing to exemplify the attitude and actions He wants me to exemplify in my own daily thoughts, words, actions, and choices.

And so, I endeavor today to once again follow Jesus teaching and example, even if it means going against the current of the crowd.

I hope Hershel Walker avoids having to make critical Pilate-like political decisions as U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas. Enjoy the beach, Hershel!

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
Chapter-a-Day

When the Rooster Crows

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Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Mark 14:72 (NIV)

I confess, my life journey is dotted with mistakes, poor choices, and moral failures. I’ve made some doozies. Buy me a pint sometime, and I’ll tell you some stories. I assume you have a few stories of your own. I’ve never met a human being who didn’t have them. I have met a million human beings who pretend they don’t.

Today’s chapter tells two of the most epic fails in history. One is Judas, one of The Twelve disciples who betrays Jesus for cash considerations and sends the Son of God to His execution. The other is Peter, Jesus’ own appointed leader of The Twelve, who staunchly voiced his life-or-death commitment to stand faithfully by Jesus’ side no matter what happened. Then, when the prophesied events kick into high gear, Peter reneges on his promise just as Jesus’ predicted.

As I read this story again in the quiet this morning, I pondered the fact that Jesus’ knew The Twelve would abandon Him. It was prophesied by the ancient Hebrew prophet Zechariah, and Jesus quotes it. Jesus even knew the number of times Peter would deny Him and the time that it would happen. Luke adds a dramatic detail that Mark leaves out; The fact that the moment after the third denial when the rooster crows, Jesus was being led away and He looked right at Peter.

Hello Shame, my old friend.

Of course, I know the rest of the story. John shares that after the resurrection, along the very shores of Galilee where Jesus first called Peter to follow Him, Jesus would ask Peter three times to voice his love for Him. Three affirmations of love for three denials. Restoration, redemption, and the launch of a new chapter of Peter’s story.

Even our mistakes and failures are part of the Story. Jesus knew it before Peter even committed his denials.

In the quiet this morning, I can’t help but glance back at my own epic fails. They are a part of my story. They’ve taught me lessons about the depths of my own depravity, my utter need for God’s endless grace, and the blessings of repentance and redemption. Mistakes, poor choices, and moral failures. The truth is that the most important season of my life spiritually was when the rooster crowed for me, and I stopped pretending I didn’t have them.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
Chapter-a-Day

The Tension

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“Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.“
Mark 13:18-19 (NIV)

There is a great tension lying at the heart of our culture today. I’ve been observing it for the last several years. I also observe that most people are completely unaware of it.

One end of the spectrum there is a great pessimism. Anxiety and mental distress is off the charts. The pandemic and its aftermath resulted in global uncertainty, cultural divide, and political unrest that we’re still feeling today. And then there’s the fact that both sides of the cultural and political divide have unprecedented ability to stoke fear, hatred, and misinformation through social media. Fear is the great human motivator, and media outlets use it to keep people addictively reading, watching, and clicking because it’s what makes them money.

World War III, genocide, terrorism, riots, political corruption, assassinations, school shootings, health care crisis, and climate change aren’t just daily headlines, they stream at us every moment of every day through our phones, tablets, computers, and televisions.

On the other side of the spectrum there is great optimism. Hans Rosling, his book Factfulness, and his team at gapminder.org have been beating their drums to a very different tune for some time, along with intellectuals like Harvard’s Steven Pinker. They prove that if you look at the actual facts, human beings on planet earth have never had it so good. Extreme poverty is at the lowest levels ever across the globe. Wars and conflicts are killing fewer people than ever in human history. Humans are living longer, have more access to health care, more access to education, and the status of women has never been higher than in all of human history.

Interestingly, Rosling has a thirteen question multiple choice test that he administered to people around the world including gatherings like the United Nations and the worlds most prestigious universities testing people’s knowledge regarding facts about things like global poverty, population, education, and health. The results regularly revealed that he’d have gotten better test scores from a room full of monkeys randomly selecting answers.

So, which is it? Are things worse than ever, or better than ever?

Today’s chapter brought this great tension to mind, as Jesus tells His followers that the end of the Great Story is not going to be a pleasant experience. Wars, famines, earthquakes, and cataclysmic events are in store before the climactic end and new beginning.

As I have meditated on these things over the years, I have come to a couple of important personal conclusions.

First, I observe that most human beings operate in binary ways of thinking. It’s an either-or world: Red or Blue, black or white, left or right, salvation or condemnation, optimism or pessimism. But, the truth is often both-and.

For example, scholars for centuries have argued about Jesus words in today’s chapter. Was He talking about the events of the first century, or end times yet to come far in the future? I’ve heard scholars argue both, but my study of the prophetic gives me plenty of examples of it being both-and. Metaphors are layered with meaning. Jesus may have been speaking at once about the cataclysmic events in Jerusalem 70 A.D. and events thousands of years in the future. Even Jesus said in today’s chapter, “No one knows. Not even me. Only the Father”.

This also leads me to believe that the great optimism and pessimism tension is just another both-and scenario. In fact, from a spiritual perspective this makes more sense to me than anything else. If I really believe what I say I believe, then there is an Evil One and forces of evil that are dead set against God and everything God is about. It would make perfect sense that evil would twist and contort truth (e.g. things are better than any time in human history) into lies (e.g. things have never been worse) in order to stoke fear, anxiety, despair, hatred, anger, conflict, violence, and upheaval.

And this brings me to two other conclusions.

Jesus words do speak of things spiraling out of control in the end, and He clearly says to “watch” for it, and expect it. So, I am not that surprised by the steady stream of fear-inducing, anxiety-producing pessimism that I’m confronted with every day across the entire spectrum of media. I believe that things will eventually spiral out-of-control, even if there’s every reason for it not to do so. It’s been a recurring theme throughout the entire Great Story.

Finally, me responding with fear and anxiety is the exact opposite of what Jesus expects of me and His followers. Jesus’ foundational teaching from the beginning was to seek first God’s Kingdom, stop worrying about the things of this earth, and store up eternal treasures for a coming reality. This is a basic faith issue. If I really believe what I say I believe, then yes, things will ultimately go to hell in a hand basket on this earth, and I don’t have to be afraid or “worry ’bout a thing, ‘cause every little thing is gonna be alright.”

And so, I endeavor on this day, and each day, to follow Jesus command to his followers at the end of today’s chapter: “Watch!”

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
Chapter-a-Day

Anonymous Cogs

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Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest [Jesus] because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away. Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words.
Mark 12:12-13 (NIV)

Many years ago I stumbled upon a business blogger who went by the pseudonym Anonymous Cog. “AC” was one of those front-line minions in the institutional labyrinth known as corporate America. His vocation was fodder for the comic strip Dilbert and he blogged about the daily travails of being an “anonymous” cog in the giant corporate machine. AC and I began a back channel correspondence. I almost instantly recognized a kindred spirit in his words. Now, whenever I see people working inside of any human institution, I think to myself: “Anonymous cogs.”

Enneagram Type Fours are often known as the Individualists, and that’s me. Along my life journey, one of the things that I’ve learned about myself is that I’m typically (not always) better off when I am able to operate independently. Whenever I’ve found myself operating inside a large bureaucratic system it brings out a rebellious streak in me because they are typically full of silliness, foolishness, inefficiency, and injustice. They become insularly focused on power, internal politics, and of course money.

The Great Story is, at the heart of it, about an eternal conflict between the Kingdom of God and human empire. I’ve observed that human empire can be embodied in an individual human being, but it’s easiest to see it at work in the large institutions of this world. This includes, but is not limited to, the worldly kingdoms of government, commerce, finance, labor, academia, and even religion.

In today’s chapter, Mark is careful to name all of the institutional cogs that had set themselves up against Jesus. He names chief priests, teachers of the law, elders, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians. Jerusalem was a regional seat of power, not only for religion, but also for government and commerce. The Roman Empire, the regional government of Herod, and the Chief Priests of the temple were all separate institutional powers who fought for wealth, clung to power, and controlled the lives of the anonymous cogs living in the region. These institutions held a constant and uneasy tension in the flow of power and wealth.

Jesus was a wrench in the works for all of them.

The clearing of the money-changers out of the Temple courts was Jesus’ way of shining a holy light on the corruption of the religious institutional human empire that the Hebrew leaders had assembled at the Temple. The crowds Jesus was drawing and Jesus’ sharp criticism was a potential powder keg. If riots broke out it would bring down the wrath of Rome, and that threatened both the power and money that flowed out of the Temple and into the hands of Herod and the Chief Priests.

The Son of God, an upstart outsider from rural Galilean backwaters, stands alone against the human institutional empires of government, commerce, and religion. That’s the picture that Mark is painting for us in today’s chapter. One of the things I’ve observed along my life journey is that human empires will always attempt to crush or eliminate any anonymous cog who threatens their system or the power and wealth of its leaders. I refer you to any daily news outlet for evidence.

In the quiet this morning, my individualist heart is stirred by this David vs. Goliath scenario that emerges from Mark’s stylus and the events he reports. At the same time, I have to return to what I wrote just a few paragraphs back. Human empire can exist in me. My individualism can be transformed into a personal empire with me on the throne of my own life, rigging everything I control to consolidate the flow of power, wealth, status, influence, and appearances so that it benefits me above all else. If I allow this to happen, I become a microcosm of the very institutional worldly empires that stand in opposition to God’s Kingdom. The anonymous cog becomes emperor of his own world.

Jesus calls me to live a Kingdom of God life amidst a world of human empires. He calls me as His disciple to seek after eternal things rather than temporal things. He calls me to serve rather than expect to be served. He tells me to be extravagant in my generosity rather than hoard things and money for myself. He calls me to humbly surrender my personal desires rather than demand my own way.

Kingdom of God or personal human empire? That’s the daily conflict. Every day I choose a side.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
Chapter-a-Day

The Fig Tree Mystery

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In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”
Mark 11:21-22 (NIV)

This past summer, Wendy and I began avidly working at keeping a small little herb garden alive, along with some other house plants that include a Christmas cactus. I have joked on many occasions about having a brown thumb. Here I live on arguably the most productive farmland in the world, and all my life I’ve struggled to keep a simple houseplant growing and blooming.

Today’s chapter contains one of the strange, head-scratching episodes in the entire Jesus Story. It is the final week of Jesus’ earthly life. Jesus and His entourage are in Jerusalem along with thousands from all over the world to celebrate the Passover, a festival celebrating God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt back in the story of Exodus. Jesus and His followers are on their way to the Temple in the morning and Jesus checks out a fig tree to see if it has any figs on it, but it doesn’t, so He says, “May no one ever eat from you again.” He then goes to the Temple and famously drives out the money-changers, who were part of a extortion racket the Temple leaders had running. It was a money-making scheme that preyed on the poor and pilgrims visiting for the festival. On their way back to the Temple the next morning, Peter notices that the fig tree Jesus had cursed had withered.

Why on earth would Jesus curse and kill a fig tree? It seems so random and out of character for Jesus.

As we’ve made this chapter-a-day trek through Mark, I’ve talked a lot about God’s base language of metaphor. With today’s chapter, we have another opportunity to see how metaphor helps unlock some of the mysteries of the Great Story.

Fruit is a theme throughout the Great Story. In Eden, God provides the fruit of the entire Garden for Adam and Eve, but forbids them from eating just one kind. We all know what happens. As the end of the Great Story, as John describes his vision of the eternal city God is preparing, there is a river flowing from God’s throne and on each side of the river stands the Tree of Life which bears a new crop of fruit every month. So the Story begins and ends with fruit. In between, there are countless references to fruitfulness. Jesus Himself spoke about being able to determine what’s going on in a person’s soul by looking at the fruit of their lives.

And, this is the key to understanding the mysterious episode of the fig tree. The tree, wasn’t bearing fruit, so Jesus cursed it. He then goes to the center of Hebrew worship, God’s people who God had faithfully delivered from slavery, and exile. But the leaders who were supposed to be fruitfully serving God and the people had turned into money-grubbing elites padding their pockets and clinging to power by turning God’s Temple and its system of worship into a racket. The leaders of God’s own people were, once again, not being fruitful in the ways God had always said He desired of them.

Notice how the story of the fig tree is wrapped around this episode of Jesus driving the money-changers out of the Temple. They are connected. The Temple system and the unfruitful old ways will wither and die, as they crucify God’s Son. As Jesus is crucified and resurrected, a new covenant will be put in place. Old things pass away, and new things come. And God’s desire remains the same: that I become one with Jesus, that I remain in Jesus, and that I bear the fruit that God desires in my life.

In just three nights from the events of today’s chapter, Jesus will be with His closest followers in a garden on the night before his crucifixion. He will say to them:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
John 15:5-8 (NIV)

Along my life journey, I’ve observed that people often misunderstand what being a disciple of Jesus is all about. It’s not about rules, regulations, judgement and condemnation – though some people twist it into that. Jesus is about experiencing life in a way that produces the fruit of God’s Spirit in my daily thoughts, words, relationships, and actions. It’s evidenced by an increasing yield of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control in my life.

By the way, our Christmas cactus has tiny blooms sprouting, and I just culled some fresh Basil and Rosemary this past week. Maybe I’m finally getting this growing and bearing fruit thing on a whole new level!

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
Chapter-a-Day

The Lead

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Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
Mark 10:43-44 (NIV)

I got a call the other day from a team member. I don’t know what the issue was, it went unstated, but my employee sheepishly asked me if I would help complete a project for them. The truth is, I have an incredibly packed schedule both for work and in our personal lives. It is the holidays, after all. I won’t get paid for doing this team members work for them. Nevertheless, without hesitation I agreed to do whatever my team member needed me to do.

My immediate agreement to assist was predicated on two things. First, as a disciple of Jesus I’m told that with leadership comes the responsibility to serve, not to be served. Jesus states that clearly to His disciples in today’s chapter.

Second, this was modeled for me by our company’s founder thirty years ago when I was a young husband and father with two toddlers at home and didn’t know what in the heck I was doing most days. My boss rarely left a phone conversation without asking if there was anything he could do for me. There were two very distinct moments in those early years that his question came while I was dying under a crush of work. Both times, I sheepishly responded with a request for him to help me finish my work. He didn’t hesitate to do what I asked him to do, and he never held that over my head or made me pay in any way. I never forgot that. I’m now the one in his position, and my gratitude compels me to follow his example and pay it forward.

One the things I’ve learned to look for in this chapter-a-day journey are patterns. In each of the last three chapters Jesus has told His disciples that He’s going to be arrested by His enemies, be handed over to the Romans, and then be beaten, flogged, and executed. In each instance, the very next things that happens is that the disciples respond by denouncing this or arguing over who among them is going to get a promotion. All three times, Jesus responds by reminding His followers that those who want to be great have to be the servant of all.

In a few chapters, Jesus will give me, and all of humanity, the greatest example of this principle. He will follow through with His trinity of prophetic predictions. The Son of God will sacrifice Himself for all, for me.

In the quiet this morning, I’m feeling the weight of Jesus example as well as a deep sense of gratitude. This compels in me a desire to follow His example, and pay it forward.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!