Have Faith in God

During Passion Week, Jesus delivered a profound message about religious hypocrisy through two significant events. First, He encountered a fig tree with abundant leaves but no fruit, using it as a metaphor for Israel's religious system that appeared righteous externally while lacking spiritual substance. Then, He cleared the temple of merchants and money changers who had transformed a house of prayer into a marketplace, preventing genuine worship and exploiting pilgrims.Jesus taught that authentic faith consists of two essential elements: a vertical relationship with God through confident, mountain-moving prayer, and a horizontal relationship with others demonstrated through genuine forgiveness. This new paradigm of faith emphasized actual spiritual transformation over religious performance, showing that true followers of Christ should pray boldly, forgive freely, and produce visible evidence of God's love and grace in their lives.This message remains relevant today, challenging believers to examine whether their faith produces genuine spiritual fruit or merely maintains religious appearances. Jesus offers a better way to connect with God - not through empty rituals or outward shows of piety, but through authentic relationship and transformative faith.