A Word About Genuineness

 

Today I want to share a word about genuineness, as I comment on Mark 11:1-4 and 20-26. This passage reads:

And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. And his disciples heard it  . . .  And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.  And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

In recent days I have shared some of my family memories as I have commented on our Scripture passages, and today is no exception. This memory, however, is less embarrassing than the others and certainly sweeter. This is because it involves figs.

That’s right . . .  figs!

When I was a child, my father had access to a very productive fig tree on property which was owned by his sister, my aunt. When the figs came into season, we could fill several five-gallon buckets to the brim, and still there would be unripe figs left on the tree for the next trip. That was one fertile fig tree!

I learned to enjoy eating fresh figs off the tree; well, at least I did after I learned to ignore the furry outer skin! That skin felt a little creepy at first, but the luscious meat on the inside was worth the strange-to-a-young-child sensation. Yes, the fresh figs were wonderful, but that was not the end of the treat. Not by any measure!

You see, my mom and dad had learned how to make fig preserves, and that was where most of the bountiful harvest of figs ended-up. Although it was hot and steamy work to boil the figs with copious amounts of sugar, the end result was wonderful! Our family didn’t have to buy jam or jelly for months after we had finished harvesting the figs from that one tree. I can’t think of a breakfast meal more appetizing than hot biscuits fresh from the oven topped with home-preserved figs! I am gaining weight just savoring the memory of such home-made deliciousness!

In our passage today we see that Jesus also had an appreciation for figs, but the fig tree that features in these verses in Mark Chapter 11 was not nearly as productive as my aunt’s tree. Jesus, being the Master Teacher, often used object lessons, and in this case, He made this barren fig tree a teaching point about genuineness.

HYPOCRISY:

Jesus made an example of the fig tree as a means of teaching the disciples about the difference between hypocrisy and genuineness. This particular fig tree is a great example of hypocrisy because it demonstrates its characteristics quite well.

First, hypocrisy is attractive. This fig tree was full of green foliage, and it was attractive to the eye. It would be easy to assume that such a vibrant tree would have to be full of fruit, but it wasn’t. Likewise, hypocrites look great, but have no substance to back-up their beautiful appearance. As the old saying goes "you can't tell a book by its cover," which is what my cousin discovered one day when he was a young man. He saw someone sitting alone at a party who had a long, flowing ponytail. When he got up the nerve to go over and introduce himself, he discovered that what he thought was a young lady was actually a guy! Hypocrisy presents itself as beautiful, but the reality is something different.

Another characteristic of hypocrisy is that it is barren. Hypocrites look great but they bear no good fruit, and they only bring disappointment to the lives of others. Hypocrisy is like a restaurant that displays beautiful photos of their dishes in their menus, but the actual dishes are tasteless. I remember in particular one place where I ate when I was taking the senior adults of my church on a daytrip. The food looked great but was very bland. One of our senior ladies, who was a dynamite cook, later commented, “I don’t think they own a saltshaker or know what bacon is made for.” Like Samuel Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner who saw “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink,” hypocrisy leaves us thirsting for more.

One final characteristic of hypocrisy demonstrated by this fig tree is that hypocrisy is cheating. One thing is promised, but another is given. Like in many modern-day "bait and switch” scams, Jesus was promised fruit, but was cheated. Hypocrisy, in its essence, is a lie. It says something that it does not mean, and it promises what it never intends to deliver. This brings to mind an uncomfortable question: what have we promised to Christ, our community, our families, our church, but of which we've cheated them?

GENUINENESS:

Jesus, as the Master Teacher, didn’t just rely on an object lesson or a negative example to drive home a point. He invariably would follow-up those techniques with a more didactic explanation, at least with His disciples. At times, when dealing with the broader public, he would let a parable or an object lesson stand on its own, but His practice was to give more in-depth instruction to His closest followers. 

In our passage for today Jesus taught that we should say what we believe, and that we should believe what we say. It makes no sense to profess our belief in God but then to act like the Devil. It makes no sense to pray to God, and then decide we know better than He does or that our wisdom is greater than that found in the Scriptures. It makes no sense to have access to the Almighty God of the universe, and then deny His power. Paul was echoing Jesus when he wrote in 2 Timothy 3:5 that some people had “a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.” In contrast to this, he instructed that Timothy should live out the faith taught to him by his mother and grandmother, saying to him:

“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

It is also clear from this passage that Jesus extended the value of genuineness to our relationships with others. We must not pretend to be righteous and holy when we are embroiled in a conflict with a member of our family, with one of our friends, or with just someone in the general public. This is one of many places in Scripture that teach that our relationships with others can affect our relationship with God. After all, it was Jesus who taught us that the second Great Commandment was, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”  Our relationships should be characterized by openness and honesty, the willingness to share our lives with others, agape love as discuss in 1 Corinthians 13, and true forgiveness. All these things, by the way, are modeled in how God relates to us.

It is true that genuineness can be, at times, overwhelming. When God revealed Himself to Moses on the mountain, Moses’s face glowed so brightly that he had to wear a veil so as not to frighten the Children of Israel. This fact, as much as God’s absolute righteousness, may be why it was said that no one could ever see God and live. That is, until Jesus was born, who said about Himself: 

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30.

Genuineness does not mean harshness, but it does mean being approachable, open, and “speaking the truth in love.”

CONSEQUENCES:

Some might view the actions of Jesus here as harsh. The fig tree was killed, and it was lost to its owner as well as others who might pass by it in the future. To take this position is to ignore certain facts.

We must remember that, in fact, Jesus was the owner of the tree. Jesus, as Creator, owns His creation, and it is His possession to do with it what He will. Not only does the Lord own “the cattle on a thousand hills,” but He also owns the fig trees on those hills as well. We don’t know who the human owner of that tree was, but we do know who the ultimate owner was: Almighty God, the Three-In-One.

Not only was God the owner, He also was the Gardener. In John 15:1-6, Jesus explained what God was doing as He taught them during the Last Supper:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

This really was nothing new, because we can read in Ecclesiastes that there is “a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted,” as well as “a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up.”

Finally, we also need to understand how vile hypocrisy is in the sight of God and how important genuineness is. Solomon, in Proverbs 6:16-19 makes this clear to us:

These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

For this reason, Jesus called the Pharisees white-washed tombs, “which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.” Plus, both He and John the Baptist called the religious hypocrites in Judea a “generation of vipers.”  

Proverbs 11 is probably the best and most condensed description of God’s thoughts on this matter. Here are some selected verses:

A false balance is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight. Proverbs 11:1

The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. Proverbs 11:3

 An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered. Proverbs 11:9

He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour: but a man of understanding holdeth his peace.  A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter. Proverbs 11:11-13

The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward. Proverbs 11:18

He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him. Proverbs 11:27

He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart. Proverbs 11:29

CONCLUSION:

Some years ago, I was asked to consult with a church about their situation with their facilities. After we toured the building, I sat down with the pastor and some of their lay leadership and discussed with them their plans for improving their facilities. During our tour I had noticed several parts of the building which needed to be repaired or otherwise stabilized before they launched into a building program. 

I reviewed with them the substantial challenges that they faced, but I also affirmed their desire to expand their facilities to enable them to do more and better ministry. We had a long and frank conversation, and when I took my leave, the pastor shook my hand, thanked me for my time with them, and then he said, “And I want to thank you particularly for being real with us tonight.”

I was somewhat nonplussed and confused by what the pastor meant by that, but I took the advice of my preaching professor who told us, “When you are greeting people at the door of the church after a sermon, take whatever they say to you, however awkward it may be, as a compliment.” Still, I mulled over what the pastor meant all the way home that night.

The next day, I related my experience to some colleagues and then I asked them what they thought the pastor meant. One friend said with a smile, “Oh, that’s easy. It just means that he appreciated your honesty and transparency and that you weren’t trying to manipulate them. He saw you were being genuine with them, so, take it as a compliment, because it was one.” 

I never conceived that someone called into help a church would try to deceive or manipulate them, so I share this story more as an admission of my naiveté than anything else, but I think it does illustrate the point. If genuineness is important to a frail, limited human being, just imagine how important must it be to our perfect, righteous, and loving God?