You're Not You

Snickers to the Rescue

You’re not you when you’re hungry. 

We’ve all seen those hilarious Snickers commericals. You know the ones. Some cranky celebrity is whining about their situation. They use folks like Betty White, Abe Vigoda, Danny Devito, Aretha Franklin, Liza Minelli, Joe Pesci, Don Rickles, and Roseanne Barr.

That’s when a friend comes to the rescue with a candy bar. After a quick bite of Snickers, the crab suddenly calms down and transforms back into the friend they all know and love.

A Cranky Christ?

What in the world does THAT have to do with Mark 11:12-14? Well, I’m so glad you asked. 

At first glance, it looks like a hungry and cranky Christ calls down a heavenly curse on a poor little fig tree just because it fails to have any fruit. Seems like this is where one of His guys should rush in to offer our Savior a Snickers.

Hangry

I can just hear Peter saying, “Jesus, You’re not You when You’re hungry!”

At first glance, you may think the Son of God is simply hangry when He doesn’t get the snack He needs. But a deeper dive reveals that we’re not the real us when we’re pretending to be something we’re not.

The Hero from Heaven

It’s the Monday of the last week of Jesus’ life. The day before, He rolled into Jerusalem as Messiah riding a borrowed burro (Mk 11:1-10). The crowd goes absolutely crazy for the humble Rabbi/Carpenter as long awaited Hero from heaven.

This is major deal since Mark’s bio of the Lord opens with a long series of folks trying to figure out who He is (Mk 1:1-8:26). Could He REALLY be the Christ? Could He be the One?!?

Not the Messiah They’re Expecting

Eventually Jesus tells His team that He is the One whom God has promised to send (Mk 8:27-10:52). Not once (Mk 8:31). Not twice (Mk 9:31). But three times (Mk 10:33-34). 

There’s just one catch. He’s NOT the kind of Messiah they’re expecting. He’s come to bring victory through His own death and resurrection. Whatever you do, do NOT forget the resurrection part!!

Sunday ends with the Son of God getting a good look at what’s going down on the temple grounds (Mk 11:11). He just gets the lay of the land and leaves town to spend the night with the Twelve.

The Big Week ahead

We pick up the action on Monday morning of Passion week. Christ and His crew are commuting back into Jerusalem after spending the night in the ‘burbs. “The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry” (v12).

Put it this way. It’s Monday morning and the Lord is heading to work. I don’t have to tell you that this is gonna be a BIG week. It’s not just the biggest week of His ministry. This is the biggest week in history!!

We need to understand that work isn’t punishment but a precious gift from God. Our Creator gives Adam his assignment to take care of Eden BEFORE the fall (Gen 2:15). Let’s not see our job as a hard slog for the man but as an act of worship to God (Col 3:22-24).

100% God, 100% Human

With a big day ahead, Christ needs something to eat. Mark points out that “Jesus was hungry” (v12). You know what they say. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. 

It would be easy to blow right past the fact that Jesus needs something to eat. Remember, He’s not only 100% God but 100% human as well. He gets hungry when He fasts in the desert (Mk 4:2). He gets tired and thirsty after a long day on the road (Jn 4:6-7).

He Faced It All

Why is this a big deal? Simply, Jesus knows what it’s like to live life here on the Third Rock from the Sun. He’s not Superman disguised as Clark Kent. He laughs. He cries. He gets hungry. He gets tired. He sleeps. 

We can trust that He’s faced every flavor of trouble this world has to offer. The writer of Hebrews puts it like this. “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all the same testings we do, yet He did not sin” (Heb 4:15).

The Humble Fig

Looking for quick snack, Jesus spots the First Century version of a drive-thru. “He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so He went over to see if He could find any figs” (v13).

A couple thousand years before our friends at Nabisco will invent the Fig Newton, the humble fig is a common food around the Mediterranean Rim. Fig trees produce their fruit twice during the growing season. Once in late spring and later in early autumn.

The Ol’ Bait and Switch

There’s just one problem with particular fig tree. “But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit” (v13). The funny thing is that these trees produce new figs right after they leaf out. Green figs should be growing.

Because of the leaves, the tree looks great. But the fig count is a disappointing zero. It’s a case of fig false advertising. A serious case of the ol’ bait and switch.

Spoiler Alert!

So what’s going on? Christ certainly would know that there would be no figs. Spoiler alert! This little factoid should tip us off that this what’s about to happen has NOTHING to do with figless fig trees. Hmm, I wonder what it could be. Hang tight. We’ll get there.

The first clue is the word the NLT translates as “season.” This is the Greek term καιρος/kairos. Biblical scholars point out that this is NOT the agricultural term for the growing season. It describes a fixed or definite point in time.

Right on Time

This is the very same word John the Dunker drops when He prepares the way for the coming Messiah. “The time (Gr. καιρος/kairos) promised by God has come at last!” (Mk 1:15). 

It reminds us that God is never early, never late, and always right on time. And in this case, Jesus has arrived in Jerusalem at just the right time in history. God had this date circled on His calendar for eternity.

Talking to a Tree

That’s when something rather weird happens. Our Savior has something to the figless fig tree. “Then Jesus said to the tree…” (v14). Huh? He talks to the fig tree? I can just picture the Twelve wondering what’s going on.

But this isn’t the first time the Lord talks to creation. Remember when He commands the violent storm on the lake to stop? “He rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Silence! Be still!’ Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was great calm” (Mk 4:39).

When you create something, you have the right to talk to it. You may not realize it but Jesus is THE Creator. I love how Paul describes our Redeemer’s role. “For though Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth…Everything was created through Him and for Him” (Col 1:16).

An Object Lesson

So what does the Savior say? “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” (v14). Why does Christ call down a curse on some poor tree for not having figs before fig season? Is Mark’s point that we shouldn’t mess with Jesus when He’s hungry?

He’s turning the figless fig tree into an object lesson about people who say one thing but really do another. Specifically, the figless fig tree is playing the role of Israel in this story. 

A Symbol of Israel

Did you know that the prophets in the Old Testament love to use the fig tree as a metaphor for God’s chosen people (Jer 8:13; Hos 9:10, 16; Joel 1:7; Zech 3:10)? Confession time. Neither did I. 

So Jesus curses the figless fig tree as a symbol of God’s frustration with the fruitless Jewish people. In the ESV Study Bible, Hans Bayer says the Lord is on the look out “for the true fruit of worship, prayer, and righteousness” among the Hebrew people.

Context Is Key

This is where context is key to understanding Scripture. What a particular passage means is directly connected to what’s around it. It provides the lens for us to see what’s really going on.

We do it all the time when we’re not reading the Bible. We don’t simply look at one sentence of an email and try to figure it out what’s going while ignoring everything else in the note. 

A Fig Sandwich

Here Mark sandwiches two passages about the figless fig tree (here and again in Mk 11:20-25) around his account of Christ cleansing the temple (Mk 11:15-24). Jesus curses the tree, clears out the house of God, and then walks by the withered tree the next day.

That tips us off that everything that happens in and around the fig tree has absolutely nothing to do with the fig tree. It has everything to do with what’s going on at the temple.

Fruitless Trees and Prayer-less Temples

In the NIV Application Commentary, David Garland writes that the empty tree represents the empty worship of the temple that is totally not ready to accept Jesus as the God-promised Hero who’s coming through Abraham and David. 

Garland goes onto say, “Time can run out for fruitless trees and prayer-less temples. Fruitlessness now when the Messiah comes means fruitlessness forever.” That’s because EVERYTHING is shifting from the temple to Jesus. From ritual religion to personal relationship.

Shutting Down the Assembly Line

The sinless Lamb of God will die as the sacrifice for our sin, rebellion, and disobedience once and for all (Heb 9:26-28; 10:10-12). Once He gives His life for us, they can shut down the bloody assembly line of sacrifice at the temple.

That’s why when Christ dies on the cross, God rips the curtain separating the Holy of Holies (Mk 15:38). How do we know it’s God that does the tearing? Notice how it the tear starts at the top!

What the Disciples Heard

The author then includes a curious little detail at the end of the Lord’s one-way chat with the figless fig tree. “And the disciples heard Him say it” (v14). You have to wonder what’s going on in their heads at all this.

How does Mark know they’re hearing it all since he wasn’t personally there? Peter told him. The earliest followers of Christ were convinced that the second Gospel could actually be called Peter’s Story of Jesus as told to John Mark.

Connecting the Dots

So what do WE do with this weird little story? Should we start talking to our plants? Are we supposed to stop eating Fig Newtons? 

Bear with me while I attempt to connect a few dots. As Christ and His crew approach the temple, the incredible activity they see is like the leaves on the fig tree. It looks fantastic. There’s just one problem. There’s no fruit. 

Fig Leaf Speedos

Let’s flip back to the opening pages of God’s story in Genesis. What clothing did our first parents throw on to hide their shame of disobeying the Creator? Yup, fig leaves (Gen 3:7). 

They thought their fig leaf Speedos will cover their sin. Not so much. Could it be that we do the same thing? Do we try and use our religious activity as fig leaves to camouflage our lack of real fruit?

Foliage with No Fruit

Going to church, serving others, reading Scripture, and praying are great. But they are NOT the goal. They’re just the means to an end. And just to be sure, the goal is love God and love others. 

If all of those activities are drawing you into a deeper relationship with Jesus and allowing you to love and serve others better, you’re just wasting your time. Or as we see from this passage in Mark, they’re just foliage with no fruit.

Texans call this big hat and no cattle. You look really good but there’s no real substance to back it up. Let’s just call it big leaves and no figs.

An Ansel Adams Photo

We don’t need to just repent from the sinful bad things we do but our sinful GOOD things too! If we’re attempting to please God by piling up a sweet religious resume´, Isaiah lets us know, “They are nothing but filthy rags” (Is 64:6).

In other words, why don’t we just drop our leaves and admit our need for God? Face facts. Without Jesus we’re nothing more than one of those empty trees in winter from an Ansel Adams photo.

True Fruit

So what’s the fruit that the Lord is looking for in our lives? Paul describes what that is to his friends in Galatia. “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23).

Jesus tells His team the only way that happens is when we stay closely connected to Him. “Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5).

We DON’T Need a Snickers

Let’s stop playing the game. Let’s stop trying to cover our barren branches with the leaves of counterfeit religious busyness. You do know our Savior won’t be fooled by our smoke and mirrors, don’t you?

When I put up a fake front, I’m pretending to be something that I’m not. Our to paraphrase the commercial, you’re not you when you’re phony. We DON’T need a Snickers. What we REALLY need is Jesus.

©2020

Jay Jennings

Not Your Average Joe

When Life Goes off the Rails

Put yourself in Joe’s sandals for a minute. 

You’re a simple, hammer-swinging carpenter from the boondocks of Nazareth. You recently popped 

the question to that cute girl named Mary who lives across town. You breathed a huge sigh of relief when she said “yes!”

Before Joe and Mary can plan their wedding, life goes completely off the rails. You can read all about it in Matthew’s bio of Jesus (Mt 1:18-25). 

Joe’s Crazy Dream

Suddenly, she’s a pregnant teenager and says it’s God’s baby. He plans to call the whole thing off. Quietly, of course. Let’s keep the embarrassment to a minimum.

That’s when he has a crazy dream about an angel who tells Joe to pump his brakes. According to the angel, everything his fiancee´ says is true! 

Wife-to-Be, Mother-to-Be, Savior-to-Be

God’s messenger lets Joe know that he’s should not only go through with the wedding but that he’s gonna be the adoptive dad of the long awaited Hero from heaven. And I thought my nightmare about being running naked to take the final I didn’t study for was out there!

Despite all the chaos, the blue collar guy from Galilee hangs in there. He does what God says. He stands by his wife-to-be who’s a mother-to-be carrying the Savior-to-be. 

Why? He’s not your average Joe.

How It All Went Down

Matt the disciple tells us how it all went down. “This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit” (v18).

There’s a LOT going on in this verse! Thousands of years ago, God promised to send One to the rescue (Gen 3:15). But He won’t be born into privilege to some young power couple. Nope. As a matter of fact, He’ll be at the center of a small town scandal.  

Not That Kind of Girl

Joe and Mary haven’t gotten married yet. They’re still engaged. Now engagement back in First Century Israel is WAY different than it is today. It’s a legally binding commitment. So much so that it would take a divorce to end the relationship.

This is even more shocking because Mary doesn’t have a rep around town of being that kind of girl. Despite never sleeping around, there’s no question this teenage girl has a bun in the oven. 

Who’s the Daddy?

And have you heard who she’s said is the daddy? She claims “she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit” (v15). That’s crazy talk! Nobody’s buying that. Especially her fiancé. 

Let’s face it. It’s not exactly kosher to send out birth announcements before mailing the wedding invitations. You don’t get those things out of order…especially in ancient Jewish culture.

Keep It Quiet

Matt tells us what’s going through the carpenter’s head. “Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly” (v19).

Joe’s first thought is to end it. But he won’t make it a big deal. Best to keep it quiet. The phrase “disgrace her publicly” is actually just one word in Greek (Gr. παραδειγματιζω/paradeigmatizo). 

It means to make somebody a public example in order to openly shame and expose them. Think of a nasty political campaign when one candidate does everything possible to dig up dirt on their opponent. That kinda thing.

A Target of Rocks

If he makes it public, Mary will become more than just the object of shame. She becomes the target of rocks. The law of Moses calls for the execution of any woman who gets pregnant before walking down the aisle (Dt 22:23).

Scribbling in the Dirt

As a matter of fact, death by stoning is the pretty much the punishment for most sexual immorality for God’s chosen people. That’s what’s at stake when the Pharisees drag a woman caught in adultery to Jesus for His take (Jn 4:1-11).

After scribbling a few things in the dirt, the Lord gets her accusers to drop their rocks and walk away. I have to wonder if He thinks of what could have happened to His own mom as looks into eyes of this broken woman.

Has this Galilean craftsman personally witnessed the public execution of someone who’s been caught sleeping around? Has he actually participated in one? 

A Righteous Man

Whatever the case, Joe just couldn’t do that to Mary. Her story may be out there but that’s just not how you treat somebody. Why? We get a tip in the description of him as “a righteous man” (v19). 

The word “righteous” in the original language is δικαιος/dikaios. In the strictest sense, that means someone who is perfect. Never doing the wrong thing. Always doing the right thing.

None. Zip. Zero.

Is THAT what Matt means when he paints his picture of Joe the Carpenter? Nope. A thousand years before, King David wrote lyrics to a song that say it’s not possible for anybody to meet that impossible standard.

It goes a little something like this. “All have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!” (Ps 14:3). None. Zip. Zero.

A Heavenly Bundle of Joy

That’s the same psalm a former rabbi named Paul quotes in a letter to fellow Jesus followers in Rome. “No one is righteous (Gr. δικαιος/dikaios)—not even one” (Rom 3:10). 

Notice how he uses the very same word? Well that eliminates Joseph. As well as you and me. The only one who checks that box is the sinless the Son of God. That little bundle of heavenly joy in Mary’s womb.

Your 9-1-1 Call

If he’s not sinless, what exactly is Matt’s point? The term also can mean someone who’s virtuous and upright. You probably know the kind of person he’s talking about. That good friend who won’t let you down. I’m guessing they’re your 9-1-1 call. 

In other words, he’s not your average Joe.

Kooky Christmas Dreams

As Mary’s fiance´ tries to figure out how to pull this off and keep things on the down low, something crazy happens. “As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream” (v20). 

And you thought Ebenezer Scrooge had some kooky Christmas dreams! Wait until you hear about Joe’s wild night.

Doubling Down on Mary’s Dream

As his head hits the pillow, he clearly has his doubts about Mary’s story. Remember what she told him? Another angel named Gabriel tells her how God’s Spirit has come upon her and that she’ll soon be the miraculous virgin mother of Messiah (Lk 1:26-38).

The angel in carpenter’s dream doubles down on just about everything Gabe has told Mary. “Joseph, son of David…do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the Child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit” (v20).

An Angelic Gender Reveal

Whoa. As if that’s not enough, the messenger keeps spitting prophetic truth about this Baby on the way. “And she will have a Son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (v21).

Talk about a gender reveal! Nobody’s beating this one. Seriously, an angel in a dream letting the adoptive dad that this unborn Infant is a boy. No blue balloons, confetti, cake, or smoke. Get an angel for your gender reveal party and then we’ll talk.

No Need for Baby Names

Joe and Mary also don’t have to worry about coming up with a name for their baby Boy. No need to 

search the web for the hottest names. This one comes straight from His Heavenly Dad. Jesus.

The angel explains why this will be the Child’s name. “For He will save His people from their sins” (v21). In many cultures throughout history, names carry purpose and meaning. Over and over in the Bible, we see that connection. That’s what’s going on here.

God to the Rescue

A closer look at the name “Jesus (Gr. ‘Ιησους/‘Iesous)” does just that. It literally means “Yahweh Saves.” It’s actually how you say the Hebrew name Joshua in Greek. So when God tells you to name your Son “God to the Rescue,” it’s kind of a big deal!

Notice what Jesus will save folks from. Not the Romans. Not high taxes. Not the liberals. Not the conservatives. From. Their. Sins.

The Enemy in the Mirror

What a powerful reminder that our biggest enemy is staring back at us in the mirror every morning. Can we talk frankly? Thanks. Aren’t most of your biggest issues self-inflicted? Yeah, me too.

Because of that, Jesus has come to save us from OURSELVES! 

Calling This Shot

And get this, Isaiah called this shot 700 years before it happened. “All this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through His prophet” (v22). Josh McDowell says Jesus checks the box on at least 300 predictions of His coming in the Old Testament. This is just one of them.

Specifically, prophet predicted, “Look! The virgin will conceive a Child! She will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (v23, Is 7:14). 

Our Divine First Responder

And for those of us who don’t know ancient Hebrew (which includes just about everybody, including me!), Matthew unpacks what’s behind that particular nickname for our Savior. It “means ‘God is with us’” (v23).

This is what really smart folks like to call the incarnation. God puts on the earth suit of human flesh makes as our divine First Responder. Jesus leaves the luxury of the heavenly palace and makes the ultimate dumpster dive to save us from our sin.

What We So Desperately Need

He can’t do what we so desperately need done for us without getting personally involved. Only when God is with us can He live the perfect life we fail to live, die the death we should have died, and rise to the new life we don’t deserve.

In the Morning

Next thing Joe knows, it’s morning. Can’t you see the Galilean carpenter rubbing his eyes and wondering what happened? Was it really an angel or just the pizza he had for dinner?

He soon realizes what he was told is legit. “When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife” (v24). A quiet divorce is off the table. He goes through with the wedding despite his fiancee´ being pregnant.

Joe’s Supernatural Assignment

Joseph ignores the rampant rumors and small-town scandal. He has a supernatural assignment as the husband to the Messiah’s mom and the adoptive dad to the Son of God. 

After the wedding, Matt tells us the newlyweds didn’t do what usually newlyweds do. “But he did not have sexual relations with her until her Son was born” (v25). Her new hubby waits patiently for a few more months. 

An Unexpected Road Trip to Bethlehem

In this way, Mary maintains her virginity until after giving birth to her baby Boy. You’ve probably heard that part of the story. The two make unexpected road trip to an overbooked Bethlehem. 

They end up bedding down with the livestock. Mom goes into labor. They turn a feed trough into basinet. Angels sing. Shepherds visit. But that’s another story for another time.

One Last Thing

There’s one last thing for this new dad to do. “And Joseph named Him Jesus” (v25). Joe makes sure to finish the job given him by the angel by giving the Baby His name. 

We really don’t know much more about Joe after Jesus’ birth. Matt describes how he has a couple of more dreams with angels. 

Two More Angel Dreams

The next time it happens, the messenger tells him to skedaddle with his new family to Egypt before the king kills every baby boy in Bethlehem (Mt 2:13-18).

It’s happens a final time when it’s time to move back home to Nazareth (Mt 2:19-23). Gotta wonder if this is the same angel who shows up all three times. I’m kinda thinking so.

A Parent’s Worst Nightmare

Then there’s the time Joe and Mary lose young Jesus during a visit to Jerusalem (Lk 2:41-52). Talk about a parent’s worst nightmare! Imagine putting out an Amber alert for the Son of God!!

After that, Joseph disappears from the pages of Scripture. We’re not sure what happens to him but at some point it’s clear Mary’s a single mom (Mk 3:31-35). That means Jesus knows the heartbreak of losing your earthly dad. 

Far from Perfect 

As we said before, Joe’s far from perfect. He needs Jesus to save him too. But God handpicks this specific hammer swinger from Galilee as the one to raise His one and only Son.

What a powerful reminder that our Heavenly Dad can use anybody He chooses. He’s not just looking for the most impressive resumes or LinkedIn profiles to take part in His plan.

Ability or Availability?

The crazy thing is that He absolutely loves using folks that everybody else considers useless. God consistently selects the overlooked, the nobodies, and the powerless to get the job done (1Cor 1:26-29). That way, He gets all the credit.

So what’s the quality the Lord’s looking for? Willingness. His favorite ability is availability. Take the time He asks for volunteers, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” (Is 6:8).

Ready to Roll

Before hearing the details of the assignment, a man named Isaiah steps up and says, “Here I am. Send me” (Is 6:8). That’s good news for folks like you and me. No special training or certifications needed. Just a heart that’s ready to roll.

Sounds a lot like our man Joseph. Hard working. Eager. Available for God. Obedient to God. Sadly those folks are few and far between.

That’s why he’s not your average Joe.

©2019

Jay Jennings