GOSPEL MESSAGE & RECORDING
Trees! They are a big part of the imagery and experience of reading the Bible. In Genesis 2-3, Adam and Eve are given the opportunity to eat from the Tree of Life, but of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, (Genesis 2:9) they were strictly prohibited from eating its fruit. Nevertheless, they eat from it, and at that very moment, they felt ashamed and hid. (Genesis 3: 6-7) It is interesting to point out that in verse 7 it says that they sewed fig leaves to cover themselves like aprons. Some biblical scholars say that since they used fig leaves, and considering this occurs immediately after they eat of the forbidden tree, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was indeed a fig tree.
The fig tree has always been prominent in the biblical narrative, as witnessed in Genesis, but also in the Gospel reading that we hear today, taken from St. John 3: 43-51. Here, Phillip introduced Nathanael, who was standing under a fig tree, to Jesus Christ. (St. John 1:45) Both of these men would eventually go on to be loyal apostles of Christ and give their lives as martyrs.
Nathanael was skeptical of Jesus and said to Phillip, “What good could come out of Nazareth?” (St. John 1:46) As Nathanael approached Jesus, Jesus made an exclusive statement about him: “Behold, an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.” Jesus and Nathanael met face to face. In their first conversation, Jesus told Nathanael that he had seen him under the fig tree. Nathanael was impressed, to say the least because it was understood that the Messiah would have miraculous “giftings,” such as the ability to see super-naturally.
In the book of Genesis Adam and Eve used the fig tree to cover up the shame of sin. In the Gospel of John, the fig tree was a place where Nathanael stood underneath as a starting point of his journey with Messiah Jesus. Both stand in stark contrast to each other.
As Christians either we can live a life of integrity, honesty, and good character or we can live with deceit, trickery, and dishonesty; the latter is represented by the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the former the fig tree that Nathanael stood under. Which tree are we working with? Adam and Eve represent dishonesty toward God. Nathanael represents honest toward God. Are we like Adam and Eve or like Nathanael?
Truthfulness pays off
In life decisions regarding honesty and integrity are not so straightforward. In other words, they are subtle moments and situations where you would only know. For example, I remember I was chronically late to work more than a few times. The principal called me into the office to discuss my tardiness. She was nice and cordial. She advised me to come earlier and make the changes that I needed to in order for that to happen. The interesting part in all this is that she thanked me for signing in at the exact time that I came in and not “fudging” the truth because no one was docking me for being late. The point is, first, when we are truthful it will always work toward our advantage; second, not telling the truth might seem like something we are getting away with but it will eventually catch us off-guard. This is where I believe if Adam and Even, rather than hiding and blaming each other for the sin, had approached God and repented, the consequences might have been different. Don’t hide your faults or your shortcomings by lying or being deceptive. Tell the truth and you will always win! When we are honest, like Nathanael, God will see us and recognize us.
Be who you are
Sometimes we might feel a need to be different when our spouse or children are not there. If our boss isn’t around we might feel the need to talk or act differently. I am not saying that being “different” based on the context or where we are is wrong, but if it changes our character, then I would say we are being deceitful. Wherever we are, we should try to be true to ourselves. For example, speaking of myself, when I go to work, although I am called Mr. John and wear civilian clothes, I still represent the priesthood. When I go out with my non-church friends, I am still a priest. At no time should I ever think that I am not a priest, because I always represent the church and my flock, and most of all, Christ.
As Christians, we should attempt to be like Nathanael under the fig tree looking toward Christ ready to meet Him in all the situations in our life, by being truthful and simply by being ourselves. In the end, there is a greater tree that we always look toward, and that is the tree of the Cross. The Cross is the final tree that we venerate, lean on, and carry in our lives.