Genuine faith

“Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.

—Mark 11:23

We put faith in many things, but the most significant faith anyone can have is faith in God. Israel’s faith was misplaced as it trusted in its temple system, leaders, and selection by God as evidence of its uniqueness. To emphasize the depths of Israel’s disconnect from God, Jesus performs a miracle on a fig tree. He comes to the tree after seeing it at a distance, and upon seeing no fruit, only leaves, He says to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!”

Jesus wants the disciples to make the connection that the tree represents Israel as Hosea 9:10 describes the forefathers of Israel as the earliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season. Additionally, Jesus wants the disciples to know that while it was not time for the fig tree to produce fruit, it was time for Israel to produce fruit in alignment with the kingdom of God, as the Messiah was present and seeking a people aligned with the ideals of heaven. The production of fruit symbolizes that Israel is operating in its divine purpose. As Israel lacks fruit, Jesus condemns their connection to God because they produce no evidence of a kingdom connection.

Jesus presents the remedy to restoring our disconnect to God — have faith in God. He emphasizes the point further by saying, “Whoever says to this mountain, be taken up and cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.” I believe Jesus makes a profound point in this statement: misplaced faith will not produce positive results, but faith in God will.

The challenges that we face, the obstacles in our way, and the trials along our path do not require us to seek outlets of faith that are unworthy and will ultimately fail and disappoint us, yet they are crucial moments that invite us to put our trust in God. When God sees sincere faith in His creation, know He is willing and able to remove any and every barrier that attempts to hinder His mission. God’s mission is alive and well and does not need life support from fallible artificial solutions.

Let us put all our faith in the God who made heaven, the earth, the sea, and springs of waters. He won’t fail, and our genuine faith in Him holds the potential to bring about miraculous changes.

—Carl Ricketts Jr., MDiv, BCC, is director of Chaplain Services for Loma Linda University Medical Center.