Thoughts on Fig Leaves

The following is a note that I wrote to a friend. When I finished writing it, I thought it would make an interesting blog post...

I find it interesting that one of the first responses Adam and Eve, after their good/evil ingestion, was their attempt to clothe themselves. They realized their vulnerability and attempted to clothe themselves with fig leaves. They chose an inadequate material and inadequately manufactured a covering with their own efforts. God had to correct this by covering them with skins. An innocent anonymous creature was slain to cover their nakedness. This was not only the foreshadowing of the sacrificial system but also of Jesus' work.

The metaphor is picked up in the gospels: Mark 11. I don't want to read too much into this, but I think that there is something to the interesting concept that Jesus understood this inadequacy of man's works metaphorically. He looked to the fig tree in that moment as a kind of archetype of the inadequacy of our efforts to cover our nakedness. He knew what He was about to do in the full adequacy of His sacrifice and much like a tormented artist might make a bold statement (one may also be reminded of Ezekiel's articulations) He raged at the archetype. Keep in mind that He (as creator) knew that it was not the season for the tree to bear fruit, yet he was still angry that there was no fruit... the tree was fruitless in its offerings to cover us.

Here's the deal: We are always trying to instinctively cover our nakedness/uncovered vulnerabilities/shame/unintended consequences with our own machinations- it doesn't work. Our sin will lead to the death of innocence, namely the innocent lamb, and can only be adequately covered by the Creator's doing and with spilt blood.

Often, you try to muscle change of behavior to please; to assuage guilt and undesired consequences. This is the religionist's approach. It won't work. God must cover you on His terms and for His reasons. By the way, you must be in pursuit of heart change not behavior change. That pursuit must be your worship to God because of who He is and not because of what He will do.