It looks authentic on first inspection—a red 1962 Lockheed Jetstar advertised as “personally owned” by Elvis Presley, and “custom designed” to his specifications. Based on that claim, GWS Auctions sold the plane in 2017 for $430,000. The only problem is that Roy McKay, a previous owner, says he designed the interior and had no idea it supposedly had an Elvis connection. Joel Weinshanker, manager of Elvis’ Graceland mansion, says that if Elvis ever actually owned the plane, “we would own it.”

GWS Auctions has put up several other dubious “Elvis” items for sale, including a black grommet jacket supposedly worn by Elvis in 1972, complete with a certificate of authenticity from Priscilla Presley. The real jacket, however, is hanging up at Graceland, according to Weinshanker, and Elvis probably bought the jacket after his split from Priscilla.

The whole Elvis memorabilia fiasco has now devolved into lawsuits and counter-suits between GWS and Priscilla Presley. Sadly, there’s also evidence of elder abuse, as GWS seems to have taken advantage of Priscilla’s reduced finances and her diminished ability to remember what items actually belonged to Elvis. Priscilla probably never intended to deceive potential buyers, says Weinshanker. “I believe that she lacked the capacity to make those decisions.”

Authenticity, especially today, is so important, yet so hard to verify. God admitted as much in the statement to Samuel, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). The world today looks to us Christians for an authentic representation of Christ, and if they don’t find that, they feel justified in rejecting Him. How can we make sure we’re presenting a true reflection of Jesus to the world?

Jesus gives us a clue in His interactions with the religious leaders. Mark 7:1-15 recounts how they observed Jesus’ disciples eating bread with “impure (unwashed) hands.” The ceremonial handwashing referenced here had little to do with hygiene, and everything to do with observing the traditions of the elders. Jesus responds to their challenge with a rebuke of His own: “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites. … They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.”

The Pharisees had developed a system of traditions to make them appear pious, but Jesus cuts through their pretense by exposing their inner moral decay—they violated God’s commandment regarding honoring parents through their greedy traditions. Then He gets to the heart of authentic spirituality with the punchline, “Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.’”

In other words, if you want to know the real, authentic person, don’t be fooled by their righteous masks—watch for the fruit of the lives they live. Authentic, righteous characters will produce righteous actions that lead themselves and others to salvation through Jesus.

Sharing: Jesus initiates a baffling discussion with the disciples in Mark 8:11-21. What exactly do you understand to be “the yeast of the Pharisees”?

1. Their phony piety encouraged others to be pretentious
2. They depended on human works to achieve righteousness
3. We must understand numerology to truly understand biblical teachings—the five loaves for the five thousand, the seven loaves for the four thousand, and the twelve and seven basketsful all have hidden, mystical meanings
4. The disciples couldn’t grasp what Jesus was going on about, and neither can I
5. The Pharisees could not perform the miracles of the loaves and fishes due to their inauthentic spirituality; only Jesus and His true followers can perform such miracles
6. Other:

Applying: When someone attends your local church for the first time, do they get an accurate sense of who you are as a congregation? Is your church a safe place for people to be open and honest? Discuss your evaluation with your study group, and brainstorm ideas on how to be even more authentic in your relationships.

~ Chuck Burkeen

It’s rare that I’ll cheer for a foreign Olympian competing against an American Olympian, but sometimes the challengers’ positivity is just too infectious! Australian high jumper Nicola Olyslagers couldn’t wipe the grin from her face, even when she went crashing into the high bar and lost her shot at the gold. (Witness her positivity here!) She appeared more excited to win silver than some athletes are to win the gold. What made Olyslagers so happy? How could she smile and just laugh off her mistake that the whole world saw? I had to know, although I had a feeling I already knew the answer. And now she might just be my all-time favorite athlete. Olyslagers “jumps with joy for Jesus.” She shares that, while she would love to win the gold for Australia, her career is not about how high she can jump or breaking records for Australian high jumpers. She believes God called her to the world stage to share her testimony of faith, to share the love of God and the freedom of living in Jesus, and to encourage other athletes (she even prays with them before events). “It’s freeing,” she says. And when asked what she was singing before her silver-clinching jump, she replied, “Honestly, God is inside of my heart and sometimes He just brings out these verses or these songs, and I just start singing. It’s something that comes over me, because in the moment I have a faith that doesn’t shrink away from pressure, but rises to it.” Olyslagers’ positivity and testimony remind me of Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (NIV) and John 13:34-35 “As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (NIV). If every Christian shone with the freedom found in Jesus, the world would be a very different place to live. Stefani Leeper | Content Coordinator Compound image retrieved from dailymail.co.uk, sourced from Getty Images

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