Sermon On Subterfuge

Antoine Rivarol, a French author of maxims, once remarked: “Wrong is wrong; no fallacy can hide it, no subterfuge cover it so shrewdly but that the All-Seeing One will discover and punish it.” Psalm 101:7 reminds us: “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.”

Subterfuge is defined as deceit used to achieve one's goal. It can include acts of trickery, duplicity, fraud and underhandedness to name but a few. It may well include a particular scheme to achieve an unscrupulous ploy to perpetuate dishonesty. There may be any number of reasons why one might be tempted to perform an act of subterfuge. However, God is always ready to help and forgive our sins if we show true repentance. Although the ultimate responsibility for performing sins is ours, sometimes, God may intervene to prevent us from actually sinning by placing obstacles in our path. Everything that happens is according to His will and for a reason. Luke 19:1-10 reminds us of the story of Zacchaeus: "He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd, he could not, because he was small in stature.

So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

"The Cornfield," is a renowned oil painting by John Constable which was completed in 1826. From time to time it has been exhibited in the National Gallery, based in London. It is a priceless work of art that is considered by many to be an appealing item to own.

The picture depicts a cornfield situated in Suffolk and a young boy who takes a much-needed respite from the responsibility of herding sheep in the heat of the noon-day summer sun. It is hot and the boy is thirsty. He quenches his thirst by drinking from the cool waters of the nearby stream. Constable actually painted the picture in the interim between January and March of 1826 at his London studio. Probably the coldest time of year.

The lane, which features in the painting and provides access to the cornfield, resembles the same that Constable had often walked along as a boy during his schooldays. Much of the extraneous surrounding countryside in the painting is largely reputed to be invented.

The painting, sized at 56 by 48 inches, was first displayed at the Royal Academy in 1826. However, despite receiving critical praise, it failed to sell. It was eventually purchased by friends and supporters of John Constable and presented to the National Gallery in 1837 after his death, as a posthumous tribute to him.

There was once a little known, but talented artist who was exceptionally good at recreating famous paintings. He had a particular flair for duplicating the original artwork of famous painters to near perfection. He, and his common-law wife, lived in a small cottage in the wilds of Somerset, but had aspirations to improve his personal worth beyond his wildest dreams. Psalm 52:2 states: "Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.”

In a nearby town, an extremely wealthy oriental gentleman had purchased a long-established art gallery several years previously. He was renowned for his love of John Constable aesthetic artwork. It was reputed that his one desire in life was to own a genuine Constable painting.

The counterfeiter decided that a desirable source of money, by instigating a deliberate act of subterfuge, would be to make a copy of this famous painting, in the hope of selling it to make a small fortune from the owner of the gallery. He had obtained many authentic photos of the picture to work from and had produced a virtual exact copy over several arduous months. He then applied an ageing process to the finished product to achieve authenticity. However, his downfall in life was attributed to the fact that the forgeries often lacked essential indications and information, known only by experts, to prove their genuineness.