Trees and Vines: August 2020
Table of Contents
Theme
Scripture is full of imagery. God makes use of natural things that we are familiar with to illustrate and explain spiritual things. And when He does, He also provides in His Word definite statements to guard His Word from the misuse of imagery and types. Even though men are the instruments in the writing of it, all Scripture is God breathed—comes directly from Himself. It is “not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth.” So in this issue, God is going to use some trees, who are speaking to each other, to speak to us. Let’s listen.
“The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us” (Judg. 9:8-14).
Responsibility and Life
In the Garden of Eden were planted two trees — “the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil” (Gen. 2:9). Looked at separately, they bring before us those two of whom we read in 1 Corinthians 15:47: “The first man [Adam] is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.”
The Center
From the position in Paradise of the tree of life (for it distinctly states that it grew “in the midst of the garden”) we learn that Christ has always been God’s center. But along with the tree of life (and also in the midst of the garden) is found the “tree of knowledge of good and evil” (Gen. 3:3). As to the “tree of life,” it is clear that it could refer only to Christ (Rev. 2:7), and in the fact that both are “in the midst of the garden” we see that both are united in Him. Our responsibility, as of Adam, has been taken up, and met in Him and by Him. He is thus God’s center, and life is His by acquired right. The creation in Genesis is God’s picture, in type, of the purpose of His heart concerning Christ ― a purpose hidden in the past ages, but existing there from all eternity, long before the foundation of the world, and now made known to faith (Eph. 1:9-10; 3:9-11). God will presently act in power to bring out into full display His own original thought, since all is based, not on the first man, but on the second.
It does not appear that the “tree of life “was forbidden to man before he fell. He was set up in Paradise in life, and with this word: “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17). It was innocence, for he was not to know anything in addition to that life in which he stood with God. But this was responsibility, and on this ground all was lost. Sin entered; the law proved it and only showed how complete the ruin was. Death was upon all.
The Fallen Race
It appears, then, that after man sinned, for the first time the “tree of life” was forbidden to him— a most gracious provision on the part of God. Man had acquired the knowledge of good (and God was its source), without power to act upon it or to please Him. He had also acquired the knowledge of evil, and along with that a nature always prone to follow it. Now God says, “The man is become as one of Us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” (Gen. 3:22). To eat, and to live forever in that state of innocence in which God had first created him, would have been right and simple obedience, but to eat, and live forever in the Garden, with the knowledge of good and evil (good to which he could never attain and evil to which he was always prone), in misery therefore, God could not have. “So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Gen. 3:24). Life, then, is distinctly refused to a responsible but a fallen race in that condition.
The Second Man
But Jesus, standing in perfect grace in the place of the responsible man at the cross, glorifies God. Tried and tested in every way all through His life, which ended at the cross, all that man should have been for God, He was. It is true that all was over for the first man, but now, with the first man ended in God’s sight, He only — the second Man — now stands before God. He who in Himself has met all the claims of justice for the responsible man and who has also as man perfectly met the heart of God has it as His right to take of the “tree of life” in the midst of the Garden. At the solemn moment of yielding up His life on earth, in Psalm 16, He thus speaks: “Thou wilt show Me the path of life,” and again, “I lay down My life that I might take it again” (John 10:17). Thus we see in this God’s one central thought — to establish everything in heaven and earth upon Christ. God will have Him as the center of all His ways of grace to man throughout eternity. All therein is for His enjoyment, and He in perfect grace hands these things to us, associating us with Himself, for Eve was co-sharer with Adam in it all.
Eternal Life
Moreover, the duration of the life is, in Christianity, first unfolded as “eternal” (Titus 1:2), for it is the life of Christ Himself as the risen One out of death. Life, if it could have been continuously sustained in Eden by their eating of every tree in the Garden (save the one forbidden), would have been endless, and therefore “eternal” in that sense. But it would have depended on man’s continuous obedience; it would have been a dependent life. Now we have Christ’s perfect obedience and life as the result.
The Paradise of God
It is a relief to the heart to expand, and thus to turn away from itself, and to see God working for the glory of His beloved Son, to whom we are necessary, as a part of that glory into which God will bring Him (Eph. 3:21). To see everything thus established on an immutable basis, the first man no longer before God, but the second, and to know that, through grace, we are eternally united to Him, gives great peace to the soul. To look back along the dim vista of the ages and to see this His purpose shining brightly in the Garden of Eden, which sin spoiled, and to look forward to what it will yet be, when all shall be in divine order around Him, causes us to break out into praise to the One who is, to all eternity, to be the center in the midst of the “Paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7).
H. C. Anstey (adapted)
The Tree of Life
In the Word of God, a tree can be a type of something negative, but also of that which is positive. In a negative sense, it is a place where evil can flourish, hiding amidst its branches and foliage, thus we have the mustard tree (Matt. 13:31-32; Luke 13:18-19). It was “under every green tree” (and other places!) that the heathen placed their idols, and under the Mosaic law, any man “hanged on a tree” (Deut. 21:22-23) was accursed. But in a positive way, it depicts to us that which provides shelter and protection, and also produces fruit. Thus we find Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire compared to a great tree, described as follows: “The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all” (Dan. 4:12). Abraham invited his guests to “rest yourselves under the tree” (Gen. 18:4), when they came in the heat of the day. When we consider the tree of life, it is, of course, with this positive application that we are concerned.
The tree of life is mentioned eleven times in the Word of God, although only ten times in the KJV, where there is a mistranslation in Revelation 22:19. Also, it is of note that it is mentioned at the beginning of the Bible, in the middle, and at the end. We find the expression three times in the Book of Genesis, four times in the Proverbs, and four times in the Revelation.
God’s Sovereignty
In Genesis, the tree of life is one of the two trees singled out for special recognition and instruction in the Garden of Eden. Both were evidently “in the midst of the garden”; man was forbidden to eat of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen. 2:17). The tree of life was mentioned, and man’s attention called to it, but it does not seem that they were forbidden to eat of it. The Book of Genesis has been called “the seed plot of the Bible,” and these two trees are another example of this truth. The tree of life brings before us God’s sovereignty, and Christ Himself, as all God’s purposes are centered in Him. No doubt this is why the tree of life is first mentioned as being in the midst of the Garden.
Man’s Responsibility
But man’s responsibility comes in as well, represented by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It too was in the midst of the Garden, for God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility run side by side, although always distinct. Man was going to be tested as to responsibility, and God knew he was to fail in this, yet the entrance of sin into the world would be the means by which God would reveal His heart of love, His wondrous plan of redemption, and His blessing to man — far more than if sin had never entered the world.
We know that first Eve and then Adam ate of the fruit of the forbidden tree and forfeited not only the Garden of Eden, but also any right to the tree of life. This was not punishment on God’s part, but rather grace, for had man at that point eaten of the tree of life, he would have lived forever in his sinful state. No, God’s grace had something far better in view.
Practical Comments
When we come to the Proverbs, we find very practical comments concerning the tree of life, penned by Solomon in his God-given wisdom, for Proverbs gives us heavenly wisdom for a path in a world beset by sin. While speaking of wisdom, Solomon personifies it, saying that “she is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her” (Prov. 3:18). More than once in Proverbs, the language used refers to the fact that wisdom is ultimately found only in Christ Himself, and that Christ is the embodiment of the wisdom of God. (This is especially true in chapter 8.) This is surely in keeping with New Testament truth, where we read that Christ is made unto us “wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30).
The second reference is in Proverbs 11:30: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” Although the gospel as we know it was not preached in the Old Testament, yet the grace of God reached out to those who would seek Him. In Solomon’s day we see the Queen of Sheba coming up to hear the wisdom of Solomon, while many from other nations did the same — see 1 Kings 4:34. But ultimately, Solomon was but a poor type of the One who would come after him — Christ Himself. Any fruit from the display of Solomon’s wisdom and the winning of souls could only point to Christ, who is really that tree of life.
The Hope in Christ
The next reference is in Proverbs 13:12: “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; but the desire that cometh to pass is a tree of life” (JND). While Proverbs does indeed give us heavenly wisdom for an earthly path, yet in the end all that we may hope for down here — all that comes to pass — is temporary. Multitudes of hearts have been “sick” over the centuries when certain hopes have not been realized, but there is one hope in which we will never be disappointed — the hope that we have in Christ. Again, this hope was not known in the same way in the Old Testament, yet the Spirit of God delights to describe a fulfilled hope as a tree of life, for that is the only fulfilled hope that will last for eternity.
A Wholesome Tongue
Finally, we read, “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit” (Prov. 15:4). The word “wholesome” might also be translated “gentleness,” showing us the importance of our speech. This is reinforced in James, where we read that “if a man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body” (James 3:2). While some are more naturally given to peaceful talk, yet we are also reminded in James 3:6 that “the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity ... and it is set on fire of hell.” Our Lord Himself could remind His listeners that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matt. 12:34), and the finest of men naturally will display “perverseness” in his speech, if something provokes him. Only in Christ do we see absolute perfection in all that He said, which on some occasions took the form of stern rebuke. But it was always as Paul reminds us in Colossians 4:6, “with grace, seasoned with salt.” Such perfection was found only in the One who was the tree of life.
The Overcomer
At the end of Bible, we see the tree of life in its perfection, not now in an earthly scene, but a heavenly one. First of all, the tree of life is promised as a reward to the overcomers, in the address to the assembly in Ephesus. The church was beginning to fail in its testimony, and the Lord could say, “Thou hast left thy first love” (Rev. 2:4). The reward for returning to the Lord would be simple — the enjoyment of Christ as the tree of life for all eternity, in the paradise of God. Man had forfeited the Garden of Eden as a paradise, but the work of Christ had opened a far better paradise for man, and more than this, the enjoyment of Christ Himself.
Then, in Revelation 22:2, we see the tree of life “on either side of the river” — a river of blessing associated with the street of the heavenly city, as well as the tree of life. The fruit of the tree of life was monthly — fruit now freely available to those in that heavenly scene, while the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations on earth. How widespread the blessing is! But once again God reminds us of man’s responsibility, not as in the Garden of Eden, but rather now to accept Christ and “wash their robes” (Rev. 22:14 JND). It is only they who will “have right to the tree of life,” for sin cannot enter that place of eternal blessing. Those who have not drunk of “the water of life” (vs. 17) and whose lives are still characterized by sin will be “without” forever.
Access to the Tree
Finally, a solemn warning is given, at the end of the Bible, to any who would dare to take away from God’s Word, which “liveth and abideth forever.” For any who would do this, we read, “God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city” (Rev. 22:19 JND). Those who are mere professors in Christianity, but without new life, will have their names blotted out “of the book of life” (Rev. 3:5). Here in Revelation 22 the final result is given; those who corrupt and take away from the Word of God will forfeit any access to the tree of life, the center of blessing for heaven and earth for all eternity. For this reason, a final appeal goes out, for in verse 17 once again “whosoever will” is urged to come and to drink of that water of life.
W. J. Prost
The Parable of the Trees
In his recital of the parable of the trees in Judges 9, Jotham caused a ray of light to shine in the midst of the darkness. God does not leave Himself without testimony; this we may reiterate with confidence, as we pass through difficult times. And should there be, as here, only a single witness left for God in this world, may we be that one — that despised Jotham, the last of all, but standing steadfast for God. Preserved by the providential goodness of Jehovah, “he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim” (Judg. 9:7). Moses, in the past, had decreed that six tribes should stand on Mount Ebal to curse and six on Gerizim to bless. Joshua had remembered this when the people entered Canaan, but since then Israel had morally chosen Ebal, the place of cursing. Jotham chose Gerizim, the place of blessing, and he stood there alone. As God’s witness, in face of the whole people, he lifted up his voice and spoke a parable in their ears, proclaiming the blessing of faith and also the consequences of the unfaithfulness of the people. Jotham, in his own person, is the representative of the blessings of the true Israel of God; as to himself, he was feeble and persecuted, yet able to enjoy the favor of God and testify for Him, bearing fruit to His glory.
Greatness and Power
In his recital, three trees refuse to be promoted over the other trees. They depict, according to the Word, the different characteristics of Israel under the blessing of Jehovah. The olive tree said: “Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?” (vs. 9). Oil (from the olive) answers to the unction and the power of the Holy Spirit by which God and men are honored. The Israel of God can only realize this power when they are thoroughly separated from the nation’s principles. These latter set up kings over themselves, seeking for greatness (1 Sam. 8:5), while Jehovah was to be faithfully relied on as the sole ruler of the people.
Sweetness and Joy
The fig tree said: “Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?” (vs. 11). Israel could bear the fruit of sweetness only when in separation from the nations. The vine said: “Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?” (vs. 13). New wine is the joy found in the mutual communion of men with God, and this enjoyment — the highest that could be desired — was lost to Israel when they adopted the spirit and ways of the nations.
Power – Communion—Joy
What a lesson for us Christians! The world is to the church what the nations were to Israel. If we yield to its solicitations, we abandon our oil, our fruit, our new wine. That is to say, we surrender our spiritual power, the works which God has prepared for us (Eph. 2:10), our sweet fruit and the joy of communion. Are we able to respond to all the offers of the world? Should we leave that which is our happiness and our strength for fruitless turmoil or to satisfy the lusts and ambitions of the hearts of men? Jotham, like his father Gideon (Judg. 8:23), appreciates these treasures of the Israel of God and set himself apart on Gerizim, retaining his position of blessing. In the presence of all this apostate people, he is the true and last bud of faith, the sole witness for God. What honor for the young and feeble son of Jerubbaal! Spurned by all, his lot was the only enviable one, for he glorified God in this sorrowful world. May we too, like him, be found on the mount of blessing in the path of separation from evil! There we shall taste all that the trees of God yield. He who has enjoyed these things exclaims, “Should I leave them?”
H. L. Rossier (adapted)
The Vine
In the Old Testament, during a period lasting 1500 years, God dealt in patient goodness with His people Israel. It is important to bear in mind that Israel only was taken by God under His especial care. In the same way, a person might take a specimen of a certain class of trees, cultivate it, and judge of the whole class or family of trees by the result of his experiment.
Now God selected Israel out of all the nations of the earth as the vine of His choice, and He set it in the most favorable circumstances. As we read, “I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed” (Jer. 2:21). We scarcely think of a vine as a tree, but it is so described in Scripture. This is perhaps because, at least in former times, the vines in Palestine often grew to a great size and height, and thus could resemble a tree.
The Beginning of Israel
When speaking of Israel by the prophet Isaiah, God compared them to “a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: and He fenced it and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine” (Isa. 5:1-2). If we turn to Psalm 80:8, Israel is thus spoken of: “Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt; Thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.”
In the parable of the trees in the Book of Judges, the vine was to bring “joy to God and man.” Such would have been the result had Israel been able to keep the law. The law said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and thy neighbor as thyself,” and what a scene of joy would have been those “holy fields” had Israel really fulfilled this. Alas, man has no love for God in his heart, and the long trial of 15 centuries only proved that man was irreclaimable. Jehovah had to speak to Israel in these touching words: “How art thou turned into a degenerate plant of a strange vine unto Me” (Jer. 2:21).
The Time of Fruit
What was God’s answer to the psalmist’s question? It was, “Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself.” And again, “Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty” (Hos. 10:1-2). Our Lord charged them with this in His parable in Matthew 21:34-35: “When the time of the fruit drew near, he [the householder] sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.” We know well how the last part was fulfilled, when, “last of all, he sent unto them his own son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance” (Matt. 21:37-38).
Make the Tree Good First
Yes, this was the sad end to the story of God’s faithful love and tender care for Israel, and their history ought to teach us this lesson, that we can do nothing to bring forth fruit to God apart from the grace that gives us a new nature, for, as our Lord says, make the “tree good” first, then the fruit good. What is Israel’s present condition? It is described in Ezekiel 19:13-14: “Now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground. And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule.” Well might Ezekiel say, “This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation,” and the apostle, “The wrath is come upon them to the uttermost” (1 Thess. 2:16).
A New, Fruitful Life
However, Israel will not always be an unfruitful vine. There could be no fruit for God from the natural man, but in a coming day, during the millennial reign of Christ, we read prophetically concerning Israel, “They that dwell under His shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon” (Hos. 14:7). The vine of Israel will indeed bring forth fruit in that day, not on the basis of keeping the law, but rather on the ground of grace, and with that new life which was prophesied to them in Ezekiel 36:26: “A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” In that day spiritual blessing will be combined with material blessing, for we also read, “The seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things” (Zech. 8:12).
H.N., Faithful Words for Young and Old, Vol. 11 (adapted)
The Mustard Tree
The Savior likened the kingdom of heaven to “a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof” (Matt. 13:31-32). This is ominous, when we remember that the birds, according to the teaching of the parable of the Sower, represent the agents of the devil (Matt. 13:4,19). The mustard tree is the profession of Christianity, which began in the humblest possible way, but which in time so completely changed its character as to become a great political force in the earth. Here, as elsewhere in Scripture, the tree is the symbol of worldly power (Ezek. 17:3; Dan. 4:22).
A Heavenly Entity
Christianity is essentially a heavenly entity. The church of God belongs, not to the present evil world, but to the scene of glory where Christ dwells. When Christians walked in separation from the course of things here and with heart-devotedness to their Lord, their testimony was unequivocal, and such as God could bless to the salvation of souls. When the Christian community became influential in the earth, its spiritual usefulness declined, and it became a powerful engine in the hands of Satan. A great and imposing thing in the earth, with all the arts — such as music and architecture — pressed into its service, is the very opposite of all that Christ was. The sensuous worship of the cathedral and the abbey is as offensive to God as the simple worship of the “upper room” was His delight.
A Ransom for all
Let no reader misunderstand. It is not meant that the blessings of Christianity should have been confined within narrow limits. Far from it. The gospel was intended to be spread abroad, for God loved the world, and Christ gave Himself a ransom for all. But Christian profession should have continued humble and unworldly, seeking nothing in the shape of power and honor where the Saviour found only a cross and a tomb. Instead of this, that which is called “the church,” whether viewed in the its Roman Catholic or Protestant aspects, has been insatiable in its lust for worldly power. It has frequently been a terror to governments, and it is at this hour a power in the earth which the civil authorities dare not ignore. This is cause for deepest humiliation before God, that men bearing the Lord’s name should have so blindly become the dupes of Satan in the falsifying of their own calling and testimony.
Unclean Birds
In the branches of the mustard tree the birds found a congenial home. The Scriptures speak of Christendom in its last phase as “the habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hated bird” (Rev. 18:2 JND). This is true in a large measure at the present time. Had Christianity continued humble and unpretentious, its ministry would never have been sought as a “profession,” and it certainly would never have filled its offices with sportsmen, drunkards, and the like. Faithful Christians should mourn for the centuries of dishonor to the name of the Holy and the True, which have been occasioned by the unclean birds who have found a lodging in the branches, even the topmost branches, of the great mustard tree!
W. W. Fereday (adapted)
Nothing But Leaves
“On the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered, and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. And his disciples heard it. ... In the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which Thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus, answering, saith unto them, Have faith in God” (Mark 11:12-14,20-22).
There is one striking peculiarity attached to this miracle of the Lord Jesus. It is the only one of judgment or the curse. Every other miracle was of the character of blessing. What then can be the spiritual significance of this single exception?
The Fig Tree Cursed
Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem, and He sees one fig tree afar off. He desires fruit. See Him walking to this one tree, so fair, so full of leaf. But when He came to it, “He found nothing but leaves.” Surely He who saw Nathanael under another fig tree knew that there was nothing but leaves on this. Yet He came to it, desiring fruit. And now He pronounced those remarkable words: “No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever.” That was the last day of that fig tree, for the very next morning, “as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.” There can be no more fruit forever from that tree; it is withered from the very roots. Well might Peter exclaim, “Master, behold, the fig tree which Thou cursedst is withered away.” What can this remarkable action of the Lord mean? What is its teaching to us?
Let us now notice the context of this miracle. Certainly, to all outward appearance, the previous day had been one of the brightest days of Israel. The entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem had taken place — garments spread, branches of trees cut down, and strewn in the way. Never had the leaves of profession shone with a fresher green. And then we find Jesus entering Jerusalem, and going into the temple; but then He went out, and retired from it all to Bethany.
The Parable of the Vineyard
On the next day judgment was passed on the one fig tree. He enters the temple again, casting out the buyers and sellers, overthrowing the tables of the money-changers, and suffering no man to carry a burden through the temple. Is not all this, “Nothing but leaves”?
Here in Mark 11, and also in Matthew 21, the parable of the vineyard follows, as it were as an explanation of the miracle of the fig tree. There can be no mistake as to the meaning of the parable. God had planted His one vineyard — Israel. It was the trial of what is called in Scripture “the flesh.” Israel had placed themselves on this ground of probation, and engaged to keep the law. God had come, seeking fruit, but had found none. The parable explains how Israel had treated the prophets and servants of Jehovah, and, as the last test of man, God had sent His own Son. Did He find fruit? Never were there more leaves, as we have seen, but “nothing but leaves.” They said, “This is the heir: come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him” (Matt. 21:38-39). The more we study this parable, the more we see how it explains the meaning of the miracle — “Nothing but leaves.”
The connection of Scripture is still more striking in Matthew, as showing the connection between this miracle and the Jews, or Judaism. First, there is the judgment on the fig tree that yields no fruit. Secondly, the parable of the vineyard, which goes beyond all endurance, in the rejection and murder of the Son.
The Wedding Feast
And, in the third place, the wedding feast (Matt. 22). After all this, in the riches of His grace, God spread the feast for man as a lost sinner, and the servants were sent to call the guests—sent first to that very nation. And what took place then? “They would not come” (Matt. 22:3). How terrible the sin of rejecting the riches of the grace of God!
Thus, as to Israel as a test of man in the flesh, the green-leaved fig tree of profession, there was no fruit for Christ. No more fruit in this the brightest day of profession, than in the dark days of Elijah; yet, in both cases, and at all times, God has an election of grace. This is seen in all Scripture, from Abel onwards. But religious man in the flesh is tested, weighed in the balances, and found utterly wanting — “nothing but leaves.”
The Rejection of Christ
Jerusalem was the center of religion — the one green fig tree of profession. It looked upon all other nations as dogs. The flesh, or man in his natural state, had been tried now in every possible way, and the result, as seen in the last test, the sending of Jesus, the Son of God, had proved that there was only sin in man. This is a lesson that must be learned, and it is impossible to separate sin and its curse. Thus, if the one fig tree is the one nation tested in the flesh and the flesh is found to yield no fruit, its judgment, its curse, must come. But here we come to the most solemn part. The judgment on the fig tree was terrible and final. There was not only no fruit found then, when fully and finally tested, but it received its judgment, and there was to be no fruit from it hereafter forever. There is to be no fruit from Israel as in the flesh, as children of Adam, hereafter forever.
New Birth
How little have they, and we too, understood this. It may be said, How can this be so, since we know from Scripture that Israel will be the most highly-favored nation on earth, when the kingdom of God shall come on this earth? The instruction of the Lord to Nicodemus settles this apparent difficulty. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” When the Lord restores the house of Israel, He says, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes” (Ezek. 36:26-27). No, the trial of man in the flesh, of sinful flesh, is over forever, withered from the root. “Now is the judgment of this world” (John 12:31). This takes us beyond Israel, to the whole world under judgment. Man in the flesh is like the fig tree, forever under the just judgment of God: nothing but leaves; hollow, heartless profession, but no fruit. The whole world is like a condemned prisoner; all are concluded guilty, under judgment, waiting for execution. It is there the glad tidings of mercy and pardon begin and are so suited to us.
C. H. Mackintosh (adapted)
Lessons From an Orchard
We can learn many practical lessons in Christian fruit-bearing by considering some of the practical aspects of fruit farming.
Grafting
Seed from a Red Delicious or Yellow Delicious apple will not produce the same kind of apple when planted. In either case, it is necessary to take “sign wood” or a twig from the tree that produced this kind of apple and graft it into a growing seedling.
So it is with us: Before there can be any fruit for the Lord Jesus Christ, we must have a new life.
Selecting a Site
The proper site to grow fruit is most important. Care must be taken to have not only good water drainage, but air drainage as well, so that the tender fruit buds will not freeze in the bloom period. If the area has a pocket where the frost may settle, the fruit could be lost during a cold spell.
Just so, as Christians, where we “pitch our tent” could mar our testimony, like poor Lot of old who found a site near Sodom. His righteous soul was vexed from day to day (2 Peter 2:8), and his children became the enemies of God’s children. May we, by God’s grace, seek a right path for ourselves and our little ones. “So we fasted and besought our God for this: and He was intreated of us” (Ezra 8:21,23).
Preparing the Ground
This, too, is very needful. A fruit-grower must be aware that there are many unseen enemies, such as nematodes, which destroy the roots of young apple trees. It is necessary to treat the soil for this problem, as well as to have a field free from weeds. Nematodes in the soil or too much grass and weeds where the young trees are planted often leave us with stunted trees all their lives.
Dear Mephibosheth, when only five years old, fell and became lame for the rest of his life (2 Sam. 4:4). In the early days of our Christian life, the companionship we keep often leaves a mark upon us. If we have had Christian parents who sought our good and blessing, we should be most thankful. If we are parents, may we seek special grace and help to bring up our little ones in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Planting Time
In Ecclesiastes 3:2, we find there is a time to plant. This would bring to mind many scriptures in regard to the word “time.” How important to be found redeeming the time!
It is very necessary for a young tree to have a good root system, well anchored and able to support the growth that is visible above the ground. We are exhorted, as believers, to stand fast in Christ (Gal. 5) and to be “rooted and grounded in love” (Eph. 3:17).
Most fruit growers planting trees from a nursery will cut off all the little branches, leaving only a “whip” about 30 inches high. As soon as the new branches appear, a clothespin is snapped just above the new shoot forcing the new branch to come out and away from the trunk. This results in a strong crotch that will be a big help in the later years of the tree so that it will not break when loaded with fruit.
It is good in our early years to learn verses from the Word of God, that we might be built up in our most holy faith (Jude 20).
Orchard Care
All growing trees require water, and lack of it is quickly visible. We, too, need to drink from “the fountain of living waters” (Jer. 2:13). This means to take in much of the precious Word of God daily. “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psa. 1:3).
While the tree is in its earliest years, a great effort is put forth to train the tree with a central leader. Sometimes a very vigorous branch must be removed which would like to take over the entire tree. Here, too, how important to have the right leader in our life down here. We desire to see steady growth in young trees, but it is also very necessary to have the tree “harden off” before the winter storms come.
This can be likened to the testing time that so often comes in our lives. May we “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). The dear Apostle Paul said to Timothy, whom he called his son, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). May we too be firm in the Word of God so it is not despised or clouded by a careless walk.
Ringing (Chastening)
A practice among some apple growers is to “ring” a young tree after it is four or five years old. A ring is cut around the trunk of the tree, but no bark is removed. It is done ten days after the normal blooming period. This treatment will cause the tree to bear fruit the following year. In Hebrews 12:6 we read about the Lord chastening those He loves. In Hebrews 12:11 we read that this chastening yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness.
Pruning
Fruit-growers are very aware of the constant need for pruning. It is one job that never ends. If too many branches are left on the tree, the sun’s rays will be shut out and fruit of poor color will be the result. A pyramid-shaped tree is the most desirable one because this lets in the light. Branches which tend to hang down need to be removed.
May we, as Christians, be kept from letting any branch of our lives shut out the light of the Word of God to permit discolored fruit. The Word of God tells us in Matthew 7:20, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
Old Shoots Removed
Branches that sprout up below the graft must not be allowed to grow. These cannot produce fruit. As Christians, we can expect no fruit from the old nature. All evidence of this old nature sprouting out must be removed. Only the new nature that we have as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ can bring forth fruit for God. Colossians 3:8 instructs us what to put off — including anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy and filthy communication. Colossians 3:12 tells us what to put on — including bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another and forgiving one another. This will help us to be fruitful Christians. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Gal. 5:22-23).
H. Roossinck
Good Fruit and Bad Fruit
I was privileged recently to be conducted through some experimental plots belonging to the College of Agriculture of the University of California by a member of its faculty who is a devout Christian. The trip was very interesting and supplied examples of some well-known truths of Scripture, which opened up material for thoughtful consideration.
One plot was a row of large, fully developed pear trees. They gave evidence of being well cared for and their foliage was a good green color. At one end of the row, the trees were loaded with beautiful and almost perfect fruit. Such healthy pear trees would have been an asset in any man’s pear orchard. At the other end of the row, the pear trees appeared to be healthy and vigorous, but here the Christian plant pathologist paused and plucked some fruit; it was worthless. The fruit was shriveled and knotty. It was astounding that trees so near to each other and of the same outward appearance as to foliage and vigor should bear such vastly different fruit. What was the explanation? Could there be a simple answer for the seeming mystery?
The Bad Tree
The scientist explained the reason for the bad fruit. We will quote his words: “Those trees are bad, and there is nothing that can be done for them; they have a viral disease that pervades them from the roots to every extremity. They cannot produce good fruit.” Together we then spoke of the Lord’s words: “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit” (Matt. 7:18). A tree is judged according to the quality of its fruit, and so with men. John the Baptist searched the hearts of his would-be followers by saying, “The ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire” (Matt. 3:10). Mere religion or profession will not correct the root cause. Adam fell and pulled down his whole posterity, and every man from that day onward has been born with an evil nature which can bring forth only evil fruit. What man needs is a complete change, a new birth, a new life, so he can bring forth fruit for God. Otherwise he will be cut down and cast into the lake of fire.
Hopelessly Bad
Another comment by the scientist gave emphasis to a picture of man’s hopeless condition apart from a complete rebirth. Referring to the bad trees he said, “No amount of pruning, watering, spraying or fertilizing will improve those trees or their fruit. To give them special culture would only increase the bad fruit they would bear.” Here was food for meditation: Could not man be improved by education? by environment? or by any of the means so often tried? Alas, no. Man by nature is as hopelessly bad as those diseased trees. He may indeed present an outward appearance which compares favorably with those who have a new life from God, and yet his heart be unchanged; it is enmity toward God. This led us to reflect on all that had been done to improve man, apart from God and new birth. Many and varied are the means that have been tried to give the world a moral uplift — to stop things like vice, crime, blasphemy, murder and war. Have they changed man? No. In fact, it might be said that educated man has only become more prolific in the production of bad fruit. Wars, for instance, were bad enough before men became so civilized; now they are frightfully worse. Men used to kill one another by club or sword in hand-to-hand combat; now with a higher degree of civilization men have discovered how to wipe out the inhabitants of a whole city with one blast, or to destroy all the crops of another country with chemicals and so bring famine upon the populace, or to spread the worst plagues by biological warfare and thus wipe out a people by disease. It is just as true of the highly civilized people of the mid-twentieth century as it was of the heathen world before Christ came — “The way of peace have they not known,” and “destruction and misery are in their ways.”
Sin From Within
The disease pervading those bad pear trees is like sin, the root and nature in fallen mankind, which in activity produces wicked acts. “From within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness” (Mark 7:21-22). The Epistle to the Romans carefully distinguishes between sins (the acts committed) and sin (the nature which bears bad fruit). Romans 5:11 concludes that portion of the epistle dealing with the subject of sins, and the next verse begins the subject of sin. For sins God has forgiveness for all who believe in the Lord Jesus, and He has been proved righteous in forgiving their sins because of the work of Christ. For sin, God has only condemnation; He “condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:3). He treats the old nature as beyond improvement, and passes sentence on it. Chapter 7 of the epistle shows the struggles of one trying to mend what is unable to be mended, and then the struggling one finds full deliverance in the last verse of that chapter and the first verse of chapter 8: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” He is now in a new position entirely — “in Christ Jesus” — and has power to walk after the Spirit (vs. 4).
The Progeny
There was another comment of interest on the bad pear trees, and that was that they could not produce progeny that would be any better. No young trees derived from those bad ones would be better than the parent stock. How true that is of the human pattern we have been considering! The offspring of fallen man is also fallen. The innocent babe has within it the bad stock that will in maturity bring forth the same evil fruit.
The plant pathologist’s final comment on the pear trees pointed up another likeness to the human family. He said, “Even grafting in a branch from a good tree will not improve the condition of a bad tree.” In like manner, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh” (John 3:6); it can never be anything else. And when a man repents and believes the gospel, and consequently receives a new life from God which can bring forth good fruit, that does not improve his old nature one particle. It is a lie of the devil to say either that the old nature can be improved, or that because one is saved the old nature can be burned out. We Christians have a wholly new life, but we also carry the flesh with us, and if it is not judged and kept in the place of death it will bear the ugly fruit of which it is only capable.
P. Wilson (adapted)
Cedar
Cedar is the beautiful tall tree that was extensively used by Solomon in building the temple and his palaces. It is called “cedar” from the firmness of its roots; its wood is very durable and has a beautiful fragrance. It was used for beams, pillars and masts, and for carved images (1 Kings 6:9-10; Isa. 44:14; Ezek. 27:5). It is mentioned over 100 times in the Bible, and special reference is made to it in scripture, as “the trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted” (Psa. 104:16). It cannot be considered as one of the trees of Palestine proper, but is constantly connected in scripture with Lebanon, where it still grows in mountainous areas. It is also still the national emblem of Lebanon.
In the cleansing of the leper, and in connection with burning the Red Heifer, cedar wood and hyssop were used, typical of the highest and the lowest — the judgment of death upon all men and the whole fashion of this world (Lev. 14:4-52; Num. 19:6). The cedar is used as a symbol of strength and stability: “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon” (Psa. 92:12). The Assyrian king in his strength was also compared to a cedar, which is thus described: “With fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature” (Ezek. 31:3); for his pride he was to be brought down.
Miller, Concise Bible Dictionary
The Tree of Life
Soon we taste the endless sweetness
Of the Tree of Life above;
Taste its own eternal meetness
For the heavenly land we love!
In eternal counsels founded,
Perfect now, in fruit divine;
When the last blest trump has sounded,
Fruit of God, forever mine!
Fresh, and ever new, are hanging
Fruits of life, on that blest Tree;
There is stilled each earnest longing;
Satisfied my soul shall be:
But, my soul! hast thou not tasted
Of that Tree of Life on high?
As through desert lands thou’st hasted,
Eshcol’s grapes been never nigh?
Ah! that Tree of Life was planted,
Rooted deep in love divine,
Ere the sons of God had chanted
Worlds where creature glories shine!
As a tender sapling, rising
From a dry and stony land,
Object of man’s proud despising,
Grew the Plant of God’s right hand!
Yes! that Tree of Life is planted,
Sweetest fruit e’en here has borne!
To its own rich soil transplanted,
Waits alone the eternal morn.
Fruits that our own souls have tasted,
By the Spirit from above,
While through desert lands we’ve hasted;
Fruits of perfect, endless love!
J. N. Darby