Dead Branches

We hired someone new to prune our bushes and lay mulch for us.
Everything looks lovely.
I looked down from my bedroom window and noticed it.
A bush, that had been planted only a few years ago, was dead.

We have three other such bushes near our living room window.
By now, they all should be budding.
By now, they should be showing signs of growth.
However, this particular bush was just dry branches.

During the late fall and winter, our bushes are sprayed to keep the deer away.
If we did not use this organic spray, we would have no leaves on any of our bushes.
This winter was quite mild, so the deer had other things to eat in the woods.
The bush was lovely in the spring, summer, and fall, but something happened in the winter.

My husband said he would dig it up.
He would make sure that when he dug it up, he dug up the roots, too.
I saw him carry the bush back to the thick woods behind our house.
I saw the root ball at the base still caked in dirt.

Above the root ball, were dead branches.
The branches had no life in them.
My husband carried the bush far away from our house.
He tossed the bush deep into the woods.

I was sad about the bush.
It was so pretty last year.
In fact, it seemed to be growing fuller than the other two.
Something happened.

I will plant another one, my husband told me.
He went out with his mask around his neck and gloves in his pocket.
He knew that he could choose from plants and bushes that were outside the store.
He left our house protected, as mandated by our state.

He sent me a picture of the bush to make sure it was the one I wanted.
It was the same kind of bush that we had before.
The flowers that bloom first will be white, instead of pink.
I was fine with the color change; in fact it was welcome.

My husband brought two plants home.
He put them in the mulch, exactly where he intended to plant them.
That evening we both got a frost advisory on our phones.
He brought the plants inside the garage.

Two days later, he planted the bushes.
They are small now, but they will not be small for long.
My husband planted them, following the directions.
You always have to consider the growth that will occur when planting something new.

What looks like a big space between them now, will fill in very quickly.
The new bushes make me smile.
They are full of white flowers.
They have potential that I can see with my mind’s eye.

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.  Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”  The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. When evening came, Jesus and his disciples^[c] went out of the city. In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.  “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:12-25)

Jesus was hungry.
He saw a fig tree, but upon closer inspection, though it was green, it had no figs.
Jesus cursed the fig tree so that by the next day, it had withered from the roots.
This was not a random event.

The fig tree represented God’s people.
There should have been growth, with a devoted heart to the things of God.
Instead, there was religiosity and ritual.
There was lip service to the things of God with no heart.

There were no figs.

The temple court, a place of prayer for the Gentiles, was now a place for buying and selling.
There was price gouging in the selling of the animals used for sacrifice.
There was dishonesty, as the people had to exchange their money for the Tyrian shekel.
The merchants were only concerned with making money.

Jesus exhibited righteous anger.
This was His Father’s house.
This was to be a place of prayer.
It was now a den of robbers.

The branches were dead.
There were no figs.
Something happened.
Their hearts had wintered.

I thought of the fig tree as I watched my husband carry the dead bush to the woods.
I never want my heart to be like those dead branches.
I want my heart to be full of lush growth.
I want there to be figs that will nourish others.

How about you?

2 responses to “Dead Branches”

1. Excellent!
   I had just been studying that passage because I thought it seemed so out of character for Jesus to curse the fig tree. Now I understand…
   But I love that He allowed me even more teaching, through you.

   Reply

   • Oh, Mollie, I am so glad that God used these words to press you closer to Him. I am glad that He illuminated a difficult passage of Scripture for you. I miss you, friend. Perhaps we will see each other another year at Hutchmoot.
     Blessings,
     Gina

     Reply