Take Time Under The Tree

6.13.21 Colossians 1:6

The gospel is bearing fruit and growing in the entire world, just as it also has been doing among you from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth.

Throughout the Old Testament God warned the Israelites to withhold from worshiping the gods of the Canaanites. The Canaanites would worship up on the hills to try and get as close to Baal and Ashteroth as they could. One of the things they would look for was a “spreading tree” to worship under, which meant that it would be one of the largest and most vibrant trees on the hill. Jesus talks about a different tree in today’s Gospel that comes from a tiny little mustard seed. It starts out as a tiny seed, but then grows to a nice and healthy size. Just a few little interesting details about the mustard tree or bush -

Mustard bushes reach an average mature height of between 6 and 20 feet with a 20-foot spread, although exceptional plants can reach 30 feet tall under ideal conditions. They have a spreading, multistemmed growth habit. Each leaf is 1 inch wide and 3 inches long, and they are arranged in sets of two on opposite sides of the stem. Tiny, yellowish flowers appear each year, which ripen into 1/2-inch-diameter berries. The berries provide a reliable means of identifying the shrub because of their striking translucency and pink or scarlet color. Mustard bushes come from arid climates and have evolved to deal with poor soil, scarce moisture and extreme heat. They grow especially well in dry soil. (http://homeguides.sfgate.com/size-mustard-bush-100618.html)

Jesus compares the kingdom of God to this tree. So you think of Jesus, who died on a tree. We are the birds who nest under his shade. We find comfort from the heat of death and the conviction of the law. We feed on Him for nourishment and strength to give us life. We thrive in the midst of a desert drear. Jesus is the true “spreading tree” that God wants us to rest under. He planted and established the church on one hill of Golgotha, when He died for the sins of the world and rose from the dead.

As a bird goes flying to find rest under a tree and build a nest as a home in the tree, so Jesus wants you to come flying to Him for rest and shelter. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” The rest is found as you are baptized into Christ and planted into the church, as you continue to hear God’s Word and rest under the shade of God’s grace, and as you feed on Christ to be nourished in your faith. We come in from the heat of difficult marriages, diseases, jobs, sicknesses, and pain. We sit in the shade of Jesus to find rest for our souls.

Paul told the Colossians that he was thankful that as they fed on Jesus they were growing. That’s what the gospel does, it produces life and growth. And maybe that bears repeating. The gospel is bearing fruit and growing in the entire world. It may not seem like the gospel is growing as we see our world turning from bad to worse. It seems like it’s dying. But the problem isn’t with the gospel. The problem is that so many people have turned away from the gospel. Many Christians have stopped listening to it. Many have stopped receiving the Lord’s Supper. Many have trusted in coffee and entertainment to try and attract people to the church instead of proclaiming the gospel. But when the gospel of Jesus is proclaimed, the church grows and bears fruit.

Just recently I planted a little over 100 dollars worth of grass in my lawn. I had thatched it and aerated it prior to a rain in hopes that it would fill in my dead patches of lawn. I was disappointed when it didn’t really take. I wanted to see life! Many of you have probably planted gardens and are eagerly waiting to see if your plants will grow well. It’s interesting how different seasons produce different results. Sometimes beans grow well and other times tomatoes grow well. You eagerly wait for the harvest and can’t wait to enjoy its fruit. God plants the Word in your soul and He loves to see growth. He expects to see growth, because the Gospel is powerful. It naturally grows. That’s what He plants it for. He wants you to grow in your faith and He wants you to share your faith so that more people come to faith in Jesus.

Again, Paul said that it was doing just that among the Colossians “from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth.” Notice how he writes that. There’s a couple of things that strike me. First of all, it came from HEARING it. Faith and love flow from listening to God’s voice in the Word of God. Paul was writing more words of God for them to listen to. That Word is not clearly spoken to you in your feelings or your emotions. God doesn’t speak to you clearly in what you think. He doesn’t speak to you in your prayers. He speaks clearly to you in His written words. If His words don’t match with your emotions or feelings or your prayers, then trust the Word and not your emotions. That’s where the growth happens.