Down to the Root

Yesterday, on the Feast of John the Baptist, Father talked about the “axe” that first John the Baptist and then, of course, Jesus took to the “root” of the traditions of the day. Of course we are talking about a symbolic axe, but sometimes those are the most painful.

Apparently, when a tree does not produce fruit, after other, more gentle means have been applied, including pruning, an old method of “shocking” the tree was to strike the tap root with an axe in a last attempt to get the tree to produce fruit.

John the Baptist challenged the fence laws the Pharisees had surrounded God’s Law with. Burdens—wwwthhhuuunk—the axe hits the root. Challenging the rich—wwwthhuuunk—the axe hits close to the heart. Challenging the tax collector—wwwthhuuuunk—the axe hits close to the money bag.

Jesus comes and challenges, not God’s law, but the Pharisees’ and our interpretation of God’s law. He narrows 613 laws into two. Love God with your whole heart, mind and soul. And love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40 or John 12:28-31, paraphrase, mine). He then raises the bar(Matthew 5:20-48)—not only is it wrong to kill—it is wrong to think angry thoughts against your brother—wwwthhhuuunk. It is not just wrong to commit adultery, it wrong to think those thoughts—wwwthhuuunnk. It is not just the obvious sinner with the obvious sins, but also the sinner who in his pride thinks he is not near as bad as that person “over there”—wwwthhuuunk. The axe hits our tap root.

We talk often of “pruning” to become a better Christian. Pruning is painful, but causes new growth and , hopefully, new fruit. It takes away some of our distractions (dare I say “idols”) and re-focuses us on the LORD. But what happens when we have been pruned and still refuse to bear fruit? Or worse, after bearing some fruit revert to our old ways? Must we be struck at the tap root to be “shocked?” Is this our last chance to bear fruit? The merciful Father gives us chances up to the moment we draw our last breath, but without knowing which breath that will be, perhaps it would be more prudent not to wait.

Have you been pruned? Let that be enough. An axe to the tap root is more painful.

~ by throughadarkglass on June 25, 2007.