Matthew 7:16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? [Revised Standard translation]
Luke 6:43-44 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers….” [New International translation]
Summary
JESUS spoke and taught in parables. He used simple stories to illustrate a spiritual or moral lesson.
Parables cause one to use our “inner” nature. For example, parables generally evoke a visual picture “in our mind’s eye.” There is usually a story, with characters or familiar objects that we can visualize. Like snowflakes, no two visual pictures are the same. Each of us bring our own life experience to visualizing the parable. Our past experiences serve as a backdrop to what we “see” or “do not see.” One person’s “fruit” tree may be different from another’s; one may “see” Concord grapes while another may envision green ones. What each of us brings to the parable, in terms of our “physical” and “spiritual” experiences, may vary.
There are often “layers” to a parable. They cause the hearer to think and ask questions, such as: 1) Why did JESUS tell this parable? 2) What lesson or message is JESUS conveying with this story? 3) Who is the parable directed? Is HE talking to me or is HE talking to someone else? 4) Is the parable a warning? 5) To whom is the warning directed? 9) What does JESUS want HIS listeners (including me) to do?
The impact of a parable may vary. Like a puzzle, some hearers may find their hearts, minds and souls fervently grappling with the parable, searching for its inner meaning. Like a person struggling to solve a cross word puzzle a person may go going over and over it in their mind wanting to do right thing. Other may just ignore the parable and continue on with life as if JESUS never said a word. Others may be “convicted” and pray that the MASTER TEACHER show them the way, the truth and the light.
PEARS
Pears rank second to apples as being the most popular fruit in the U.S. “A medium size pear contains about 103 calories and is a good source of health-promoting vitamin C and fiber.” See, www.webmd.com Pears are also rich in vitamin K (a fat soluble vitamin). According to www.whfoods.com, pears are also a hypo-allergenic food, because they are less likely to produce an adverse physical reaction; thus, pears are often one of the first “safe” fruits introduced to infants. However, it is always a good idea to wash pears carefully to remove pesticide or bacterial residue. Even organic pears should be washed carefully.
In an article entitled: “Apples, Pears May Reduce Stroke Risk,” Bill Hendrick with WebMD Health News reported on a study by Dutch researchers examining whether there was a link between stroke risks and eating fruits and vegetables of various colors. The researchers studies 20,069 people between the ages of 20 to 69 and what they ate over a one-year period. None of the individuals studied had a history of stroke or heart disease at the start of the study. Over a 10 year follow-up period, 233 had strokes. The researches stated that the risk of stroke was 52% lower in people who ate lots of white flesh fruits and vegetables, compared to those who did not. Foods in the white category included: apples, pears, bananas, cauliflower, chicory and cucumbers. In the study, 55% of the white fruits and vegetables were apples and pears. The Dutch study was published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. Those who reviewed the study noted that more research needed to be done; however, if they noted that if the finds are replicated, they noted that “a time for an apple a day [or a pear a day] clinical trial has come.” See, “Apples, Pears May Reduce Stroke Risk,” Bill Hendrick, reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD, www.webmd.com.
PARABLE OF THE PEAR TREE
The “Parable of the Pear Tree” does not appear in the Bible but it also conveys an important lesson. The story goes as follow:
A father wanted to teach his sons the lesson of not judging something or someone too quickly, and so he called them together and said "I have a task for you. I want you, my eldest son to go out into our fields and take a look at the pear tree and come back and tell me what your evaluation is of its condition."
So the eldest went out and saw the pear tree. But it was winter, and the son saw the tree on a harsh winter day and reported back and said to his father. "I see nothing of promise about the tree. It appears old, gnarled and has no blooms on it at all. I doubt it will sur-vive the winter."
Three months later the father sent the next eldest son out in the spring to evaluate the pear tree. The son came back saying "The tree is very beautiful, with white blooms, but it seems purely ornamental. It has no fruit, nor any sign of ever bearing any. I doubt it will be of much practical use to us."
Three months later the father sent the third out in the summer. The son went out to see the tree and came back reporting: "the tree seems to be growing and doing well, and it is full of leaves. But I could see some fruit, so I picked one and tasted it, but it was bitter, not fit for human consumption. I doubt it will prove of much use to us."
Finally three months later the father sent his youngest son out to see the tree once more. This time the tree was full of ripe beautiful golden and red pears. The son tried one and came back with the glowing report "Father we must come quickly for the harvest is upon the tree, and it is heavy laden and needs us to pick the pears for they are ripe and deli-cious now."
The father called his four sons back together, and said, "You see each of you have ob-served well the condition of a the tree at a particular season of the year, but your judg-ment of the tree was only partial, and made too quickly based on what you saw on only the one occasion. See to it that you never judge human beings this way. Never evaluate them too quickly, for it is unfair and unwise. Indeed all living things should only be eval-uated over the course of time and after repeated careful inspection, for who knows when the ugliest and most unproductive of living things might someday turn into the most beautiful and fruitful."
Posted by Ben Witherington.
Food For Thought and Prayer
Today, this week, and in the days ahead, we will encounter many people (e.g. family members, supervisors, subordinates, co-workers, strangers, etc.). Like the sons in the parable of the pear tree, we will encounter these people in their various “seasons.” Others will likewise encounter each of us “in our seasons” as well. Let us pray that we not judge others quickly or too harshly and that we, in turn, not be harshly judged when we are “off seasons.” Let us all pray for greater understanding and love.
Let us also pray that JESUS open our hearts and minds to HIM and HIS teachings.
Have a fruitful raw foods day and BE BLESSED!
