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He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. (Psalm 1:3-4)
Scripture has a lot to tell us about plant life and growing things, but not for the purpose of giving us gardening advice. Through these Spirit-inspired words about life and growth, God leads us to grow in faith. We learn about trees, fruit, vineyards, mustard seeds, lilies of the field, grains of wheat, roots, and fruitful branches. In His parable of the sower, Jesus compares the preaching of God’s Word to the work of a farmer who scatters seed in a nearly reckless way. In Jesus’ teaching, there are four possible outcomes for this scattered seed. Some of the seeds are snatched from a path by birds. Other seeds cannot sink strong roots into rocky soil and so wither and die. Some of the seeds manage to grow, only to be choked by thorns. These examples of failed growth represent those who hear the Word of God and choose, ultimately, to reject it. The scattered seed of the Word also falls onto good soil, into human hearts where by God’s grace it grows and bears the fruit of faith and godly living.
Jesus’ parable addresses four possible outcomes. Our psalm describes only two outcomes brought about by different responses to God’s Word: a growing, fruitful tree or windblown, discarded chaff. The wicked are not rooted in faith. They are the people who willfully and stubbornly choose to reject the Lord and His Word. As a result, the wicked are like chaff, the broken bits of stalks and leaves separated from the grains and carried away by the wind. The wicked are not rooted in faith. God knows their evil ways and they will not stand before His throne in righteousness on the Day of Judgment.
The second outcome in the psalm teaches us about the people who are righteous because they trust in the Lord. They delight in His Word and believe His promises. They grow like thriving, fruitful trees. By God’s grace through faith in Jesus, we stand among these blessed, fruit-bearing trees. We are rooted in Jesus our Savior, the Son of God who took on human flesh and grew up before God “like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground” (Isaiah 53:2a). We are righteous because Jesus bore our sins in His body on the tree of the cross. We are united to Him, the true Vine, growing and nourished by the gift of His body and blood. Through the reading and study of His Word we are refreshed with the living water that is the Spirit of God. Whatever the season, whatever the circumstances, we grow and yield the fruit of love and service.
WE PRAY: Jesus, nourish me through Your Word and Sacrament so that I will grow in faith toward You and in love toward others. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you like caring for plants? Are there plants you find difficult to grow? If so, why is that?
- What do you think it means when the Bible says that “in all that he does, he prospers”?
- How does knowing that Jesus gives us water from which we will never thirst again (see John 4:13-14) give you hope and comfort?
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