Have you ever tried a persimmon? Persimmons are red-brown or orange fruits and look like a small tomato capped by a calyx. They are pleasingly sweet when ripe. No wonder the Latin word for persimmon, Diospyros lotus, means “food of the gods.”
My senior pastor once shared a story about a persimmon tree. When he was a young boy, he lived in the countryside. One day, his father took him out to a field. They soon came across a large persimmon tree with branches full of beautiful leaves. But then, his father began to saw off all of those branches.
“Why?” my pastor asked in bewilderment.
“This tree will bear many fruits, but they will be too small and bitter. No one can eat them,” his father firmly replied. “In a few weeks, you shall see new buds. Then, soon this tree will bear real persimmons.”
His father began grafting new and healthy twigs onto the trunk of the old tree. Indeed, that is how the old persimmon tree can be renewed and produces good fruit.
From the Bible, we have learned that sin enters this world through Adam and it passed down to all people. Figuratively, we were born as bad tree, incapable of producing good fruit on our own. (Matthew 7:17-18; Luke 6:43) In order to bear good fruit, first we must be transformed into a completely new tree.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV)
God is an amazing farmer. When we accept Jesus into our lives, the Heavenly Father grafts the branches of Jesus onto us. As said in the Bible, Christ Jesus is the true “tree of life” (Revelation 22:2). Only Jesus gives us new life, so that we can become the new creation.
The bad persimmon tree will not fail to bear good fruit because the tree does not have feet to run away from the union with the new twig. What about us? Our feet are capable of breaking the union with Christ.
As Jesus once taught, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, NIV)
Dear friends, let us remain in Christ so that we can be abundant in good fruit within our lives.
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