Fruity

Once you’ve enjoyed that hearty meal, you might reckon a pudding too much and feel some relief at being offered the fruit bowl instead.  Whether that’s you or not, I think you’ll agree there’s something very attractive about a well-laden bowl with the bright colours of bananas, grapes, oranges and those lovely rosy apples. Whatever fruit we choose, though, to be enjoyed most it must be grown in ideal conditions, picked at just the right time, packed properly, and transported carefully. 

In our delight at the juice and fine flavours, it’s easy to forget that these examples are only part of a far greater process ... that of life itself ... a process that mirrors our spiritual lives as well.  The Bible is quick to expand the meaning of fruit: as early as the first chapter of Genesis, in fact, where verses 28-29 draw out the contrast admirably.  The big picture comes first, “Be fruitful and increase in number”, and then God’s provision for our bodies, “I give you every seed-bearing plant ... and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.” 

In one of his most famous verses, St Paul listed what he called ‘the fruits of the spirit’ (Gal. 5:22-23).  Jesus talked to his disciples about good fruit coming from good trees and bad fruit coming from bad trees; he warned them about false prophets, and told them that these could be recognised by their ‘fruit’, i.e. by their behaviour and what they said (Matt. 7:15-20).

Paul concluded his list of spiritual fruits with the exhortation, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” (Gal. 5: 25-26).  Transporting this into the vision of the fruit bowl, we can draw the conclusion that, if we are to successfully offer good fruit, then we have to look after those we possess and also to exercise regularly the act of sharing them.

Before my recent retirement, it was often necessary to have lunch while on the way somewhere and bananas offered the best combination of nourishment and convenience.  However, having done my shopping at the weekend, by Thursday or Friday they were noticeably much older; the lovely firm flesh of Monday had given way to an almost liquid and easily bruised mush that wasn't nearly so tasty.  I wouldn’t have felt comfortable offering fruit like that to anyone!

If we choose to neglect our fruit – whether material or spiritual – there are serious consequences.  The book of Deuteronomy explains over and over the laws God gave to the Israelites in the desert before they entered the Promised Land.  It lists the many disasters that would befall those who ignore His commands, including “You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off.” (Deut. 28:40). The Hebrew nashal refers to the olives dropping off before they ripen; Jesus told a parable about making use of what we are given (Matt. 25:14-30), which illustrates these consequences perfectly.

Think  deeply, dear reader: what do you have in your fruit bowl?