Healing Fruit

Growing up in the Sonora Desert of Tucson, Arizona, we did not have all the foliage that many people remember in their childhood. I will say, however, that the flora of the desert there was captivating and surprisingly diverse with hundreds of species of small trees and cacti, grasses, and brush. The state tree, the Palo Verde, was plentiful, as was Mesquite. We also had Catclaw, Cottonwood, and the Desert Willow. The Ocotillo looked like a dead collection of spiny sticks, but with a single rain, could fill soon after with little green leaves and then light red flowers.

There were also ornamental plant materials that people planted in town to bring landscaping color and texture to their spaces. I remember how, as kids, we made a simple desert version of leis. We started by plucking a few long strings from the Palo Verde tree (the name means “green branch”). These pliable strings, about eight inches long, supported the tiny leaves of the plant. Pulling the string between lightly clamped thumb and forefinger stripped off all the leaves. We then harvested flowers from the large, fast-growing oleander bushes that people had brought in to adorn their yards. Some bushes had red flowers, some pink, and some white. Tying a knot at the end of a string allowed us to thread the blossoms and create a floral strand. Tying several such strands together and connecting the ends to complete a circle provided a garland big enough to wear as a necklace.

We had been taught how poisonous the oleander is, so we had to wash our hands quickly and thoroughly at an outdoor faucet. Pretty as the flowers are, the juice from them if ingested could make one sick. There are several toxins in the plant that can cause severe illness or even death. It reminds me of the archetypal narrative of the Garden of Eden. The residents were warned that the tree at the center of the garden was beautiful to look upon, but the fruit was not to be eaten. The man and the woman were talked into ignoring that warning, and it changed everything for them.

If the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil had fruit that was the undoing of the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, bringing about the pattern of sin and death, what we have seen from the Tree of Calvary brings about our healing and life. When Peter is warned by the Temple council, including the High Priest, to stop teaching in the name of Jesus about his death and resurrection, he ignores their demand. Peter held the conviction that God wanted the apostles to spread the news of the raising of Jesus from death. They are rounded up again for questioning by the officials, but Peter says,

"We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him." (Acts 5:29-32)

Visualize the self-offering of our Savior on the cross; know that he is the Fruit that brings God’s healing. Christ Jesus reverses the effects of Eden’s fruit of our disobedience. Eating the fruit at the center of the garden is our demise. Partaking of the fruit of the Tree which is the Cross of Jesus, brings love, forgiveness, and life.