Have you ever found yourself driving down the road or highway when someone gets angry with you for obeying the law? Ever been in school and found you are harassed by a bully for no good reason? Do you have a parent or sibling that has scarred you? Maybe Christmas didn't turn out like you'd hoped or maybe you're jealous of someone else. You've heard the phrase, "those that are hurting, hurt others." Why? Many times bitterness and unforgiveness run rampant in our lives. We're angry because we've been hurt so deeply. Maybe this rings closer to home than we'd like to admit. Maybe we are the bully. Either way, there is a great lesson to be learned.
In Luke 17:6 Jesus is talking with his disciples about forgiveness. You'll recall "mustard seed" from this verse, but what about "sycamine tree?" Did Jesus pick that tree just because it was near by? I don't think so.
The sycamine tree grew in the Middle East during these times. It was one of the hardiest trees and could grow in any environment. It grew to heights of thirty feet or more and had roots that went so deep it could survive the driest conditions. Even cutting the tree down didn't guarantee it would die because the strong root structure could allow it to grow again. The wood from these trees was even commonly used to build caskets, and it's fruit was bitter to eat.
Are you beginning to see why Jesus would use this tree as a comparison as He talked about bitterness and unforgiveness? Like this tree, unforgiveness can run deep into our hearts and even superficially dealing with it won't make it go away. Just like this tree being able to grow in any environment, each of us, no matter where we are in life, are prone to get hurt and harbor unforgiveness. No one is exempt. The wood from the tree commonly being used for caskets can illustrate that unforgiveness is DEADLY! The bitter taste of the fruit couldn't be eaten quickly - it took time to eat just one seed. Just like when we've been offended, the bitterness lingers as we replay the offenses over and over again.
Thankfully, Jesus tells His disciples that this nasty tree with deep roots of unforgiveness can be cast into the sea if we only have a little faith. It doesn't take a huge amount of faith to remove our bitterness. Just a humble beginning the size of a tiny mustard seed and we can pluck it out of our hearts by the root and cast it into the sea for good.
If we are harboring unforgiveness towards someone who returns to us and repents, even if they sin against us and repent seven times in one day, we are commanded by Jesus to forgive them. If we don't, that unforgiveness will grow in us just like the sycamine tree and the longer we hold onto it, the deeper its roots will go to the point that it can choke out our own lives and make us miserable.
The good news is that if we chose to forgive, it only takes a little faith on our part to begin believing those roots of bitterness are drying up and being removed.
Let's do what Jesus said and forgive those who have hurt or wronged us and allow the fullness of our lives to be restored today. Take the first step today and don't wait for them to repent, we are equipped to forgive even without their repentance. The choice is yours to make and with our Father's goodness added in, we can have the joy back in our lives starting right now!
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