Wild Olive of Tuscany |
Tuscany, Italy
"Just as you recieved Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, standing firm in the Faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." ~Colossians 2:6-7
I have returned again to one of my favorite places on Earth - Tuscany. Last year about this time, I met a farmer and his wife down the road who were a part of the leadership in a local congregation of evangelical believers. Giovanni and Grazie spoke great English and quickly invited me into their home to share a meal and their friendship. I stayed with them for a couple of nights and helped them harvest their olive trees along with friends and family that came in from around the country. Throughout the evening and at mealtime, the dining room resonated with life and laughter and high animation as each person dramatized every phrase and story with increasing enthusiasm one more vividly then the next: each an actor competing for the stage - each more boisterous then the next. They shared their lives; they shared their harvest; they shared their home.
The next year, a good friend of mine, Max, and I set out again to the farm to be with them a couple of days during the harvest. Last Thursday, before we began the work in the morning, we sat around the table with bread and coffee and read Scripture. Of course I could not understand the words, although the Spirit of our Lord was evident in the joy in their hearts and in the spirit of their passion to know our Savior. Then as we headed into the grove, Giovanni lead the way singing hymns and teaching at any opportunity he had. The day was full – but relaxing to me. The olives were plentiful and the views spectacular. From the top of the trees, it was spectacular to look across the Tuscan countryside and see the small villages, and villas with columns of spruce along winding lanes, and to hear the towers chime out the toll of the passing hours.
At the end of the day, Giovanni invited us to walk with with him. We followed him to "the special tree" in his grove. We walked deep into one corner of the olive grove until we came to a tree. We stopped and as we looked at it he asked me to describe anything that was different about this olive tree. It was planted properly among all the other trees planted in the row, evenly spaced. It truly didn't look that different at first. But, as I looked at it more, it became obvious that it was different; both the leaves and the olive fruit were smaller in size than those on the other trees. As I described this, he then said, "Yes! You are right to notice – the leaves and fruit are smaller in size. You know - out of all my thousands of cultivated trees, this is the only wild olive tree I have. The wild olive is not a sweet fruit, and on it own. its oil is bitter. If I graft a branch from this tree into a cultivated olive tree, the leaves will never change in size or the fruit became larger." What do you think this means?
I was reminded of Romans chapter eleven where the Gentiles are described as the "wild olive." My heart was warmed as I realized how that all of Paul’s readers would have realized this to be the case that the wild olive was different in this way and the significance it held in the text of Romans eleven. Then I replied, "God is more interested in the fact that we belong to the promise and are nourished by the root of Christ than he is interested in the size of our fruit. Or maybe better said – we do not gain acceptance or approval from God based on the size of our fruit, but rather that we belong to Christ.
Giovanni explained that a grafted-in wild branch would flourish and grow and continue to bear fruit and be harvested along with the other fruit of that tree. What is interesting as you look out at the vast acreage of cultivated trees is that the grafted wild branch is not necessary at all. The only reason it would be engrafted in the first place is that the landowner would have chosen to do so and for no other reason than for his own good pleasure.
I realized myself at that moment – that I was merely the wild olive in Tuscany called to belong to God in Christ, not because I could be a great fruit-bearing branch, but simply for God's good pleasure and glory. God’s Word becomes clearer and clearer to me about His Sovereignty in my salvation, and I am overwhelmed by His love and purpose for my life – to love Him with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength and love my neighbor as myself. God has called us to belong to Him through Christ, and in that flourish and grow and, yes, bear fruit. But the harvest and the sweet oil of goodness and grace are ALL in the work of the Lord of the harvest.
May you be encouraged as a chosen wild olive engrafted into the promise of God’s Grace and Love.
"Just as you recieved Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, standing firm in the Faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." ~Colossians 2:6-7
I have returned again to one of my favorite places on Earth - Tuscany. Last year about this time, I met a farmer and his wife down the road who were a part of the leadership in a local congregation of evangelical believers. Giovanni and Grazie spoke great English and quickly invited me into their home to share a meal and their friendship. I stayed with them for a couple of nights and helped them harvest their olive trees along with friends and family that came in from around the country. Throughout the evening and at mealtime, the dining room resonated with life and laughter and high animation as each person dramatized every phrase and story with increasing enthusiasm one more vividly then the next: each an actor competing for the stage - each more boisterous then the next. They shared their lives; they shared their harvest; they shared their home.
The next year, a good friend of mine, Max, and I set out again to the farm to be with them a couple of days during the harvest. Last Thursday, before we began the work in the morning, we sat around the table with bread and coffee and read Scripture. Of course I could not understand the words, although the Spirit of our Lord was evident in the joy in their hearts and in the spirit of their passion to know our Savior. Then as we headed into the grove, Giovanni lead the way singing hymns and teaching at any opportunity he had. The day was full – but relaxing to me. The olives were plentiful and the views spectacular. From the top of the trees, it was spectacular to look across the Tuscan countryside and see the small villages, and villas with columns of spruce along winding lanes, and to hear the towers chime out the toll of the passing hours.
At the end of the day, Giovanni invited us to walk with with him. We followed him to "the special tree" in his grove. We walked deep into one corner of the olive grove until we came to a tree. We stopped and as we looked at it he asked me to describe anything that was different about this olive tree. It was planted properly among all the other trees planted in the row, evenly spaced. It truly didn't look that different at first. But, as I looked at it more, it became obvious that it was different; both the leaves and the olive fruit were smaller in size than those on the other trees. As I described this, he then said, "Yes! You are right to notice – the leaves and fruit are smaller in size. You know - out of all my thousands of cultivated trees, this is the only wild olive tree I have. The wild olive is not a sweet fruit, and on it own. its oil is bitter. If I graft a branch from this tree into a cultivated olive tree, the leaves will never change in size or the fruit became larger." What do you think this means?
I was reminded of Romans chapter eleven where the Gentiles are described as the "wild olive." My heart was warmed as I realized how that all of Paul’s readers would have realized this to be the case that the wild olive was different in this way and the significance it held in the text of Romans eleven. Then I replied, "God is more interested in the fact that we belong to the promise and are nourished by the root of Christ than he is interested in the size of our fruit. Or maybe better said – we do not gain acceptance or approval from God based on the size of our fruit, but rather that we belong to Christ.
Giovanni explained that a grafted-in wild branch would flourish and grow and continue to bear fruit and be harvested along with the other fruit of that tree. What is interesting as you look out at the vast acreage of cultivated trees is that the grafted wild branch is not necessary at all. The only reason it would be engrafted in the first place is that the landowner would have chosen to do so and for no other reason than for his own good pleasure.
I realized myself at that moment – that I was merely the wild olive in Tuscany called to belong to God in Christ, not because I could be a great fruit-bearing branch, but simply for God's good pleasure and glory. God’s Word becomes clearer and clearer to me about His Sovereignty in my salvation, and I am overwhelmed by His love and purpose for my life – to love Him with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength and love my neighbor as myself. God has called us to belong to Him through Christ, and in that flourish and grow and, yes, bear fruit. But the harvest and the sweet oil of goodness and grace are ALL in the work of the Lord of the harvest.
May you be encouraged as a chosen wild olive engrafted into the promise of God’s Grace and Love.
