Adult Object Lession: Luke 17:5-10
Faith and the Mulberry Tree
Consider the mulberry tree.
The mulberry tree is a weed tree. Unruly. Persistent. Problematic. Uncommercial.
Mulberry trees are common. I could pull a dozen from garden to use as an object this week. The sooner I pull them the better as they are difficult to get rid of once they take root.
If you have no mulberry trees use this painting by Van Gogh.
Jesus says, “If you had faith the size of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
We tend to concentrate on the size of the mustard seed when we tell this story.
Mustard seeds are small. Point made.
Today let’s concentrate on the mulberry tree.
Here’s some information about mulberry trees.
- They are widespread. They grow in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and boy! do they grow in North America.
- They are a wide, bushy tree. I played under one as a child, imagining each branch dipping to the ground as carving out a separate room in my playhouse, fort or castle.
- Most trees have needles or leaves that are very alike. The basic heart-shaped mulberry leaves can develop lobes that create many different shapes.
- They bear both male and female flowers.
- They can begin to grow again, even years after we think we’ve eradicated them.
- They can thrive in the harshest conditions—even next to the sea. Jesus would have their mustard seed-sized faith plant the tree in the sea!
- Their fruit is sweet and edible but not commercial. The berries are soft and fragile. Yet dropped by birds, they grow anywhere.
- Their fruit stains everything. My back porch is purple in the spring.
This time, when we read this well-known parable, think about how God would put our small faith to work. He would have us moving weed trees, working with a tree that has a mind of its own and diversity in appearance, that can be found almost anywhere, that has potential value if handled with care and which bears a colorful fruit that can leave a lasting impression. If they weren’t so persistent in being what they are, they would be considered beautiful—a subject for painters like Van Gogh.