Abundance of Fruit and the Sprinkling of Blood that Covers the Entrance: Part 2

For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey (Duet. 8:7-8)

This week will look at the next grouping of these promises pertaining to fruit, and the abundance of it within the promise. The scripture denotes “vines” (aka grapes), figs and pomegranates will be flourishing there. Each of these plants has a unique quality about it. To start, let us consider the grape.

Grapes are a vining plant that requires years of root development in order to produce a successful fruit harvest. At a minimum, they require 3 years before they can successfully produce fruit. It is important for the vinedresser not to stress the vines root structures by allowing fruit production too early. By 5 years, the roots reach maturity and the vine is able to produce a full harvest, but it does require careful tending by the vinedresser; specifically, intentional, patient pruning. Even after the root is maturely established, the vine still must be carefully tended every year as grapes only grow on new wood. If branches are not trimmed, they will keep the vine from producing fruit because it will not have enough energy to sustain the old growth from last year and the new growth required to allow fruit production on the new branches. Consider the words of Jesus:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. (John 15:1-8)

The true vine is the base of the vine connected at the root, but God, the vinedresser trims both the branches that produce fruit from the previous season, and those that produce no fruit. If we want to produce fruit in the coming season, the Father must trim the branches from the old season so that we can produce the next harvest.

In order to produce fruit in the coming season, however, we must stay connected to Jesus. Imagine this, a grape vine has just been pruned. All that remains is a small unattractive stump that to the untrained eye might appear as dead. Yet, under the surface of the soil, is an incredibly complex root system. What is underneath the surface is the source of everything that is visible above it. The roots of a mature grape vine can reach as deep as 20 feet! If we do not stay connected to Jesus, the next season will not produce fruit at all. Yet, if we stay connected to Him, “whatever” we ask shall be done!!!

Next, let us look at the fig tree. Figs are incredible for many reasons, and their drought tolerance is certainly one of their most impressive abilities. They are able to thrive in conditions with little water and poor soil, yet, they are one of the most sweet and delicious fruit, when fresh, I can think of. They also have a special inverted bloom. Unlike other plants, the flower is not visible. There is no flower to indicate the anticipation of fruit. Like the grape, the fig must be pruned regularly, while some fruit will grow from the same branches as the previous year’s crop, the main harvest must come from the new wood that has not produced fruit yet. This is why it is important to trim the fig tree back regularly. If its energy is focused on maintaining the old, it will disable the tree from produce branches for fruit in the next season.

Lastly, let us look at the pomegranate. The pomegranate was actually what spurred my initial interest in the passage for our three week study. I was able to find the most beautiful pomegranates at the store this summer! What a treat they are! The only thing about enjoying pomegranates is that when you eat them, you have to consider what you are wearing. There is no avoiding the splatter of the juices on you and your clothing as you break it open and bring the sweetly, sour fruit to your mouth. In honestly, it is probably the messiest fruit you could eat.

As I was eating my first one of the three that I brought home from the store, the thought came to me, “one should never wear white when eating a pomegranate.” Actually, the outfit I was wearing got splattered with the bright red juice the moment I cut into the fruit. I had to stop and wash it out before the stain set in, and before I could continue eating the fruit. Once the stain sets, that bright red never comes out.
I started to consider the imagery of pomegranates throughout the Old Testament. How the priests garments had pomegranates around the hymn of their robes, and how they were used to decorate the pillars in Solomon’s temple. These pomegranates remind us of the natural beauty of fruitfulness no doubt, but I wanted to understand more deeply what the significance of the fruit was. Why was is used to mark the entrance of the temple? Why was it used to mark the holiness of the priestly robes? Then I thought of how the fruit bursts open with juice that sprinkles everything around it. Next, my mind moved to how the priests would sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the altar, and how the Israelites painted their doorframes at Passover with the blood of the lamb sacrificed (Exodus 12:7). That’s when I understood what the pomegranate fruit represents.

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The pomegranate represent the sprinkling of blood that covers the entrance!

Spiritually speaking, we are to bear the fruit of the pomegranate on our temple door. “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Revelation 12:11) The precious fruit of our walk should splash its juice all around us as we go. This represents the blood of Christ. The authority He gave us to apply His blood. Just as it is impossible to eat a pomegranate without it marking what is on us and around us, it should be impossible for us to keep the blood of Christ from obviously marking our lives, and who and what surrounds us. Just as it is impossible to eat a pomegranate fruit without getting it on your clothing, so should the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus mark your life.

There is one more thing about the pomegranate that is of significance. It is known for its’ need for intense sun exposure. It won’t actually ripen properly in cloudy or cool environments. It need heat and direct sun in order to ripen and sweeten properly. As we need direct light from the Son to produce the sweetness of a fruitful life.

The fruit harvest in our “Promised Land” will be resilient to drought, like the fig; have roots that need time to grow deep, yet flourish to produce abundant fruit once mature, like the grape; and that splatter us and what surrounds us with the bright red proof of Christ’s sacrifice for us, like the pomegranate! Hallelujah!!!