Sycamine Tree

The sycamine tree was a very hardy tree that grew in abundance in Jesus’ day and was used for making caskets.  It was very hard to kill and grew very tall.  You could cut into it and it would still grow because its roots went way down in the ground where it would be nourished by the water far below the surface.  It looked much like the mulberry tree and it also produced figs but its fruit was very bitter and hard to eat.  If you were rich you could buy the figs from the mulberry tree which were very sweet and tasty but if you were poor you would have to buy the figs from the sycamine tree which were very bitter and took a while to devour.  When the people ate of this fig they would nibble on it then come back and nibble on it some more, because of its bitter taste it was hard to eat all at one time.  When you know these things about the sycamine tree you can better understand why Jesus used it when He talked to His disciples about un-forgiveness.

Bitterness and un-forgiveness are very serious problems in a person’s life whether he is a Christian or not.  Hebrews 12:14, 15, says, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.  See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.”  

Bitterness and un-forgiveness defile a person and have a ripple effect on other people as well. Bitterness and un-forgiveness start gradually and its bitter root, if not nipped in the bud, will go down deep in the soul to the very heart of a person, as the roots of the sycamine tree go deep in the ground where it gets its nourishment.  The deeper a bitter root gets into a person the harder it is to get rid of it.  And like the fruit of the sycamine tree is bitter, its fruit is also very bitter and hard to digest; it just sits within you and festers.  

The sycamine tree was also used to build caskets, which I already mentioned, it encompassed dead corpses.  Bitterness and un-forgiveness are like poison which can make you sick and eventually kill you.  Jails and prisons are full of people that have been angry and bitter resulting in revenge and murder.  Jesus said in Luke 17:3-4, “Be on your guard!  If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sin’s against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”

Please read Matthew 18:23-27, “Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.”

Now think of this, this man’s debt has been totally wiped clean, he owes nothing, he should have gone out and rejoiced and been very excited and his attitude should have been compassion for others like it was shown to him; but instead read what it says he did in Matthew 18:28-35. “Now the slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii. And he grabbed him and started chocking him, saying, ‘pay back what you owe.’ So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.  My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

If you are a born-again believer think about what you have been forgiven of and at what cost it was obtained.  It cost the Lord His life, He was crucified, died and was buried, willingly to pay for our debt that we could have never paid.  That wasn’t the end of the story, but I think the most important part of the story happened next, He rose from the grave and now He is sitting at the right hand of His Father in heaven!!   

Forgiveness is not easy at times but with the Lord’s help it is never impossible, so ask the Lord to help you to forgive from the heart and He will, for that is His will for your life.  Don’t put it off, start now!  God bless you and have a great day.