Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. (Matthew 21:18-21)
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I almost cursed my watermelon plant last month. I came close so many times. It would have been a shame, too.
You see, last March, the Sunday after Easter, I planted a variety of plants in my small garden. I planted some okra seeds, bell pepper seeds, mild jalapeño seeds, parsley seeds, and several young seedlings, including a watermelon plant. The tag that came with the watermelon plant (I only planted one) said the fruit would mature in 80 days from the date of the plant's first sprout. March 30 was the day I planted the seedling, so I naturally anticipated the watermelons would come sometime around mid June. Sounds right, right?
During June I waited eagerly for the sweet taste of melon but none appeared. There were many flowers and many leaves and the plant grew like a weed. The small seedling grew into a wild, aggressive, massive vine system that produced pretty yellow flowers. Leaves grew upon leaves and the vine took over my front yard. It is massive! But, alas, not single fruit grew. June turned into July and early July into mid July. Mid July turned into late July. But the vine grew no fruit. My heart nearly broke. Here was a vine that appeared more-than-healthy and was growing like mad. But it did not do what it was supposed to do. It did not bear fruit. There was no evidence of the fact this was, indeed, a watermelon vine.
So I seriously considered cursing it. Just like Jesus said I could in Matthew 21.
Almost... until I noticed something one day two weeks ago. The calendar had turned into August when I noticed a melon growing near the end of one of the vines. It wasn't small, like I had anticipated. No, it was the size of a tennis ball. "Where did this come from?" I asked myself. "Why now? Why not 80 days from the date of first sprouting? Do you know how much I have anticipated this day?" I asked the plant. Indeed, that melon was the first. Now I have at least six melons growing. Several are the size of water balloons and others the size of walnuts.
There are spiritual analogies embedded everywhere in my watermelon saga. The vine is like many Christians who love to sit in church and soak up information. They eat, sleep and breathe theology and appear -- on the outside -- to have it all together. But they bear no fruit. They are content to listen to exegetical preaching but not to live out what they hear in their daily lives. Indeed, they are watermelon vines with no watermelons. God is waiting for their fruit. He's waiting for their acts of kindness, grace and mercy. He's waiting for them to share the Gospel, whether in word or in deed. He's waiting for them to teach others what they have learned. Indeed, He's waiting for them to come into maturity. Maybe you're one of them. Hopefully not.
In John 15, Jesus said He would prune those branches (or vines) that did not bear fruit. They are regarded as worthless as fruit branches. Abide in Me, Jesus said, and you will bear fruit. Abiding in Christ involves living out His commands and teachings. Otherwise, you are not being a productive Christian.
Just a lesson from my watermelon vine.
Be God's!
