In this part of the country, I think we’re at least somewhat familiar with mistletoe that grows as green clumps in the branches of various trees. Sometimes they blend in, and sometimes they really stand out, especially if the tree loses its leaves. Lately, I’ve just learned some fascinating tidbits about mistletoe.
Without getting into anything too technical, mistletoe is a type of parasite, which means it survives to some extent off of the tree it’s attached to. Its “roots” penetrate into the branches, and absorb water and nutrients from the host tree. It bears little white berries, and in the berry is a seed with a sticky film around it. When birds eat the berries, that sticky film remains intact all the way through their digestive system. When the bird droppings land on a tree branch, that seed sticks, and in a year or so, that thing has grown these little “roots” that penetrate into the branch, and becomes a new little mistletoe plant.
If you want to eradicate the mistletoe from the tree, you have to cut that branch off 12”-14” back from the point of attachment, or that mistletoe will grow back in 1 to 3 years.
So can an oak tree bear mistletoe berries?
In Matthew 7:16-18 [KJV], Jesus says, “16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Using Jesus’ words, some would say, “There are mistletoe berries growing from that tree, so it’s not an oak tree anymore. It has become a mistletoe tree.”
Others would say, “It’s obviously an oak tree, so the kind of fruit growing on it really doesn’t matter. All that matters is that it is and always will be an oak tree.”
A few might go so far as to say, “It’s an oak tree, and the fruit of an oak is acorns, and an oak tree can NOT bear anything but acorns, so those things that look like mistletoe berries are really acorns.”
Another might say, “That tree is bearing both acorns and mistletoe berries, so it has two natures. It’s a combination… like an oakletoe, or a mistleoak.”
How about calling it what it is: an oak tree… that a foreign plant has attached itself to, and has actually sunk its roots into, and tapped into the very life of the tree. Then how about thinking of what’s good for the tree… and cut that thing out of there? What good does it do to have all the knowledge in the world about what it is, how it got there, and how it grows; and still not take action for the good of the tree?
There are some who don’t have the right name for it… don’t even know what it is… have no idea how it got there, but can discern that it does not look like the leaves and fruit of an oak. So they’re climbing that tree, doing whatever they can, to cut that stuff out of their lives. God honors that.
Sadly, perhaps the most common response is, “Yeah, it’s a parasite, and it doesn’t belong there, and of course it’s not good; but it’s not going to kill an otherwise healthy tree, so it’s nothing to be concerned about”
There are many, many scriptures that come into consideration in this age-old issue. Some have been misunderstood or distorted, and have hurt God’s little ones. Sometimes they can be misused, to minister condemnation, frustration, and despair. Or sometimes, to give a false assurance, a false liberty that feels good, but ends in eternal damnation. But God’s Word is still true, and it ministers life and holiness.
God’s truth is simple enough for a child to understand, when taught by the Spirit of God, but sometimes man tries to make things simple in the wrong way… by selecting what they choose to believe, and ignoring everything else that “complicates” that belief. We need to take ALL of God’s Word, and leave nothing out; and above all, to take action, and be doers of the Word we know.
I think Jesus got right to the root of it all, when He said, “MAKE THE TREE GOOD, and his fruit good…” [Matthew 12:33 KJV] We can’t change the tree by trying to change the fruit. We must first be “born again”, born of God, with God’s nature, to be a tree of righteousness. Then the fruit of righteousness WILL come forth. Then anything on your tree that isn’t righteousness, and doesn’t look like God… it is NOT who you are. It is NOT your nature. And it does not have to be permanent. Just cut it out… back to where it can’t come back! And, oh yeah… keep the bird droppings off your branches.
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