The Axe At The Root of The Tree

Sadly, we just finished off the last of our citrus.  The satsumas, grapefruit, navel oranges, and tangerines where fantastic this year.  The weather has been warming up into the 80's and that has sparked a lot of new green growth in the vegetation.  Russ took out his pruning shears and began to tidy up around the blueberry bushes, landscaping and citrus.

While he was at it, I asked him to come take a look at a citrus tree in the side yard.  It has really grown from when we planted it.  Why, it must be 10 feet tall.  There's only one problem.  It has NEVER produced fruit.  Last year I vowed that if it didn't make fruit, I would chop it down.  Russ pointed out its thorns - some of them 2 inches long.  I've gotten snagged by some of these while mowing around the tree.  Not fun!  The tree had grown out from beneath the graft.  This means that the tree was "wild" and growing from the root stock and therefore would never yield fruit.

Look at those thorns!

Time to make good on my vow.  Russ worked with his pruning shears and I worked with a pruning saw to tame this wild tree.  Later I got an axe and chopped it down to ground level so that we could mow over it.

The Citrus Stump (that soon got chopped down to ground level)

We chopped it up into little pieces and stacked it in the wagon and carted it into the backyard.  It was amazing that a fine looking tree was laid to waste in no time at all.  You see, that is the tragedy.  I love shade trees.  Shade trees are valued because of their beauty and the nice shade they provide on sunny days.  Fruit trees, on the other hand, are valued for their fruit.  If you are a fruit tree, by golly, you had better bear fruit - or else.

Note the new spring growth on the doomed tree.  

The tree that was putting on new spring growth suddenly found itself chopped down and thrown into a fire that we built in our fire pit.  Before the day was done, the tree would be converted into ashes.

Thrown into the Fire

A westerly wind arose, heightening the flames as they consumed the tree.  Branches, thorns and green growth fell victim to the insatiable appetite of the flames.

As I watched the fire, I thought about this verse in the Bible and the clear illustration it gave:

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  Luke 3:9

John the Baptist was calling on the Jews to turn from their sins and repent.  That same call of repentance echoes to us today.  Believe, turn to Him, bear good fruit!  If we don't change our ways, discipline and judgment is coming.