The Sycamine Tree of Unforgiveness
Notes
Transcript
John Hopkins Medicine
Whether it’s a simple spat with your spouse or long-held resentment toward a family member or friend, unresolved conflict can go deeper than you may realize—it may be affecting your physical health.
Increases the risk of heart attack
Increases cholesterol levels
Deprives sleep
Increases pain
Increases blood pressure
Increase levels of anxiety
Increases depression
And it increases stress
However, when someone practices active forgiveness just the opposite occurs on each one of these.
However, when someone practices active forgiveness, the opposite occurs for each of these.
Why then is it so hard to forgive?
I believe that one of the most dangerous sins we as believers commit is the sin of unforgiveness. We buy into the lies of unforgiveness.
We believe that if you forgive a person, we somehow won’t receive the justice we deserve for our pain.
We believe that our unforgiveness of someone else’s sins justifies our own sins; a sort of retribution is allowed.
We believe that if we forgive someone, we must trust that person again.
We are convinced our feelings are our convictions instead of looking for truth for our convictions.
We believe we cannot forgive someone until our emotional pain caused by the person is fully worked through in our minds.
We rationalize our unforgiveness in many ways, yet Jesus mentions the dangers of unforgiveness several times. If Jesus emphasizes the necessity of forgiving others, then perhaps we should take note.
Anglican Pastor and poet George Herbert, wrote
He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.
He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.
In other words, we all know that the solution to many of the relational issues in our lives is forgiveness. However, by refusing to forgive, we destroy the very bridge to resolving the problems we face, as we harbor unforgiveness and bitterness in our hearts.
What is forgiveness?
Forgiveness is not forgetting. It is a conscious and deliberate decision to release feelings of anger, resentment, and the desire to exact revenge on someone who has wronged us, regardless of whether they deserve forgiveness or not.
In a nutshell, if you take away just one thing from today’s sermon, it is that forgiveness is obedience to God’s word, as He has commanded us to forgive.
Let’s examine today’s verse and see what God’s word reveals about forgiveness. We will explore several symptoms of unforgiveness and consider some solutions as well.
“Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. “And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry (Sycamine -KJV) tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.
In these verses, Jesus illustrates the importance of forgiveness to the disciples. In their honesty, they are asking Jesus to increase their faith because forgiving to this extent is counter-cultural and is not natural for them.
The Rabbis in the time of Jesus taught that if a person sinned and asked for forgiveness from you, you only needed to forgive them three times. However, Jesus, as He often did, was challenging cultural norms and human expectations by stating that if someone comes to you seven times, you should continue to forgive them.
In Matthew 18:22, Jesus raises the ante and says our forgiveness should be unlimited.
Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
Back to our verse. You will notice that Jesus compares unforgiveness to a tree. The question we need to ask, then, is: Why this tree? Why would Jesus correlate unforgiveness to a Sycamine Tree?
As I studied, I found several symptoms of unforgiveness that are unique to the attributes of this tree.
The Sycamine Tree is an ideal tree for the rough and dry climate of the Middle East. It requires very little rain and nourishment to grow. In fact, this tree grows rapidly when planted. Not only does it grow quickly, but its root system goes very deep to find its water source. Because its root system is so deep, it is extremely hard to kill. Even if you cut it down, if the roots are in a water source, it will continue to grow.
Unforgiveness Quickly Grows and is Hard to Kill!
Unforgiveness Quickly Grows and is Hard to Kill!
When we are unforgiving to people, we certainly do not need help in growing our unforgiveness. It seems to grow quickly and with very little effort. Just like the Sycamine tree, the roots of unforgiveness can go deep, making it difficult to root out.
Have you ever been around someone who is really bitter towards another person? They refuse to forgive that individual, and that person or event becomes the focus of their every thought and conversation. Before long, it starts to define who they are. Even if they claim to have moved on or forgiven the other person, the roots of unforgiveness lie deep within their soul.
These kinds of people are described in Matthew.
“But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.
Unforgiveness inevitably leads to bitterness, and bitterness fosters other sins. We are reminded in Proverbs 4:23 to keep watch over our hearts for that very reason.
Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
If we do not learn to forgive quickly and early, the tree of unforgiveness takes root, grows quickly, and becomes much harder to remove.
1. The sycamine tree grows rapidly, illustrating how swiftly unforgiveness can develop.
2. The wood of the Sycamine tree was frequently used and preferred for making caskets.
Unforgiveness carries death!
Unforgiveness carries death!
The death of unforgiveness not only brings an end to the relationship with the person you are refusing to forgive, but it also brings death to your own spiritual life and relationship with God.
“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.
“But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”
Do you feel that God is not answering your prayers? It may stem from a lack of forgiveness you extend to someone. When the verse says “neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions,” please understand this is NOT talking about salvation, but it is discussing being in right fellowship with God. When we do not forgive others, we are no longer in fellowship with God.
When we are unforgiving, like the caskets made from this tree, our prayer life and fellowship with God are dead.
1. The sycamine tree grows rapidly, illustrating how swiftly unforgiveness can develop.
2. The wood of the Sycamine tree was frequently used and preferred for making caskets.
(3) The Sycamine Tree is not naturally pollinated like other plant life. The way it is pollinated is by wasps that stick their stingers into the heart of the fruit. So, the tree is pollinated by getting stung!
The Sting of Unforgivness Reproduces Unforgiveness
The Sting of Unforgivness Reproduces Unforgiveness
Like the sting of the wasp that pollinates the tree, bitter people who refuse to forgive others spread their bitterness to other parts of their lives. Sometimes, their bitterness and unforgiveness can even spread to other people.
Unwittingly, they are falling into one of Satan’s favorite traps.
But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
The heart of unforgiveness is moldable by Satan and serves as a delight for him to use in destroying both your life and the lives of others.
1. The sycamine tree grows rapidly, illustrating how swiftly unforgiveness can develop.
2. The wood of the Sycamine tree was frequently used and preferred for making caskets.
3. The Sycamine Tree is not naturally pollinated like other plants. Instead, it relies on wasps that insert their stingers into the heart of the fruit. Thus, the tree gets pollinated by being stung!
(4) The fruit of the sycamine tree is extremely bitter to eat.
The Sycamine Tree’s fruit is bitter and very unpleasant to eat. Traditionally, the fruit of the sycamine tree was set aside for the poor. They were not able to purchase the fruit of the sweet mulberry, so they would settle for the bitter fruit of the sycamine.
This fruit was so bitter that they could not eat it all at once; instead, they took small bites and nibbled on it throughout the day.
Just as the bitter fruit of the Sycamine tree so is unforgiveness.
Unforgiveness is always bitter to the taste!
Unforgiveness is always bitter to the taste!
People who are unforgiving have a bitter aroma about them. They lack a sense of joy in their lives. Like fruit, we can only tolerate their company for short periods.
As believers, we are to have the aroma or fragrance of Christ!
For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;
If unforgiveness and bitterness are so difficult to overcome, what is the solution?
Jesus gives us the answer in Luke 17:6
And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.
What does this faith look like?
I believe that the faith of the mustard seed is simply about obeying and trusting God’s way of doing things rather than our own, and placing our trust in Him with the results.
With that in mind, I would like to offer you a few solutions to unforgiveness according to God’s word.
1. Forgiveness begins with recognizing that we have been forgiven.
We tend to think that our wrongdoing is not as bad as someone else’s, but it was still our wrongdoing that put Jesus on the cross. What did He do? He forgave us. Because He forgave us, we ought to extend forgiveness to others.
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
I like what Greg Laurie says, “A Forgiven Person Should Be a Forgiving Person!”
2. Luke encourages us to pray for and bless our enemies.
“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
It is difficult to be bitter and unforgiving toward those for whom we are praying and blessing.
3. Proverbs tells us to seek love and not gossip.
He who conceals a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends.
When someone wrongs us, if possible, we should keep it to ourselves. Forgive them and show love to them. When we gossip about how someone wronged us, it plants not only the tree of bitterness in our hearts but also in the hearts of those we have told.
4. Trust the Holy Spirit. John 16 reminds us that the Holy Spirit will convict.
“And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
Withholding forgiveness from someone will not change them. Let the Holy Spirit do that work.
Lastly, forgive yourself by seeking forgiveness. 1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Sometimes, the hardest person to forgive is ourselves. However, we need to understand that when we ask God for forgiveness, we are truly forgiven.
When we do things God’s way and forgive because He told us to, we will find joy, despite those who may try to hurt us.
I would like to ask you to search your hearts this morning.
Is there unforgiveness, resentment, and bitterness that you need to resolve?
Would you commit to forgiving the person today?
What thoughts are robbing your joy?
Can you give those thoughts over to the Lord today?
Perhaps you know your relationship with God is not right.
Ask Him to show you what it is and maybe whom you need to forgive.
Lets pray
