But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Matthew 15:13
“And having answered, He said, ‘Every planting that not He planted, My heavenly Father, it will be uprooted” (CG).
In the previous verse, Jesus’ disciples came to Him, exclaiming that Jesus knew the Pharisees were offended when they heard His saying. In response to that, Matthew records, “And having answered, He said, ‘Every planting that not He planted, My heavenly Father.”
A new word in Scripture is seen, phuteia, a plant, but literally a transplanting. It is found only here in the Bible. Jesus is referring to the religious leaders, equating them with plants. It is probable, He is connecting this to the parables He gave in Chapter 13 –
“Another parable He near-set them, saying, ‘It is likened, the kingdom of the heavens, to a man having sown good seed in his field. 25 And in the ‘sleeps the men,’ he came, his enemy, and he sowed darnel in between the wheat, and he went away.’” Matthew 13:24, 25
The explanation of that parable is found in Matthew 13:37-43. Along with that, there are other such references to be found in the Old Testament, such as in Deuteronomy 29 –
“...so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood; 19 and so it may not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart’—as though the drunkard could be included with the sober.” Deuteronomy 29:18, 19
“And the Lord uprooted them from their land in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.” Deuteronomy 29:28
As was recorded at times in the Hebrew Scriptures, something the scribes and Pharisees would have known and understood, and as Jesus relayed to the disciples in Matthew 13, Jesus notes of these apostate leaders, like darnel or a root of bitterness and wormwood, “it will be uprooted.”
Just as a plant can be transplanted by one person, it can be uprooted by another. If the devil has sown into God’s field worthless plants, it is certain that the Lord will have them uprooted and disposed of through judgment and fire.
Life application: The Bible uses simple metaphors to convey deep spiritual truths. The things it mentions are things that were understood by the people in the land. And despite Israel being a land that many people may not be able to fully identify with, such as a desert if someone is raised in a forest, the surrounding explanations are usually sufficient to enlighten people to whatever is being conveyed.
And yet, the spiritual truths that are tucked away in Scripture are so deep and so profound that to this day, people are still discovering new information from this word. Because of this, you will get out of the Bible whatever effort you put into it.
At the same time, some things are only meant to be properly understood or interpreted at specific times. God slowly releases the information, inspiring His people to understand His word according to His wisdom.
This is why new things continue to be found. So don’t be frustrated if something comes out and you think, “Why didn’t I get that!” There is enough in the word of God to satisfy the minds of His people until the consummation of all things comes to pass.
Keep reading, meditating, and studying His word. It is a treasure trove of God’s wisdom in relation to the process of redemption that is going on in the world around us.
Glorious God, what a wonderful word You have given us. Thank You for its insights into so many areas of life. When we pick it up and read it, it always seems relevant to what we need to hear right at that moment. What an amazing and relevant word You have given us! Amen.
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