08 Jun The Story of the Gossiping Tree

A Fruit-Bearing Tree Bitter with Toxin

In a garden tended by a wise and patient gardener, there stood a tree unlike the others. While the other trees reached toward the heavens, their branches weighed down with sweet, nourishing fruit, this one bore a different kind of offering: fruit that was bitter, toxic, and unfit to eat. Among the vibrant grove, the gossiping tree stood out, not for its beauty or its bounty, but for the poison it carried within.

The Poisonous Fruit

The gossiping tree, though rooted in the same soil as the others, chose a different path. Rather than drawing from the rich nutrients of humility, love, and kindness, it absorbed the sediments of malice and pride that seeped through the earth. Its roots grew twisted, seeking not the light but the shadows, and from these roots sprang fruit that was bitter to the core. Unlike the other trees, which bore the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—the gossiping tree turned its seasons of growth into seasons of decay.

The fruit of this tree was consumed eagerly by passersby, for gossip has a way of enticing even the well-meaning. With each bite, the bitterness spread, poisoning hearts and minds, sowing discord among the gardener’s creation. The tree, emboldened by the attention, grew more defiant with each passing season, its branches heavy with venomous fruit. The garden began to suffer, for the tree’s presence was a source of division and strife.

The Patient Gardener

The gardener, ever watchful, noted the tree’s behavior. Yet, as the parable in Luke 13:6-9 teaches, the gardener is not swift to condemn. “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard,” the passage begins, “and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ”

But the caretaker replied, “ ‘Sir, leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ” The gardener of the gossiping tree, much like this caretaker, extended mercy. Seasons passed, and the gardener waited, hoping that the tree might yet turn from its ways and bear good fruit.

The Tree Cut Down

But the gossiping tree, lost in its own bitterness, forgot the gardener’s presence. It ignored the gentle pruning, the nurturing rain, and the warmth of the sun. Its poison deepened, and its fruit became ever more toxic. The other trees, steadfast and true, continued to bear their fruits of the Spirit, their branches a testament to the gardener’s care. The gossiping tree, however, remained barren of goodness, its energy spent spreading harm rather than healing.

One day, the garden grew quiet. The consumers of the gossiping tree’s fruit returned to find it no longer standing. What once seemed unshakable, a towering presence within the grove, had been cut down. Its roots, poisoned by years of malice, could no longer sustain it. Its trunk, once bold in its defiance, lay fallen, a reminder that no tree is beyond the reach of the gardener’s judgment.

The Lesson of the Gossiping Tree

The story of the gossiping tree serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of our choices. Like the trees in the garden, we are all called to bear good fruit, to use our seasons of growth to cultivate virtues that nourish and sustain those around us. Yet, when we allow bitterness, pride, or malice to take root, our fruit becomes toxic, and we risk becoming like the gossiping tree.

Jesus’ parable in Luke 13:6-9 calls us to reflect on the state of our own lives. Are we bearing fruit that glorifies the gardener, or are we spreading poison through our words and actions? The gardener’s patience is great, but it is not infinite. The time will come when every tree is judged, and only those that bear good fruit will remain.

May we strive to be like the fruitful trees in the garden, drawing from the rich soil of the Spirit and bearing fruit that reflects the love and grace of the gardener. For in the end, the story of the gossiping tree is not just a tale of judgment, but a call to transformation, a reminder that even the most bitter roots can be redeemed when tended with care and humility.