A Plant Out of Place Is a Weed

by John Comer

Abraham had just negotiated a delicate treaty with the king of Gerar, who even brought his military commander along to provide a little friendly persuasion (gunboat diplomacy on the desert). Once the treaty was in place, “Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba . . .,” possibly as something of a living memorial to what had transpired there.

The tamarisk was the perfect tree for that spot: native to the area, and able to withstand the punishing climate of the Negev.

Abraham was not the last person to appreciate a tamarisk tree. Following the dust bowl days of the American West, hedgerows for windbreaks were planted to help control wind erosion, and Abraham’s tamarisks were among the trees used. They stood up to the drought and wind of such places as Oklahoma and Texas, and now line pasture fences, wheat fields, country lanes and farmyards across much of the West. Some folks would say they have done too well.

Out near Wickenburg where the Nature Conservancy operates a riparian nature preserve along the Hassayampa River, tamarisks have crowded out the native trees, which in turn denies a food source to native wildlife. These trees which served Abraham well, and helped keep the western half of the USA from blowing away, have become a pest in some areas, a plant out of place. What began as ecology-friendly trees have become an ecological problem themselves, the equivalent of weeds.

In the grand scheme of things, dislocated trees are not our largest concern. It’s we humans who get out of place and become the spiritual equivalent of weeds, that present a far greater challenge. Jesus taught a parable about weeds that appear among the wheat. “The weeds are the sons of the evil one,” he explained. These people were in the wrong place.

The proper place for humans to be is in Christ. The only alternative is to be with the evil one, out of place. People who are “out of place” are in a bad spot. In Jesus’ parable, the weeds are pulled up and burned. It’s not good to be a weed, but it’s a correctable problem. The parable ends with an invitation from Jesus: “He who has ears, let him hear.”

Ecology is about relationships. Ours should be with Jesus.