Bitter Herbs

     When the Lord instructed the children of Israel to "eat the flesh [of the sacrificial lamb] that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat" the Passover meal as a token of obedience, he also explained its significance (Exodus 12:8). He said "this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations," to commemorate the passing over of the destroying angel, when He delivered them from the Egyptians (Exodus 12:14; Numbers 9:11). 
     Because herbs are soft, perishable plants no remains have conclusively identified the bitter herbs they ate. However, native plants and the time period of the Passover provide a list of probable candidates. Among the contenders is chicory.
      Chicory is a common perennial herb with blue flowers. Some consider it a weed. It grows along roadsides, and thrives in poor soils. The roots were baked, then ground into drinks. When incised, chicory produces a milky substance. It is regarded as a treatment for worms and intestinal parasites (Web; Wiki, chicory).  

Chicory #1603

 
      

Small Beginnings, Exponential Growth

     Jesus gave a parable comparing the beginning of his kingdom to a tiny mustard seed. That individual seed was so small and common that it seemed to be worthless. Its minuscule proportions were even more exaggerated when it was sown in a field.  But, it grew.  In fact, it grew so large that Matthew recorded it became a tree (Matthew 13:31-32). Luke said "it grew, and waxed a great tree" (Luke 13:19). Its growth was so significant that birds could rest among its branches and find shelter beneath them. Like Jesus's mustard plant, his kingdom would experience exponential growth. It would become a powerful force. Wilford Woodruff prophesied, "it will fill the world" (TPC: Joseph Smith, 137). Today, we see those prophecies being fulfilled. The gospel of Jesus Christ is spreading across every corner of the earth.

Mustard Seed

Fig and First

•      Fig are the first plants mentioned by name in the Bible. After Adam and Eve ate fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, "the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons" (Gen. 3:7).  By this we know that fig trees grew in the Garden of Eden. A unique feature of fig is that their rich green, palm-shaped leaves emerge in late spring or early summer, well after its fruit is already maturing. 

Fig leaf. #7734. Taken in Jerusalem May 2014. (Gen. 3:7).

Jesus and a Mock Septer

     The Roman soldiers’ cruelty toward Jesus, included humiliation and torture. Matthew says they “put a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him.” Mark says “they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees, worshipped him” in sarcastic mockery (Matthew 27:29 ; Mark 15:19). The reed was a derisive symbol of a royal scepter.

Matthew 27:29
 

Reach for the Son

Ever noticed how house plants become lopsided as they reach for the sunny window, needing to be rotated from time to time? This process of orienting themselves to sunlight is called phototropism. Like plants, the faithful reach for their true source of light, Jesus Christ. He said "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12).


Phototropism: Plants reaching for the sun

 

Perfect Love

The mock crown of thorns forced deep into Jesus’s scalp, signifies the most reprehensible reference to plants in holy writ. And, whomever fashioned those razor-sharp branches would certainly have experienced his own share of bloody encounters. Thick gloves would not have provided sufficient protection. Yet there was no vengeance in our Lord. Nephi said “They scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, and they spit upon him, and he suffereth it” (1 Nephi 19:9). Why did the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob yield himself into the hands of wicked men, and then turn around and pray for his tormentors? Nephi said, “because of his loving kindness” (9).  John taught, “God so loved the world, that he gave is only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). His love was perfect.  

God so loved the world...

Happy New Year Fireworks!

Pansies are not mentioned in scriptures. But, these bright little blossoms remind me of fireworks exploding on a starry night!