Formulaic Fruit VS Spirit Fruit
a poem
"Come now, let's devise a scheme, a way to make fruit without working to gouge things out or let things go, have faith without sight or wait to grow. We'll make what we want with a formula instead That'll be easier to walk this road we tread." So Eve and Adam ate, and Cain offered fruit. Noah got drunk, and Babel built as a group. Then came the next age with new schemes to contrive a way to make children, ensure their family survived. Abram pimped Sarai. Isaac followed suit. Rachel pimped Jacob for a mandrake or two. Two brothers slew a town 'cause Shechem polluted their pool. And Canaanite Tamar played the harlot against in-laws rules. Behold, the people! God forgive them their methods. Now they need saving from slavery's ways. Only God could do it with ten plagues, parted sea, with bread from heaven and ten laws how to be. But how would they keep this holiness God wrought? Offer sacrifices to appease the god of their throughts. "Come now, let's devise a scheme, to make us look like God deems. While still thirsting for Egypt, we strive for comforts and the life of our dreams." Well, we know how that went. Israel wandered in Sin, begging for Egypt 'til they went to their graves with Moses beside, who, like them, wanted children without birth pains inside. Shall I tell of the Promised Land, the conquest, judges, and kings: how the ark became talisman; and men, their only power and head? First they cried for judges to save them from Philistia. Then they wanted prophets to spiritualize their ideas. Finally, they called "King!" to bear their name on a banner. They didn't know that pleasure today meant tomorrow, the Judge's hammer. Such are the schemes we use to get fruit, instead of faith in Christ to plant, grow, and produce. For who wants flesh of our flesh to suffer and die, breaking faith with our schemes, biding Egypt goodbye? No one, so long as life looks so grand, will leave his home until shown sinking sand. Thus, God brings the plagues in these Revelation days, makes dry ground by washing Peter's feet as he strays. He gives bread from Heaven--His body, Her parts-- inscribes the ten words onto the stone of our hearts. So give up your schemes and your ways to make fruit, become a child made alive by suffering through and through. He'll be what you need through Spirit unto death, which makes us the bride for the Word-Made-Head.
Notes
“to gouge things out or let things go…” This references Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:29, where Jesus says, "If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.”
Shechem’s pool pollution may be found in Genesis 34.
“…men, their only power and head…” Men in the Bible often represent these two things: ONE: the power of the flesh (as in Psalm 146:3, “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation”), or TWO: our flesh’s origins (as in the heads of the family tribes as seen in the Old Testament, OR man as the head of woman as seen in 1 Cor. 11:3 & Eph 5:22-24 referencing woman made from Adam’s flesh.) What Israel wanted was a strong king, not a king who suffered and died.
“Finally, they called ‘King!’ to bear their name on a banner.” This refers to how Israel wanted a man to represent their nation against the other nations. This continued until Jesus’ day, when the Jews wanted a conquering king to march against Rome.
“For who wants flesh of our flesh to suffer and die…” This is a Genesis 2:23 reference where Adam says that Eve is bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. To die to ourselves means we not only suffer ourselves, but we are also willing to allow our loved ones to suffer according to Christ’s ways, too. If we protect them from the suffering that God calls them into, we are not actually loving them. This will ultimately mean surrendering to Christ those protective instincts that God programmed into our flesh: parents to children, man to wife, family to tribe, etc. Those, too, must be laid upon the altar, not as the Canaanites did, sacrificing their sons and daughters in the fire, but like God asked the Israelites to dedicate their firstborns to Him. For more on how this might work, click the link.
“God brings the plagues in these Revelation Days…” This line links the ten plagues to the events in Revelation. Both these are an un-making of creation that brings about ultimate freedom and repentance for God’s people.
“…makes dry ground by washing Peter’s feet as he strays…” This links the Israelites’ walking through the Red Sea, Peter’s walking on water, Jesus washing Peter’s feet, and Peter’s denial of Christ. Jesus’ washing of Peter’s feet was a way for Christ to use Peter’s denial to cleanse and strengthen him to minister to the family of God.
“—His body, Her parts—” This joins together both the masculine physical body of Christ that He offered for himself as He died on the cross and the feminine representation of the Church with its many parts in mutual submission for the edification of others. Both are the bread offered from Heaven for us to eat. You can’t have eaten the fullness of Christ without mutually submitting to all the Church’s parts.
“…bride for the Word-Made-Head.” I’m using this title as a play on words to Jesus’ other title, the Word made flesh in John 1:14. Jesus was the Word made flesh. Jesus might also be called the Word-Made-Head. By “head,” I mean the progenitor of a new kind of people. Like Adam was the first “head” of mere flesh and blood, Jesus is the first “head” of Spirit-empowered, living-law-abiding humanity. “Word-Made-Head” harkens back to the previously noted line: “men, their only power and head.” Those who follow Christ acknowledge Him as their ultimate power and head. All other powers and heads are mere shadows and echoes of this. Also encapsulated in this line is another layer of meaning to Paul’s Ephesians 5:23: “the husband is the head of the wife.” Just as the woman’s body was taken from man’s body in Eden, the bride of Christ came into being from Christ’s physical life on earth. We are the bride (or body) of Christ, who is our ultimate Head.
Thanks for reading. If I’ve confused you about “heads,” consider clicking a link below for more clarification.
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Well, as Robert used to say, "People are worse than anybody" May we, as Christ followers, produce fruit of the Spirit! Thanks Abby!