+ Lenten Midweek 4 – March 25th, 2020 +
Ezekiel 17:1-24; Mark 4:30-32
Beautiful Savior Lutheran
Milton, WA
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The great science fiction writer, Ursula LeGuin once said, “There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories.”
The same is true of Holy Scripture. The Old Testament is the story of the coming Messiah, Jesus, and God’s steadfast love to Israel and all people. The story of the New Testament is Jesus’ coming to reveal his steadfast love for us in his life and death.
Quite often when God speaks to us and delivers his Word to us, he speaks to us in stories, like Jesus’ many parables, or like Ezekiel’s parable of Israel in Ezekiel 17.
In this week’s series on Trees in the Bible, we hear about the Tree of the Lord’s planting, promised by his prophet Ezekiel. This particular story comes from the Lord himself, to his prophet Ezekiel, to his people in Judah and Jerusalem – sometime before the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.
Ezekiel’s parable, or riddle, as some translations call it begins this way:
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
“A great eagle with large wings and long pinions,
Full of feathers of various colors,
Came to Lebanon
And took from the cedar the highest branch.4 He cropped off its topmost young twig
And carried it to a land of trade;
He set it in a city of merchants.5 Then he took some of the seed of the land
And planted it in a fertile field;
He placed it by abundant waters
And set it like a willow tree.6 And it grew and became a spreading vine of low stature;
Its branches turned toward him,
But its roots were under it.
So it became a vine,
Brought forth branches,
And put forth shoots.
Full of feathers of various colors,
Came to Lebanon
And took from the cedar the highest branch.4 He cropped off its topmost young twig
And carried it to a land of trade;
He set it in a city of merchants.5 Then he took some of the seed of the land
And planted it in a fertile field;
He placed it by abundant waters
And set it like a willow tree.6 And it grew and became a spreading vine of low stature;
Its branches turned toward him,
But its roots were under it.
So it became a vine,
Brought forth branches,
And put forth shoots.
7 “But there was [a]another great eagle with large wings and many feathers;
And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him,
And stretched its branches toward him,
From the garden terrace where it had been planted,
That he might water it.8 It was planted in [b]good soil by many waters,
To bring forth branches, bear fruit,
And become a majestic vine.” ’
And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him,
And stretched its branches toward him,
From the garden terrace where it had been planted,
That he might water it.8 It was planted in [b]good soil by many waters,
To bring forth branches, bear fruit,
And become a majestic vine.” ’
Perhaps you’re like me, and after reading or hearing this, you found yourself thinking. Huh. Ok. Good story, but what does it mean?
It helps to remember that this parable is part history and part theology. Through his prophet Ezekiel, YHWH is recounting Israel’s history before the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. in an allegory. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is the first eagle mentioned in vs. 3-6. The tall cedar he comes to is Jerusalem itself, where he took the top of that tall cedar when he removed King Jehoiachin captive, sent him off to Babylon and replaced him with his relative Zedekiah.
Vs. 7-8 of Ezekiel 17 reveal how Zedekiah was unfaithful to the Lord and looked to Egypt, the second great eagle of Ezekiel’ parable, rather than to the Lord for help. As a consequence of this rebellion against YHWH, Ezekiel foretells Israel’s destruction in vs. 9-10. The next several verses recount YHWH’s judgment upon Zedekiah for his unfaithfulness and despising of God’s oath and covenant.
What’s rather surprising, and unexpected is how this story ends. In vs. 22-24, YHWH does not issue a decree of total destruction of Israel, but a promise of restoration.
Thus says the Lord God: “I will take also one of the highest branches of the high cedar and set it out. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and will plant it on a high and prominent mountain. 23 On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell. 24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it.”
In the face of Israel’s sin and rebellion, YHWH declares a promise of complete reversal. Though Israel continually broke the covenant of Sinai, YHWH is faithful to his people, his promises, and keeps his covenant. Though Israel was reduced to destruction, death, and exile by Babylon, YHWH promised to restore, redeem, and rescue Israel. Though Israel is like a dried up, dead tree, the Lord will plant himself on the tree of the cross to bring life out of death.
The young twig, or tender branch that Ezekiel promises, is none other than Jesus himself. Jesus is the righteous Branch promised by Jeremiah and Zechariah. Jesus is the noble tree of the Lord’s planting. He is the long-expected seed of the woman, promised to Adam and Eve, Abraham, Israel, and to you.
You see, this story of Ezekiel 17 is not only history and theology of Israel. In the end, it’s all about Jesus coming to save you too. This is not just any old story, but God’s Word and promise for you.
But because this story is God’s Word, it also comes from the Lord to you.
This makes Ezekiel 17, much more than an interesting Old Testament history lesson. This is YHWH’s declaration that Israel’s history, your history, all history, is redeemed in Christ our Savior. It’s the story of the Lord planting the tree of Christ our Savior for us, here in the soil of this fallen world. It’s the story of our rescue, redemption, and restoration in Jesus who hung on the tree and was dried up, and withered under our sin and disease and death that we might receive his life.
Ezekiel’s prophetic parable is also a good reminder, as we live in days of fear and uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus, that even when it looks like God is not working – as I’m sure it looked to many in Israel in the days of Ezekiel that God was absent – he is. Christ is not absent. He has not forsaken us. He is working in and through history – even in this time of illness and isolation - for our good, just as he was through the tumultuous times of the kings in Israel.
Fear not. The same Lord who planted himself in the Virgin womb, and hung upon the tree of the cross for you, has rooted you, and joined you to himself. As he declares in Revelation of St. John, behold, I am making all things new.
Now the peace of God which surpasses all understanding…
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