Our flat heart-shaped tomato
We planted some patio tomatoes in pots on our deck last summer, and we were
absolutely amazed at how many tomatoes they produced. We could almost always
count on having a handful ripe tomatoes on any day, and all of them juicy, sweet
and delicious.
One day my wife noticed that one of the tomato branches had somehow grown
between two wooden slats in one of the deck posts. As she gently pulled it out
of the crack, she was greeted by a very unusual sight: a curious tomato clung to
the end of that branch! It was the size of an ordinary cherry tomato, and it was
obviously juicy and sweet, but it was also flat! In fact, it was exactly the
same width as the crack it had grown in, and there were even the grooves of the
wood engrained in its sides.
Some people may have looked at it and said: "Oh how ugly! Who would want a flat
tomato? Why couldn't it be like all the other tomatoes?" However, those who
tasted it know that it was at least as tasty as its round contra parts, if not
even tastier. Although constrained by its environment, it lived up to its
potential. It still developed into a beautiful, juicy, unique tomato!
Our little, flat tomato reminds me of Jesus' life on this earth. Like the
tomato, He was born in very unusual circumstances. First of all, He didn't have
an earthly biological father, for he was conceived by God's Holy Spirit. You can
imagine what kind of mockery THIS might have brought upon Him when he was young!
Secondly, due to a census being held throughout the Roman Empire, Joseph and
Mary had to travel to their hometown, Bethlehem. When they finally arrived,
however, they found no more rooms available in the local inns. Instead, their
choices were limited to a smelly stable, surrounded by barn animals, and it was
in this unusual place that Jesus was born. Soon afterwards, King Herod heard
about Him and plotted to kill Him. Warned by an angel, His parents fled. As a
result of all of this, Jesus was born in poor surroundings and his early life
was that of a fugitive.
Thirdly, Jesus never relied on the monetary system of His days. Instead He
relied on His Heavenly Father to provide for everything, even feeding five
thousand men and their families (see Matthew 14:15-21) and raising His friend
Lazarus (See John 11). Once, when faced with having to pay the temple tax, he
told Peter: "Go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you
catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it
to them for my tax and yours." (Matt 18:1 NIV) Jesus Himself said, "Foxes have
holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay
his head." (Matt 8:20 NIV)
Although many were attracted to Jesus, for His words imparted divine wisdom and
His actions procured healing to those who were sick, He was generally not well
received. The priests and pastors of His time looked at him with contempt,
making every effort to trap Him with His own words. They eventually succeeded in
arresting Him in secret and convincing the Romans that He deserved to die.
Although the Roman authorities didn't understand it all, the fear of an uprising
caused them to relent, and they nailed an innocent man to a lonely cross at
Golgotha.
It might seem that just like our flat tomato, Jesus was restricted from reaching
His full potential by his environment and his circumstances. "Another poor chap
who must be disillusioned by life," one could very well have muttered. However
three days after His crucifixion, He rose again and was seen by many. Paul says,
"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised
on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and
then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the
brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have
fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last
of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born." (1 Cor 15:3-7 NIV)
What was Jesus' purpose on our planet? Let's look at John 3:16-17 for the
answer: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not
send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through
him." NIV
God's love was Jesus' purpose. We, as a human race, were heading towards sure
disaster. Our sin had us so enveloped that we didn't even realize that death
would be our ultimate reward. We had broken our relationship with our Maker, we
were desperate and didn't even know it: "For the wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 6:23 NIV) And now,
Jesus' resurrection life can be experienced by anyone who welcomes Him into
their hearts: "We will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin
might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- because
anyone who has died has been freed from sin." (Rom 6:5-7 NIV)
Real freedom is ours, thanks to Someone growing up in very unusual and
unfavorable circumstances. Salvation is ours, thanks to Jesus.
This season, as you face whatever horrible, restraining circumstance that stands
before you, remember our flat tomato, and let it remind you of the awful,
restraining circumstances that Jesus Himself faced. Remember how He rose above
these, choosing to depend on God and letting Him lead rather than letting the
circumstances dominate Him, and then remember the price Jesus paid for our
freedom. We are free because He loved us so much, because He willingly died on a
cross for us. His resurrection power is now our resurrection power. Could there
be any greater gift than that?
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
(John 15:13 NIV)
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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