The Parable of the Apple Tree

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I wrote this in , I think, 2000. It really is autobiographical, and may give some context for what will show up here....

THE PARABLE OF THE APPLE TREE


ONCE UPON A TIME there was a young apple tree. This apple tree was in a very large orchard owned by a kind farmer. The apple tree loved the farmer very much, for the farmer would come by and tell the little tree that he was growing into a very good tree and would, when he had grown enough, bear much good fruit. The apple tree wanted nothing more than to please the farmer and could hardly wait until he was mature enough to bear fruit.

However, since it was such a very large orchard, the farmer had many hired hands to help him tend the trees. The apple tree was always glad to see one of the hired hands, because he thought the hired hands would tell him that the farmer was pleased with him, as the farmer himself always did. But most of the hired hands did not speak to the little tree as the farmer did. Instead, they would tell the little tree that he needed to work very hard to become a good fruit-bearing tree. “The farmer isn’t happy with trees that don’t bear fruit,” they would say. “If you don’t bear fruit, you’ll be cut down and thrown into the fire.” This frightened the little tree very much, and he tried hard to bear fruit to make the farmer happy. But he was not yet mature enough to bear fruit, and nothing happened.

One day, the farmer came by the little tree. “Oh!” the little tree thought, “What if he says I must be cut down?” Instead of being happy to see the farmer, the tree was now afraid of what the farmer might say.

The farmer noticed that the little tree was frightened and spoke kindly to him. “Don’t be afraid. You can tell me your problem.”

The little tree began weeping. “Oh, master,” he wept, “I have tried ever so hard to bear fruit, but nothing has happened. I’m afraid I’m not a very good apple tree and you will have me cut down.”

The farmer smiled and gently patted the little tree. “I have planted you where you will get good sunlight, refreshing rain and good nutrients from the soil. Lift your leaves to the sunlight and put your roots deep into the soil. When you do these things, you will grow and mature...and, when you have matured, you will bear much good fruit.”

Then the farmer dug around the tree and put fertilizer into the soil. Just before he left, he smiled again at the little tree. “I will give you everything you need to bear fruit. Just trust me and all will be well.”

The little tree sighed happily. “The farmer really loves me,” he thought, “I will do just as he says.” So the apple tree put all of his effort into growing. He lifted his leaves high to the sun and reached his roots deep into the good soil and, season after season, he grew bigger and stronger and the farmer was pleased.

Then, one spring, the sun was so warm and the apple tree was getting such good nourishment from the soil that he found he was not only growing, but making flowers also. To his amazement, he discovered that it did not require a great effort to make flowers, as he had supposed, but merely doing what he had been doing all along...absorbing the sunlight in his leaves and pulling nutrients and water from the soil through his roots. He was getting so much food this way that he had more than he needed...and all the extra was enabling him to produce many, many beautiful blossoms.

The farmer was very pleased. But the hired hands shook their heads when they went by. “Oh, you’re covered with blossoms, right enough,” they would say, “But blossoms aren’t the same as fruit. You’d better make sure all those blossoms turn into fruit, or the farmer will not be pleased.”

Their words made the apple tree anxious, but he remembered that the farmer had promised to give him everything he needed to make fruit. He reminded himself to trust the farmer and continued lifting his leaves and putting down his roots.

Spring turned into summer. All of the petals fell off of the blossoms on the apple tree, and where the flowers had been little green balls now appeared. The farmer came with the hired hands and sprayed the little tree with some funny-smelling liquid. “This will keep the insects from eating your fruit,” they explained.

As the summer progressed, the little green balls grew and grew, and when the summer turned to fall, the apples began to turn red. They were very heavy now, and the apple tree found he could not hold them all. Some fell to the ground. The farmer came by and said to the tree, “You are doing exactly what you are supposed to do. I am very pleased.”

The apple tree was very happy that the farmer was pleased. But, when the hired hands came by to pick the apples, they shook their heads. “Oh, sure, this is fruit,” they said, “But it’s not the kind of fruit the farmer expects.” Then they took the apples and went away.

The apple tree was very puzzled. How could the farmer be expecting any fruit other than apples? He wanted to ask the farmer, but the farmer had to take the apples to market and he did not come by again before the apple tree went to sleep for the winter.

The next spring was much like the one before. Again, the sun was warm and the soil was rich and the apple tree was covered with blossoms. The hired hands came by and noticed that, around the apple tree where the apples had fallen in the autumn, tiny apple seedlings were growing. “Ah!” they exclaimed, “This is more like it! The farmer will be very pleased with you...you have produced five more apple trees!” Then they dug up the seedlings to transplant them to where they could grow better.

Now the apple tree understood what the hired hands had said in the fall. It wasn’t the apples that the farmer wanted...it was the trees that grew from the apples! He resolved to do his best to see that the apples fell so they would produce more trees. He so wanted to please the farmer!

So, when the fall came and the apples grew heavy, the apple tree did not try to hold them all. Many fell to the ground. The apple tree was pleased that so many fell. Surely, when the spring came there would be a multitude of apple seedlings around the tree and the farmer would be greatly pleased. But, with so many apples on the ground, there was a strong smell of rotting apples. Many wild animals were attracted to the smell, and they came and ate the apples and carried all of the seeds away.

When the spring came, there were no seedlings under the tree. The hired hands all shook their heads. “If you really loved the farmer,” they said, “You would produce the kind of fruit he really likes.” This hurt the apple tree deeply, for he truly loved the farmer and wanted to please him. Again, the tree sent his roots deeper into the soil and lifted his leaves to the sun and made many blossoms, for he was determined that he would do his best.

When the farmer and the hired hands came around again, the farmer looked at the apple tree. “Well,” he said, “You have many blossoms again this year. Please try to hang onto all the fruit. I will prune you a bit...that should help you to hang on to it.” So the farmer trimmed some of the branches on the apple tree.

That hurt the little tree a great deal, but after the wounds healed he found that he was stronger and he could hang on to the fruit better. However, now he was really confused. If the farmer wanted him to produce more apple trees, he would have to drop his fruit. If he hung on to all of it, there would be no seeds on the ground from which new seedlings could grow. He decided he would do his best to hang on to all the good fruit, and drop all of the fruit that was not growing properly or that insects had damaged. He hoped that would please the farmer.

So, the apple tree followed his plan. He had many good apples that he hung on to tightly, and several not-so-good apples that he allowed to fall to the ground. The farmer came by with the hired hands when the apples were harvested and nodded approvingly to the little tree. “You are doing well.” The little tree was very happy.

The next spring was very different from the previous springs. There was not much rain, and the soil was very dry. Because the little tree had grown so well in the earlier years, his roots were deep enough to find water down in the soil...but there was not enough water to cause the apple seeds that had fallen the previous season to grow. The hired hands came by and shook their heads. “Obviously, this tree does not love the farmer. There are no seedlings here. It’s too bad...after all the farmer has done for him, too.” Then they went away.

Now, the little tree’s heart was broken. He had wanted so badly to please the farmer, but it appeared that there was not any way that he could do so. He could make apples, but he could not control whether or not those apples turned into seedlings. He grew very discouraged. The sun was hot and the ground was dry and hard and the apple tree just didn’t have the heart to lift his leaves or push his roots deeper. There were only a few blossoms on his branches when the farmer came by.

“Oh!” the farmer exclaimed sadly. “You have given up! I know it is very dry, but there is enough water deep, deep down for you to produce more fruit than that! Why haven’t you reached down for it?”

Again, the apple tree began to weep. Now he had disappointed the farmer, and, although he still felt too weak and discouraged to produce much fruit, he still loved the farmer dearly and wanted to please him. “Oh, master,” he sobbed, “I did want so badly to please you, but the hired hands said I wasn’t producing the right kind of fruit. I tried and I tried, but I can’t make the apples turn into apple trees. First the animals came and took them, then the weather was too hot and dry for the seeds to grow. Now you will cut me down because I didn’t produce enough fruit.” And the tree was overcome with grief.

To the apple tree’s surprise, the farmer wrapped his arms around the tree’s trunk and wept also. “Oh, dear heart,” the farmer said, “Did I not promise you that you would have all you needed to produce the fruit I want? You cannot cause the seeds to turn into trees...only I can do that. If you grow strong and do as I have told you, you will produce many apples. Then, I can take the seeds from those apples and plant them in good soil, keep the animals away from them and see that they have what they need to grow. Apple trees are not fruit...they are the products that come from the fruit that you bear. There were five seedlings that sprouted here two years ago, but I have over fifty trees growing from the seeds that we took from the apples we picked from your branches. Remember what I have told you -- reach your leaves up to the warm sun, put your roots down into the soil and bear the fruit that will then grow naturally from your abundance. I will give you all you need, but you must trust me and grow strong.”

Then the apple tree understood that the farmer wanted him to grow as an apple tree should grow, and that the fruit would grow as he did. So he took heart and pushed his roots down deep into the soil to where the cool water was and he drank deeply. He lifted his leaves up to the sun and felt himself grow stronger. Since the time for setting apples was past, he only produced a few apples that season. But, they were the largest and sweetest apples produced by any tree on the entire orchard, for the apple tree put all of his love for the farmer into those apples.

When the harvest came, not one of those big, beautiful apples had fallen to the ground. Even though the hired hands shook their heads as they always did, the apple tree did not get discouraged. He had learned to listen to what the farmer said, and the farmer himself often came by and told him, “You have done well. I am very pleased.”