Plant a Tree

Or buy some land

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 32

Reading this chapter of Jeremiah reminded me of a famous saying attributed to Martin Luther:

The first known appearance of this “quote” was in 1944 and it is mostly likely not something Luther said. Nevertheless, it came to mind when reading about Jeremiah buying a few acres of land when the Babylonian army was knocking on the door and getting ready to burn the place to the ground. It didn’t seem prudent.

Jeremiah made this investment in obedience to God. It was an act of faith. He wasn’t making a savvy financial investment, expecting a great return and a retirement windfall. He knew the country was going to collapse because the Lord had told him that was about to happen.

It eventually did. Jeremiah, because of his faithfulness to God, was given his freedom by the Chaldean captain of the guard on orders from Nebuchadnezzar. He chose to stay behind in Judea, but was eventually forced by rebels to go to Egypt. We assume he died there. He never came back to claim his plot of ground.

So, what was this buying a field about? It was about an act of faith. Jeremiah was making a statement about the future. Yes, the Babylonian empires will have their day, stomping on men and land, asserting their rule, and extending their kingdoms. But Babylon will fall. Christ will reign over all.

Jeremiah bought that field, not because he was going to live on it and work that land in his lifetime, but because he was claiming it for the kingdom of God by faith. It was an act of rebellion against Babylon.

You don’t get an edible harvest from asparagus until three to five years after planting. An 87-year-old friend recently told me he just planted some. It made me think of that spurious Luther quote and it reminded me of Jeremiah.

Sometimes we need to do things like plant a tree and buy a field, not because we will personally benefit from the act, but as a personal act of defiance against Babylon, akin to saying, “In the end, you lose and Christ wins.”