There once was a man who ventured into the trails of a European forest. The morning was crisp and the clear, blue heavens were nothing short of an invitation to all hikers. Thus, the man began his trek and marveled at the fabulous sights and sounds of the nature that was now engulfing him. He was so astonished and overjoyed by the visage of his hike that time seemed to have ceased, and he did not notice the great amount of distance he had already traveled. Unaware of the gorgeous hike this would turn out to be, earlier he had convinced himself that his trip would be brief and that he would be back home in time for lunch. Due to this miscalculation, he opted against packing food for his adventure and became very hungry. Since he was so far away from his home and he did not want to cease this incredible experience just yet, he began to search the forest for fruit that he may eat. It did not take him long to locate a tall, bushy herb full of sweet, black berries. When his eyes fell upon these round shaped berries, he supposed them to be cherries and his stomach began to growl persistently. Thus, he took from the bushy herb and ate from its fruit. He was so famished from his trek that he had not realized the large quantity of berries he had already consumed. After satisfying his appetite from having ingested a vast amount of the obsidian fruit, he continued his journey. A few days later his body was found in the forest and the cause of his death was determined by the local coroner to be by poison. It was discovered that the black berries the gentleman had ingested were in reality the lethal and highly toxic nightshade known as belladonna. Had the man taken a piece of the plant’s root and smelled it, he would have identified the berries to actually be the poisonous belladonna by the sharp, bitter odor that distinguishes it. His unfortunate downfall was that he trusted the beauty that appeared before him, and neglected to verify the plant’s true nature through the roots. This same lesson is exhorted by the Holy Ghost as He cautions “pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:14-15 emphasis added). It is curious that God’s Holy Spirit specifies that it is the root, and not the fruit, that is bitter. Hence, similar to our story, He immediately unveils the peril of tasting the fruit as a means of verifying its nature. In other words, the toxic berries exhibited outwardly are nothing more than the end result of what began inwardly. The example of a plant’s root utilized by the inspired Hebrew writer reveals several valuable lessons pertaining to a Christian’s duty to self and to his fellow brethren. It is wise to begin by understanding first that the roots of a plant are its life source. A tree with deep roots near abundant waters will grow and thrive marvelously in comparison to a tree with shallow roots in arid ground. Thus, the analogy of the root is referring to the heart of man, or better yet his mind. Observe King Solomon’s advice to his son: “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23, emphasis added). The Lord Christ also used the same analogy as He proclaimed “every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:44-45, emphasis added). Thus, Holy Writ manifests that what is displayed overtly had its origin long before inside a person’s heart. It must be understood that this analogy enlightens that the sentiment was already in existence in a person’s mind, but it also warns of the danger of concealed emotions, particularly resentful emotions. Observe that a field may appear to be empty on the surface, ready to be sowed with seed, but buried beneath the earth are the roots of weeds, thorns, and thistles. When the prophet Samuel was ordered to anoint King Saul’s replacement, he made this subtle mistake. Scripture details how Samuel was jumping to conclusions as to who the new king of Israel would be based on their outward appearance. For this reason, Jehovah God commands Samuel “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1st Samuel 16:7, emphasis added). Of God’s selection, Scripture states “He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will’” (Acts 13:22, emphasis added). David’s love, trust, and dedication to the Lord had already dwelt in him long before he was crowned king and God had taken notice of it. The result of this decision was placing on the throne Israel’s greatest king. Where Samuel saw a short, ruddy shepherd boy, Jehovah God saw a man fit to be king. Yet, the same is true from the opposite perspective. A sorcerer by the name of Simon had already chosen to leave behind his life of sorcery for the Gospel’s sake, when his old bitter roots of avarice ensnared him once more. The inspired Luke explains “when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 8:18-19, emphasis added). Although he had obeyed the Gospel taught to him by Philip, his old ways lingered in him of which Peter declared “I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity” (Acts 8:23, emphasis added). Peter was able to identify Simon’s greedy nature by his deplorable action. He was able to discern that there was more motivating Simon’s intentions than met the eye. Thus, it is wise to learn to uproot those old sentiments of bitterness from our minds and sow seeds of godliness instead. If we allow these roots of spiritual belladonna to blossom, not only are we intoxicating our inner man but eventually we will poison someone else who puts their trust in us. This is the very meaning of causing our brother to sin (Matthew 18:6-7).
