Why Can’t I Bear Fruits?
Adapted from a sermon by Fr Elijah Iskander
What does my Lord want me to be? The Lord wants me to be fruitful. Time and time again we read in the Gospels Christ referring to bearing fruits. We must bear fruits worthy of repentance, we strive to attain the fruits of the Spirit and the famous parable of the seeds. The Lord wants to throw seeds of blessing so that we may bear fruit.
Bearing fruit is not a theoretical or conceptual idea. Our fruits are tangible, real, and sweet. A Christian is identified by their fruit. Sometimes we may think, “Lord, I want to be fruitful, but I don’t see the fruit within me.” Or sometimes we think, “I want to bear more fruit.”
There are three reasons why I may not be as fruitful as I would like and the Lord uses the parable of the seeds to help us overcome these obstacles.
The Wayside
I might not be fruitful if I lack flexibility. I am rigid. The seed, that is the Word of God, first falls upon the wayside. The road is unyielding, unforgiving and cannot be moved by the seeds that fall upon it.
Those people are those with minds hard and unyielding and are so pressed together that they cannot receive the Divine Seed
St Cyril of Alexandria
Sometimes the seed is thrown, it lands on my mind but my mind is like a rock; unyielding and unforgiving. Too rigid in its thinking, too rigid to be swayed. We see this in the interaction between Christ and the rich young ruler;
If you want to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.
Matthew 19:21
The rich young ruler went away sorrowful, unmoved by the Word of God because of his possessions. Like us, he came to the Lord to listen, the Lord throws the seed but it fell on a hardened, unyielding heart.
When I come to listen to the Word of God but I’m not ready to make a change, I begin to justify myself and my sins. If this is me, then the desert fathers propose a simple solution – this kind of rigid thinking and unwillingness to change is like a serpent deep in a cave. As soon as the snake is exposed to the bright sun, it slithers away. The same applies to our thoughts. If we expose our thoughts to our spiritual father, then sometimes that is all that is required for that thought to be dismissed.
If I want to bear fruit, I must be willing to yield, or at the very least, willing to expose my unyielding soul to my spiritual father.
The Stony Ground
Sometimes I cannot bear fruit because I am frustrated by my past efforts that have not produced any result. This was not a ground mixed with rock and soil, where the roots could grow deeper, underneath the rocks. There was a layer of soil, but underneath the soil, was hard rock. When the sun hits the rock, it makes the soil look vibrant and yielding. It seems to sprout up quickly, but it is short lived. When the roots reach the soil, the growth stops and there is no depth to the fruit.
I’m trying, I might be seeing some early changes, but nothing substantial, nothing changes. I become frustrated by the lack of result and I stop.
Sometimes it is not to our advantage to be healed quickly, especially if the disease by this means becomes more enclosed into our organs where it rages more rapidly.
Origen
Quick healing is superficial healing and interferes with true, deeper healing. God heals some by not healing them. The Lord wants to prevent the unready from healing too quickly, and only achieving the appearance of fruit. If the forgiveness of sins is too easily obtained, they would soon fall again into the disorder of sin.
All that is acquired with labour is guarded with caution.
St Isaac the Syrian
We become frustrated by the lack of result. Sometimes it is by the design of the Lord to strive for a slower process over rapid, superficial healing.
Even in medicine, it seems obvious to remove a cancer as soon as it is diagnosed. This is a natural and reasonable response. The doctor may advise not just yet. To undergo treatment to shrink the tumour and then remove it completely. Healing that is rapid is often superficial and incomplete. We should not become despondent if we are trying to acquire virtue and are beginning to overcome sin, and just as we hit a sprout, that is the end to our growth. We must keep going, and trust in the Lord’s timing of complete healing.
The Thorns
We become choked with cares of this world, our reliance on riches. We are choked with pleasures and desires. This stops us from attaining fruits. If I struggled with this, then the Lord invites us to try Him.
He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
2 Corinthians 9:6
If I pursue my own pleasures and my only luxuries and I find it so hard to give, then I miss the rewards of the Lord. The more that I give to the Lord, the more the Lord gives to me in return. It is a clear promise.
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:7-8
We say this same phrase in every Liturgy. If I am choked with pleasures and luxury then the solution is simple- give. If I do not want to give a lot, then I give a little.
Someone said to me once, “I’m so upset with God! Really upset! He doesn’t listen to me!”
So I said, “What happened?”
“By God’s grace, I have what I need, even more so. Work is good, family is well. I found out of someone in need, so I gave. Not because I wanted anything, I have everything, I just wanted to give for the sake of giving, and God just doesn’t listen!”
It was so enjoyable to witness this. Just give. If I am choked with pleasures and riches, then I try to let them go a little, and the Lord will give more so that I can loosen my tightened hands and give more and more.
But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
Luke 8:15