The Parable of the Apple Tree

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Catching the Mosquito

I originally wrote this piece in 2000; I have tweaked it a bit since then, but I did post it in its original form when I first started the sewing blog back in 2005.  Thought I would put the updated version here.

ONCE UPON A TIME there was a young apple tree.  This apple tree grew in a very large orchard owned by a wise and kind Farmer.  When the Farmer came by, he always congratulated the little tree on growing into a very good tree and said that the tree would, after growing enough, bear much good fruit.  The apple tree loved the Farmer very much and wanted nothing more than to make the Farmer happy.  The tree could hardly wait to be able to produce fruit for the Farmer.

However, it was such a very large orchard that the Farmer had many hired hands to help him tend the trees.  The hired hands told the little tree that it took very hard work to become a good fruit-bearing tree.  “The Farmer isn’t happy with trees that don’t bear fruit,” they said.  “If you don’t bear fruit, you’ll be cut down and thrown into the fire.”  This frightened the little tree terribly, so much that the tree tried and tried to bear fruit to make the Farmer happy.  But the apple tree was still too young and nothing happened.

The next time the Farmer came by, the little tree thought, “What if he says I must be cut down?” Instead of joy at the sight of the Farmer, the tree felt anxious and afraid.

          But the Farmer saw the tree’s distress.  “What has frightened you?” he asked gently.

          The little tree began weeping.  “Oh, master, 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 strong and then 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 be a good apple tree.  Just trust me and all will be well.”

          The little tree sighed happily, thinking.  “The Farmer really loves me…I will do just as he says.”  So the apple tree put great effort into growing, lifting all the leaves high to the sun and pushing roots deep into the good soil. Season after season, the tree 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 the tree was not only growing but making flowers also.  Amazed, the tree discovered that it wasn’t at all hard to make flowers, as the hired hands had hinted.  The apple tree was getting more food from the sun and the soil than growing required, and all the extra was producing 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 said. “But blossoms aren’t the same as fruit.  You’d better make sure all those blossoms turn into fruit.”

          Their words made the apple tree anxious at first, but the tree remembered that the Farmer had promised to provide everything needed to make fruit.  Trust the Farmer, the tree thought, and lifted  leaves higher and pushed roots deeper.

          Spring turned into summer.  All the petals fell off the blossoms on the apple tree, and where the flowers had been little green balls now appeared.   The little green balls grew and grew into green apples.  When summer turned to fall, the apples began to turn red.  They were very heavy and hard to hold; some fell to the ground.  Even so, 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. 

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.

          Puzzled, the apple tree wondered -- How could the Farmer be expecting any fruit other than apples?  But the Farmer did not come by again before the apple tree went to sleep for the winter, and the question was not answered.

          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!  The tree resolved to let any apples that got at all heavy drop to the ground so they would produce more trees.  He so wanted to please the Farmer!

          So, when the fall came and the apples began to grow heavy, the apple tree did not even try to hold them.  Many fell to the ground.  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.  The smell attracted many small animals who came and carried away the apples… and all the seeds.

When 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 made the apple tree very sad, for the tree truly loved the Farmer and wanted to please him.  The tree was determined to be as good a tree as possible and set about pushing new roots deeper into the soil and opening every leaf to the sun. Once again the tree was covered with many, many blossoms and felt sure the Farmer would be pleased.

The Farmer and the hired hands soon came around again. “Well,” the Farmer said, “You have many blossoms again this year, but you need to hold on to the fruit.  We will prune you a bit...that should help you hold it.”  Then they trimmed some of the branches on the apple tree.  It was very painful, but, after the wounds healed, the tree was surprised to feel quite a bit stronger.  The apples didn’t seem nearly so heavy.

However, now the tree was really confused.  If the Farmer wanted more apple trees, the apples would have to fall.  Otherwise, there would be no seeds on the ground from which new seedlings could grow.  But the Farmer seemed to want the tree to hold on to the apples.  Finally, the tree decided to drop all the fruit that was not growing properly or that insects had damaged and hang on tightly to the rest.  Hopefully, that would please the Farmer.

          That fall, there were many good apples that the tree hung on to tightly, and several not-so-good apples that were allowed to drop to the ground according to the plan.  The Farmer came by with the hired hands when the apples were harvested and nodded approvingly to the apple tree.  “You’re doing well.”  The 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 tree had grown so well in the earlier years, all the 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, too.”  Then they went away.

          The tree was heartbroken.  Making apples wasn’t difficult, but it was impossible to control whether or not those apples turned into seedlings.  The apple tree could not see any way to please the Farmer and 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 think about lifting leaves higher or pushing roots deeper.  Only a few blossoms appeared.

When the Farmer came by and saw the tree, he 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 blossoms than that!  Why haven’t you reached down for it?”

          Once again, the apple tree began to weep.  Despite feeling weak and discouraged, the tree still loved the Farmer dearly and was pained that the Farmer was disappointed. “Oh, master,” the tree 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 tears slipped down his cheeks as well.  “Oh, my dear tree, that’s not it at all! Apple trees are not fruit!  They are the products that come from the fruit.  You cannot cause the seeds to turn into trees...only I can do that.” He explained. “I have promised to give you all you need.  If you 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.  There were five seedlings that sprouted here two years ago, but I have over fifty trees growing from the seeds that we took from apples we picked from your branches.  You must trust me and grow strong.”

          Then the apple tree understood that all the Farmer wanted to see was a growing apple tree… then the fruit would grow as well.  So the tree took heart and pushed more roots down deep into the soil to where the cool water was and drank deeply.  Lifting leaves up to the sun, the tree grew stronger and encouraged.  Since the time for setting blossoms was past, the tree 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 the love for the farmer into those apples.  When the harvest came, not a single one of those big, beautiful apples had fallen to the ground. 

Now, when the hired hands shook their heads as they always did, the apple tree did not get discouraged.  The tree had learned to listen to what the Farmer said, and the Farmer himself often came by to say, “You are doing well.  I am very pleased.”