Uproot This Stronghold or It Will Make You Sick
Bitterness, offense, strife, or unforgiveness rapidly develop roots that grow deep into your mind and emotions and eventually control every facet of your existence.
In Luke 17:6, we read, “And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”
In this passage, Jesus drew an analogy between these internal toxins and the sycamine tree, instructing His followers, including us, on how to eliminate such negativity from our lives. It’s no mere chance that He chose the sycamine tree for this metaphor.
Why not a plum, apple, or orange tree? Was there a specific reason Jesus selected the sycamine to represent bitterness, offense, strife, and unforgiveness?
In my own quest to unravel the mystery of this question, I delved into the archives of botanical science, eager to unearth the attributes of the sycamine tree. What I uncovered was nothing short of illuminating and astounding. By considering the following fascinating details about the sycamine tree, I believe you’ll grasp precisely why Jesus chose this particular tree to symbolize the toxic emotions of bitterness, offense, strife, and unforgiveness.
In Egypt and the Middle East, the wood of the sycamine tree was the preferred wood for building caskets.
The sycamine tree had a very large and deep root structure.
The sycamine tree produced fruit that was bitter to eat.
The sycamine tree was pollinated by the sting of a wasp
Bitterness, offense, strife, or unforgiveness are all bitter fruit used by the devil to tempt you to chew on it repeatedly, and clinging to these negative emotions will put you into a cycle of poverty that robs you of the richness of a fulfilled spiritual life.
How to Uproot and Remove that Tree!
Now with this clarity about why Jesus chose the sycamine tree for His illustration and the weight of its significance apparent, let’s delve into Jesus’ instructions about how to uproot bitterness, offense, conflict, and unforgiveness from the depths of our lives.
In Luke chapter 17, Jesus provides a profound lesson on uprooting the deeply ingrained feelings of bitterness, offense, conflict, or unforgiveness from our hearts. He guides us on how to cast these persistent emotions into a barren realm where they can never take root in us again.
In Luke 17:6, Jesus said, “…If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” Notice that Jesus said, “…Ye might say unto this sycamine tree.…”
When someone comes to terms with the fact that he’s wrestling with feelings of bitterness, offense, conflict, and an inability to forgive, he needs to do more than just pray and seek forgiveness; he needs to address these negative forces head-on.
In this passage Jesus highlighted the power of the verbal command by saying, “…Ye might say unto this sycamine tree.…” This suggests that instead of letting your thoughts rule over you, the time has come for you to speak directly to your thoughts and command them to follow your lead!
If you wait until the mood strikes, you might never get around to it. Relying on your feelings alone is like trying to swim in a pool of quicksand. You see, emotions are impulsive and unpredictable and will craftily convince you that you’re justified in holding on to bitterness, offense, strife, and unforgiveness. But instead of being a puppet to these wayward feelings, seize control and command them into submission.
In short, it’s time to stop pointing fingers outward and start taking responsibility for your own liberation. It’s time for you to become the conductor of your own emotional orchestra. Or as Jesus said, it’s time to face that “sycamine tree,” uproot it entirely, and pave the way for new freedom!
If you don’t speak to your emotions, they will speak to you.
If you don’t take authority over your emotions, they will take authority over you.
If you don’t rise up and conquer those feelings of bitterness and unforgiveness, they will rise up and conquer you.
If you don’t take authority over your emotions and tell them what to think, what to do, and how to react, they will tell you what to think, what to do, and how to react.
It’s time for you to do the talking and take command of your thought life!
You have to speak to bitterness, offense, strife, and unforgiveness as the enemies they are. These toxic agents are not mere emotions, they are invaders that aim to infiltrate the depths of your being, unravel your life, and affect your healing and health. You must stand as a steadfast guardian of your heart and resolutely refuse to harbor them for even a moment.
This might require verbally confronting these forces repeatedly, like a gardener who tirelessly pulls out weeds, until their grip is loosened and they’re banished permanently from your inner life. Freedom demands a relentless spirit that declares, “I will seize the roots of this toxic growth and uproot it from the depths of my soul — relentless in my pursuit until liberation is my reality!”
Command Those Attitudes to Be Planted in the Sea!
But in Luke 17:6, Jesus further said, “…If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”
Jesus didn’t suggest merely cutting issues down to their roots or setting them aside. He understood well that doing so might only allow them to take root and grow anew. Instead, He instructed they be “planted in the sea.”
In the harsh, salty embrace of the sea, life cannot flourish, and a plant is doomed — its hope of revival drowned in brine. It becomes, quite literally, a dead thing. The sea’s salt utterly erases its potential for life, and no effort or time can coax it to sprout again.
In this metaphor, Jesus provided the powerful lesson that when confronting unresolved, hidden issues that produce bitterness, offense, strife, or unforgiveness in life, it is not enough to simply trim them back. These must be fully uprooted and cast away to a realm where they cannot regenerate — into waters that ensure their demise. Thus, they become dead issues, forever severed from the soil of your life and incapable of returning to haunt or hinder your journey.
And notice what Jesus said next, “…And it should obey you.” The word “obey” is the Greek word hupakouo, which means to obey or to submit. It is the exact Greek word that would be used to describe children who are commanded to obey their parents. And here, we find that out-of-control emotions behave just like an out-of-control child. They rant, rave, and carry on all day long — until you finally stand up and tell them to straighten up and act right. Indeed, your flesh will pout, throw a temper tantrum, and carry on to a ridiculous extent until you decide that enough is enough.
If you don’t take control over your emotions, they will take control over you. But once you rise with resolute authority, address your emotions, and wield the power vested in you through Jesus Christ, you’ll find that your emotions and thoughts will fall in line with your directives!
If you don’t take authority over your emotions and flesh, they will continue to dominate and hound you.
If you’ll stand up to your destructive emotions and plant them in the sea forever, they will obey you, and you will be free!
A Result of Not Discerning the Body of Christ
An example of the consequences of unaddressed internal issues among believers becomes clear in Paul’s correspondence with the Corinthians. The church in Corinth was overflowing with spiritual gifts — including the gifts of healing and the working of miracles — yet despite the vast number of these gifts in the church, many of the congregation were plagued by illness and were even succumbing to premature, untimely deaths. As Paul wrote to them, he made it clear that they were sick and dying because of unresolved inner issues.
After Paul shared what many have come to know as the Communion verses, he wrote this sobering warning about receiving Communion: “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:27).
The word “unworthily” in this verse is the Greek word anaxios, which means unworthily, unfit, or not equal to the task. The fact that the Holy Spirit moved Paul to write this warning tells us that some people who come to the Lord’s Table are unfit to take Communion because their behavior and inner attitude does not correspond to what Communion represents. Furthermore, Paul stated that some who took Communion “unworthily” had inadvertently opened a door for sickness and even death to enter their lives.
The clearest example of a person taking Communion “unworthily” is Judas Iscariot during the Last Supper. Although he sat at the table with the rest of the disciples and pretended to be in covenant with them and with Jesus, he had already cut a deal with the Jewish leaders to hand Jesus over to them. Satan had entered Judas’ heart and sown seeds of betrayal, yet in that embittered state, he ate the bread and drank of the cup as if everything was all right.
Despite this inner turmoil and deceit, he reached out to partake of the bread and wine and feigned that he was in covenant with the rest of them, but, covertly, he had already made a deal to betray Jesus. His actions were unworthy, and he became “guilty” of the body and blood of the Lord.
The word “guilty” is interpreted from a form of the Greek word enochos, which describes someone charged, indicted, or liable. This is a person who is held responsible for a wrong action, behavior, or motive. Here we see that God views Communion with profound seriousness, and it is incumbent upon us to do likewise. Our focus must extend beyond the mere elements of the ritual; we must grasp the profound significance of the sacred covenant that Communion embodies, which is covenant with Jesus Christ and with His Body, the Body of Christ. By receiving the bread and wine (or juice), we declare that we are in covenant with God and with one another.
Paul penned this cautionary message to the Corinthians because they were filled with unresolved, inner issues, and their behavior had devolved into discord and litigation. The congregation had splintered into factions: some pledging allegiance to Paul, others pledging to Apollos, and still others proclaiming their loyalty to Christ.
Amidst the strife and venomous gossip, the Corinthian church had become a raging, relational mess. Despite the turmoil in them, these church members were shamelessly partaking in Communion — the sacred act of partaking in the body and blood of Jesus — as though all was harmonious, when, in reality, it was not.
In verse 29, Paul went on to say, “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body” (1 Corinthians 11:29). The word “damnation” here is the Greek word krima, which describes a decree, a judgment, or a verdict with an adverse consequence. Just as immutable laws govern the physical world, there are spiritual laws that we are bound to obey. Violating these spiritual laws — such as breaking a covenant — inevitably triggers negative consequences that cannot be avoided.
Hence, if you partake of “the bread and the cup” of Christ with an insincere heart that is not honoring the Lord and upholding His covenant, you open a door for negative consequences to come upon yourself for “not discerning the Lord’s body” (see 1 Corinthians 11:29).
The words “not discerning” in Greek depict one’s inability to discern, to judge, to appreciate, or to be truthful concerning something. In this verse, it describes one who lacks discernment and does not rightly value Christ’s sacrificial covenant for all His people, nor His command that we be “one.”
