Matthew 7:19
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire
Knowing that I’m on the downslope of life,
I want whatever time remains to be fruitful.
Beyond that, I have a specific problem with this verse.
(my doubt is probably what drove me to paint this,
and to continue to think about it)
I doubt that it means what I WANT it to mean.
When I first heard it, it seemed so harsh to me;
the wrath and judgment of a disappointed God,
sorting out the winners from the losers.
THEN I wondered if it might mean something else!
Could it be that when I arrive at the beginning of my next life,
all the mistakes I made will be burned away?
all of my failures will be burned away?
all of my embarrassments will be burned away?
the times I got angry, or proud, or selfish,
the times I could have been merciful, but wasn’t
the times I could have shown compassion, but didn’t
BURNED AWAY….
But try as I might to rationalize,
the context of the verse just doesn’t fit my preference.
What I had hoped, might not be truth.
Sometimes I paint what I DON’T understand.
This verse really bothers me.
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