Today’s post is a perfect reading for a Monday! It celebrates the immeasurable abundance that flows from a fruitful life. Scholars describe Papyrus Egerton 2 as an ancient text that recounts four fragments of stories, one of which is a miracle of Jesus. It that sense, it’s referred to as Egerton Gospel, simply because it represents an early account of Jesus (c. AD 70-120). Below is the reading, Willker’s notes on it, the OT Scripture that it likely parallels, and brief comments from me.
“When a husbandman has enclosed a small seed in a secret place, so that it is invisibly buried, how does its abundance become immeasurable?” And when they where perplexed at the strange question, Jesus, as he walked, stood on the banks of the River Jordan, and stretching out his right hand, He filled it with seed and sowed it upon the ground. And thereupon he poured sufficient water over it. And looking at the ground before them, the fruit appeared.” Papyrus Egerton 2, Fragment 2 Verso.
As Willker’s notes, “Though the fragment cannot be reconstructed sufficiently, the meaning can be found: A small seed in the ground is hidden and invisible. How does its abundance become immeasurable? (By growing and bringing fruit.) To clarify this, Jesus performs a miracle: He walks up to the river Jordan and with the water he gives rise to a spontaneous ripening of fruit. (much, for joy!)
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell it to the Israelites as a parable. 3 Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: A great eagle with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon. Taking hold of the top of a cedar, he broke off its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders. “‘He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water, and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs. “‘But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water. It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’ “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots. It has been planted, but will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it—wither away in the plot where it grew?’” Ezekiel 17:1-10
Why cite this on a Monday? What does it have to do with generosity?
Each and every week holds the prospect of fruitfulness for you and me — immeasurable fruitfulness! We never know the impact that can multiply through us as we abide in Christ and drink of the living water that flows from Him.
This ancient papyrus does seems to recount a miracle of Jesus, the Son of Man, as foreshadowed eloquently by Ezekiel. God’s design and desire for each of us is to “produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.”
The prophet proclaims a question from the Sovereign Lord to the vine of each of our lives. Will it thrive?
If we want to exhibit Christian generosity, then we must abide in Christ and drink the water only He can supply. We must soak in the Word of God, so it nourishes our souls. While most hear and don’t do what it says, we must hear and do.
When we do what it says, we will look different from the world. We will offend the religious and self-righteous, as Jesus ruffled the feathers of the Pharisees and other religious leaders, and we will look like foolishness to the world.
Our generosity will come into view as distinctly Christian. It will look like Christ who held nothing back, who did not show favoritism, who extended mercy and grace to the most undeserving, and much more.