Faith Lessons From the Olive Tree

Olives and olive trees played an influential role in Bible times and in Scripture. They furnished food, ointment, illumination, heat, and an essential ingredient for making soap. The evergreen tree is a remarkable tree! It has an extensive root system which enables it to withstand wind, heat, and drought. And in its native arid and rocky Mediterranean habitat, it can produce fruit for over 1000 years!

The winds batter and gnarl its branches. And heat, drought, and internal decay bend and deform the trunk. Yet the olive tree only grows stronger and more beautiful with each storm and with the passage of time.

The olive tree’s incredible roots

But the olive tree’s true secret to survival is its incredible root system. The Mediterranean region receives scant rainfall during its hot arid summers. And because most of it remains close to the ground surface, the soil dries out rapidly. But the olive tree has a secondary system of shallow roots, known as a flocculent root system. Which enables it to take in water even during severe periods of drought. Thanks to this special system the olive tree never fully dries out.

God wants us to be like the olive tree, flourishing even even during times of extreme drought.

But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.

Psalm 52:8

Five olive tree traits for a strong faith

Five lessons the olive tree can teach us about growing a strong faith.

1. Be well-rooted

As the olive tree sends its roots out at many levels and in all directions, we need to take in all parts of Scripture. Thus becoming well-rooted in God’s word. So that even in times of spiritual drought or trouble we will stand strong in the Lord.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Colossians 2:6-7

2. Strength through purity

We’ve probably all seen photos of olive trees with their bent and twisted trunks. But did you know that those trunks are also often hollow, caused by internal decay? A fact that actually proves the tree’s strength and endurance. Despite the damage, it remains strong and bears fruit.

We’re a lot like the olive tree – full of internal decay. Full of thoughts, words, and actions that are unworthy of Christ and his love.

And yet, when we allow him to, God continues to help us grow and change. He purifies our character, infusing it with his righteousness and strength. Enabling us to bear fruit even during adversity and difficulty.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,

Colossians 1:9

3. Cling to Christ and his word

Olive trees can cling to steep rocky hillsides where other crops cannot grow. And in this way they protect those areas from erosion, landslides, and barrenness.

Likewise, when we cling to God’s word with the tenacity of an olive tree, we grow in our Christian life. And as we remain anchored to biblical truth, we prevent sound doctrine from eroding.

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

1 Timothy 4:16

4. Embrace the beauty of your scars

Long has man extolled the olive as a tree of beauty. Which is really quite amazing. By all logic, it should seem unsightly to us, with its bent and misshapen trunk. And its twisted, gnarled branches deformed by the onslaught of wind and weather. Yet it’s those defects that give it beauty. A beauty that only grows with each storm and the onslaught of nature.

We are also often battered and beaten by the storms of life. Trials and troubles cause wounds and suffering. Wounds that often take years to heal, and leave internal scars and trauma.

But when we place our lives in God’s care he takes all that’s ugly and turns it into beauty. His light and goodness shine through this beauty. Even with all our imperfections and failures.

And provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61:3

5. Bear up under the weight of trials

The olive tree produces abundant fruit. So much, in fact, that much of it gets made into oil. But before the olives can yield that oil, they must undergo pressing.

Our lives must undergo a pressing process as well before they can bear spiritual fruit. And that is always a painful process.

Before his arrest Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane, which means olive press. And there, pressed down by the weight of his future suffering, he sweated actual drops of blood.

We often face crushing trials and troubles too. However, they are what produce fruit in our lives. The Lord uses them to change us and make us more like him. Through them, he works his character into our lives, removing our internal decay and sickness. And replacing it with his strength, beauty, and holiness.

He builds within us a faith as strong as an olive tree. One that can withstand life’s storms and times of drought. And hold up under the weight of trials and difficulties.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

📷 Image credits: olive press & olive tree by David Padfield/FreeBibleImages.org; others are mine.