Chapter 14 - Plants

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the crown of thorns would be formed. So all who looked upon the dogwood would always remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross.

ELDER – A tree that symbolizes zeal.

ELM – The elm is a mighty and glorious tree. It symbolizes the power and dominance of a Christian who is firmly rooted in the Word of God.

EVERGREEN TREE – 1. It is a symbol of eternal life. 2. A symbol of God’s everlasting love. 3. A symbol of Christmas. This is especially true when the tree is decorated with chrismons.

FERN – 1. The fern symbolizes solitude, humility and sincerity. The fern hides itself in the woods and reveals its splendors only to those who earnestly seek it out. 2. The fern, because of its beauty and tight, curvy symmetry, was a popular space filler in medieval art and architecture. Used in this way, the fern holds no meaning.

FIG – 1. The fig tree symbolizes sin. When Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of Knowledge, they realized their nakedness and hid from God. Genesis 3:7 tells us that they sewed fig leaves together to hide their nakedness. It is believed by some scholars that the Tree of Knowledge was hence a fig tree. 2. In His teachings, Jesus referred negatively to the fig tree in

both Matthew 21:19-21 and Mark 11:13-14, which only compounds the already negative image of the tree.

FIR – 1. The fir tree is a symbol of the elect of Heaven. 2. It is a symbol of patience.

FLEUR DE LYS – 1. While not an actual flower, the fleur de lys (French for “flower of the lily”) is an iris which is used to symbolize the Triune nature of God (Trinity). 2. The flower can symbolize the Virgin Mary. 3. The fleur de lys is a symbol of the royal French family. In this case, the symbol has no spiritual meaning.

FRUIT – Fruit represents the fruits (gifts) given to each believer by the Holy Spirit.

GLADIOLUS – The gladiolus is a symbol of the Incarnation of God.

GLASTONBURY THORN – The Glastonbury Thorn is symbolic of Jesus’ nativity. It is a specific thorn bush located within the gates of the ruined abbey at Glastonbury, Somerset, in England. Legend states that the thorn bush is a direct descendent of the thornwood staff that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea (Joseph is credited with bringing Christianity to England in the first century). Legend tells us that Joseph stuck his staff into the ground before he lay down to sleep. The next morning when he awoke he found that his

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