🎬Aesop’s Fables Month: The Two Travelers and the Plane Tree 🧳🌳
Shabbat Shalom! Welcome into the quiet beauty of God-ordained rest. I’m thrilled to share this fable of two travelers looking at the same tree in two opposite ways. It reminds me of all the different ways we humans can look at the abundant gifts of God that surround us.
One of those gifts is Shabbat (Sabbath) rest. When I’m at my best, I’m looking at Sabbath through completely different eyes than when it’s yet another biblical behavior I’m just trying to get right. When you watch the embedded video from The Bible Project and see the amazing gift that God shared with us from creation, I hope you will also see Sabbath through eyes of gratefulness as you receive one of the first gifts He offered to His new creations.
In a world consumed by output, deadlines, and measurable return on investment, if an hour doesn’t yield a tangible result, culture labels it “wasted time.” Even when our bodies plead for relief, our minds often pace back and forth, feeling guilty for pausing. But what if the very rest we dismiss as unproductive is actually one of God’s greatest sanctuaries of grace?
Aesop captured this peculiar human blindness in an ancient, often-overlooked fable about an afternoon pause under a roadside tree.
The Classic Fable Retold: The Two Travelers and the Plane Tree
Two weary wanderers trudged along a dusty, sun-bleached road at midday. The summer heat pressed down like a heavy furnace, shimmering in waves off the cracked dirt. Parched and dizzy with exhaustion, they scanned the horizon for any sign of relief.
Just off the path stood a magnificent Oriental Plane tree, its broad leaves stretching outward in an immense, emerald arch. Rushing from the glare into its shelter, both men collapsed upon the cool earth beneath the wide canopy.
The first traveler leaned back against the ancient trunk, unbuckled his heavy pack, let his walking staff fall into the grass, and closed his eyes. He exhaled a long breath of relief, letting the cool breeze and dappled shade revive his parched spirit in silent thanksgiving.
The second traveler, however, could not be still. As soon as his breath returned, he sat upright and began scrutinizing the branches overhead. Looking up through the lush green foliage, he scoffed with open hands of complaint: “What a completely useless tree! It bears no figs, produces no olives, yields no nuts, and offers no fruit for a hungry stomach. It just takes up space along the road, serving no purpose at all!”
A sudden breeze rustled through the boughs, and the plane tree answered in a quiet whisper: “Ungrateful soul! You sprawl in the cool sanctuary of my leaves, shielded from the very sun that would have struck you down, yet you call me useless because I bear you no fruit to consume?”
The Sacred Sanctuary of “Useless” Rest
What the tree says here brings me to tears. How often do we sit squarely under God’s protective canopy of comfort, rejuvenations, and rest while complaining that He isn’t handing us more “blessings” to consume? In our restless hurry, we treat rest as a nuisance—a barren tree that fails to produce a tangible product.
Yet Scripture reminds us that the shelter itself is the blessing:
“The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is the shade on your right hand. The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.”
— Psalm 121:5–6
When YahShua (Jesus) confronted the rigid religious authorities who turned the Sabbath into a checklist of anxious burdens, He restored its foundational heart:
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.’”
— Mark 2:27
Sabbath was never designed as another field to plow or a quota to meet; it was created as a hospitable shade tree. It is an intentional sanctuary in time where we stop measuring ourselves by what we produce, trusting instead that the Creator is already sustaining the world without our frantic effort to add to creation by our own contributions and power.
The Seventh Day: Entering God’s Rest
In this insightful short film, the team at BibleProject unpacks the sweeping biblical story of Sabbath—from the unending seventh day of creation to Jesus inviting every weary, heavy-laden soul to rest under His finished work:
Today, lay down your walking staff. Let your pack drop from your shoulders. Stop demanding that every sacred moment justify itself with immediate worldly fruit, and simply rest in the faithful shade of your Keeper. May you find Shalom (peace that passes understanding) today and everyday as you walk in the shelter of God’s creation.
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
— Matthew 11:28–30
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🎵The Hospitality of Rest: Why the Sabbath Was Made for Us
Sometimes, a roadblock that changes our plans is exactly what it takes to slow us down for just long enough.
Today, my “Operation Cleanout” friend and I had big plans to build a new project. FedEx had dropped off my package a couple days ago, and it looked like it had been through a war zone. How is it that when your tracking shows your item is out for delivery, and then it gets delayed, it often shows up damaged? We didn’t know if the shelf would be as bad as the box, so we dug out all the heavy pieces. Sadly, even with lots of great packing materials to protect it, the mistreatment was more than it could survive. Our plans were instantly derailed.
(That kinda sounds like life, sometimes, doesn’t it? We think we’re all cushioned against the blows, and then reality hits.)
At first, I felt that familiar, heavy spike of aggravation. Broken momentum tends to undo all my other plans as well. Especially after calling Amazon and finding out that I had to deal directly with a seller in another country. But, as much as I dislike my plans being hijacked by circumstances beyond my control, I was actually more at peace because of having the presence of a good friend to share in the frustrations.
So, we started fellowshipping and talking about God and His Word and His precious promises to us. I noted her resilience to stand on The Word and not compromise what it directs her to do. In our conversation of why we do what we do, we talked about that tendency in modern Christianity to identify Friday-Saturday Sabbath as Jewish and Sunday as a “Christian Sabbath Day.” She doesn’t think that way herself, but I mentioned what I had learned in my Messianic Jewish studies about the fact that Sabbath existed before Moses or Abraham or Judaism. It was the 7th day of Creation!
Later in the day, that conversation came back to me. As the evening approached and the thoughts of this week’s Sabbath rolled in, a verse kept circling through my mind: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:27-28 BSB
[27] Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. [28] Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/mrk.2.27-28.BSB
When we look at the creation story and read about that first Sabbath, we read that God rested on the seventh day. But I found myself asking tonight: If the Sabbath was made for man, why did God rest? He doesn’t get tired.
And then it hit me…
For the first six days of creation, God was working alone. He was building, shaping, separating light from dark, and speaking galaxies into existence. He was being the Supreme Creator and doing Supreme Creator things all by Himself—but not for Himself. At the end of the sixth day, He made us. The prophet Isaiah reminds us of these plans in God’s blueprints in Isaiah 45:18…
Isaiah 45:18 BSB
[18] For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens— He is God; He formed the earth and fashioned it; He established it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/isa.45.18.BSB
The seventh day wasn’t a pause because God ran out of energy or creative ideas. He took the time to pause because the home was completed and His family had finally arrived. He finished the work, turned the garden over to man, and then walked in the cool of the day with him.
Isaiah 40:28 BSB
[28] Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary; His understanding is beyond searching out.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/isa.40.28.BSB
The Sabbath was made for man because God wanted a designated time and space to fellowship with us. It’s not about religious observance and law keeping. It’s about spending time with God and making the time and space for God to spend time with us. It’s preparing a seat at the table, having a fulfilling meal, and then taking a walk together. And though God knew we would need a designated space to fill our wells for the week ahead, He made the Sabbath out of His deep, passionate desire to simply fellowship with us. Picture it like this: The Creator of the universe setting down His tools, turning around with a smile on His face, and saying, “Okay, I’m done working. Now, let’s spend some time together.”
While I collaborated with Gemini on this post, this beautiful statement came out of it:
“The entire multi-day cosmic construction project wasn’t an empty display of power. It was the intentional staging of a home, built specifically so He could move in and share with us.”
So for this Sabbath weekend, the battered box is still in the hallway, and the momentum for that project is still broken. But as I step into this day of rest, I can see my derailed plans as a gift. They slowed me down to talk of this deep subject with a sister in The Lord, and that came back as such a wonderful realization that my future Sabbath days will have a much deeper meaning than before.
If something in your life took a beating this week, and if your own plans got derailed, take a breath and take a break. God has invited us to take a walk in the garden with the One who made it. Let’s meet Him where He’s waiting for us. And as we’re walking, we can sing this wonderful old hymn with a new sweetness in our hearts and voices:
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Wholly Good Creation
I am so in love with the word of God that I can find multiple things to talk about from even a short reading. For me, Scripture is living and filled with wonder and awe. I can see the possibilities of mistranslations by mankind, and yet the thread of truth is so strong that I do not doubt the validity of life I receive from the written words. Today, I read from Genesis 1:24 through Genesis 2:3.
Creation day 6 was quite the busy one. All the rest of the animals brought forth from the dust of earth, and then mankind. And it was so much more than simple creation. It was the decision to make man a little higher than the animals, so that he could rule them from the earth. It was the decision to risk putting God-like attributes in human flesh made from dirt.
Surely, God being God, knew what He was getting into when He did all of that, and yet upon its finish He said, “It is very/vehemently/wholly good.” Apparently, He saw something more in us that we can see in ourselves. He didn’t just like what He had accomplished, He vehemently loved what He had accomplished. It’s hard for me to imagine why anyone would want to reject that, but I can only guess it comes from people who see themselves as good in their own eyes rather than accepting themselves as wholly good as He sees them and created them to be. That gives me understanding as to why He prefers a humble spirit.
And, after all the flourish of work, creation, risk, and emotion, God was done. He wasn’t done being God, but He was done setting up the dominoes, and it was time for them to do what He created them to do… to multiply, to govern, and to be like Him and create things on their own. I wonder though if His letting go was similar to a parent taking the training wheels off a child’s bike and just letting the child go–even knowing the child may fall. I hope when He takes a chance on me, I bring Him reward that makes it worth the risk of His letting go and letting me have free will.
And this seems like a great place to post a poem called “Free Will” that I wrote back in 2002 in the aftermath of so many claiming 9/11/2001 was something God allowed (or caused) to punish sinful Americans.
FREE WILL
Free will, I say, to all free will,
To do just as you desire.
Tis the greatest of gifts giv’n to man,
It can help or can hurt, as does fire.
Many men seek to do all good,
Neither hurt a friend, nor a foe.
But some men abuse this gracious gift,
And it makes God’s head bow low.
So let us not blame our God above,
For men and their evil deeds.
Let us instead use our own free will,
To comfort a heart that bleeds.
An object or word can cause great pain,
In the hands of hatred and spite.
But in the hands of men filled with love,
A balm of healing and light.
May God be thanked for His gift of free will.
Let all men use it for love.
And bless each other as we fulfill,
The goodness of God above.
Copyright ©2002 Crystal A. Murray
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September 30, 2013 Posted by Crystal A Murray (aka CrystalWriter) | Bible Study, Nonfiction, Torah Commentary | 6th day, 7th day, Beginning, Bible, Bible study, Complete Jewish Bible, Creation, crystalwriter, Earth, Genesis, Genesis 1, Genesis 2, God's image, God's rest, good, man, mankind, rest, Scripture, Torah, Torah commentary, Torah Portions, Torah Reading, very good, wholly good, woman, Word, Word of God, Word of the Lord, Yahveh, Yahweh | Leave a comment