Ponderosa Pine

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory. 1 Timothy 3:16

I don’t remember when I first saw a ponderosa pine. They are rather majestic trees that are fairly easy to identify from even a long distance away. Their trunks usually grow tall and straight, and can be quite large in diameter even several feet off the ground. Ponderosa pines can grow to a height of 230 feet. They tend to be found in sites that are drier than most in the lower to middle elevations of the mountains. The wood is aromatic, and it is a light-yellow in color. In fact, one of the local names for the tree is yellow pine.

The bark of the tree is fascinating to me. I don’t think I’ve seen many other species quite like it. It is a fire-resistant bark, which allows the ponderosa pine to survive some low-level fires when other species are consumed. It also has a very pleasant aroma, especially when it has been bathed in sunshine for a few hours. Many people think it smells a lot like vanilla.

The bark of a mature ponderosa pine contains large, irregular, rough plates. As seen in the above photo, the bark looks a lot like different pieces to a jigsaw puzzle.

Another word for puzzle is mystery, as in something that has to be pieced together to be understood or seen completely. When the Apostle Paul was writing to his friend Timothy in the above Scripture, he was writing about the mystery of God which had been revealed to him. He is speaking of Jesus, Who is also called Immanuel, which is God-with-us.

Like so many of us, Paul used to think he could earn his way to heaven by doing good things. Salvation by works. Then Paul understood that it was only through faith in the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus – Immanuel – on the cross, that Paul, along with anyone else, could be forgiven of his or her sins and make it to heaven.

Great is this mystery of why God would come to this earth to live with us and die for us. The self-sacrifice of the King for His kingdom.

But then, great is this Savior.

Jesus.