The Onion

I like onions.  They can be used in stir fries, curries, salads, soups and many other meals, and are also medicinal in many ways.  I was looking on the internet for uses for the onion.  One of the comments in answer to the question 'How are onions good for you?' was:- 'Toxins in your body RUN from the onion, leaving your innards nice and clean'.

Why am I talking about onions?   Well, the other day I was reading Matthew chapter 8.   Verse 28  onwards tells of when Jesus and the disciples had crossed the sea of Galilee to the country of the Gardarenes.  While there he cast out demons from two demoniacs, commanding them to enter a herd of swine, which in turn 'rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters'. 

What I noticed as I read on to the end of the chapter was that when the herdsmen fled into the city and told  the people there everything that had happened to the demoniacs, instead of rejoicing the whole of the city came out to meet Jesus and begged Him to leave their neighbourhood.   I asked myself 'Why would they want someone who had brought such a wonderful release to two tormented people to leave their city?' Could they be more concerned about losing the pigs?

Over the following couple of days I read sections of the book of Proverbs, and I started to think about the choices we get.  I thought back to the Gardarenes citizens, and it came into my mind that pigs represent 'the unclean' to the Jewish people.  There is some controversy over whether the Gardarenes were Jews, but whether they were or not is irrelevant because as a christian reading this story it is portraying to me, as part of God's spiritual Israel (the church), the danger of  being more concerned about losing the 'unclean' in my life than gaining the spiritual cleansing.

God gives us choices and sometimes we can tend to treat the good advice given in the word of God in the same way as the Gadarenes thought of Jesus' acts regarding the demoniacs and the swine.  We can prefer to keep  our own human 'wisdom' when the wisdom of God is necessary.  Proverbs ch.26 v12 reads 'Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes, there is more hope for a fool than for him'.  How often this has proved true in my own life.


Sometimes the food that is good for us has an element in it that might appear to cause an upsetting reaction at first.   Onions can make you cry, and maybe have a few other uncomfortable side effects  but can clear your body of toxins, and sometimes the advice in the word of God, brought to our attention by the Holy Spirit at an appropriate time, may cause a little upset at first but it has the power, once applied, to clear our lives of spiritual toxins that may harm us and hinder us in our spiritual walk. 

Our old nature tends sometimes to have a 'keep the peace' side that does not want to entertain the 'rock the boat' side, even when it may be what is necessary to enable us to work out our own salvation or be strengthened spiritually in the Lord.  For example, Proverbs ch.24 v.24,25 reads:-   He who says to the wicked 'You are innocent' will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations; but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will be upon them.'  There may come a time when we know that the Holy Spirit is telling us to correct someone, where 'keep the peace' or 'respect for persons' will try to persuade us to condone what we know to be wrong. 

The Lord might correct me at a time that I see something bad happening to someone who has done something bad to me by showing me Proverbsch.24 v.17 which reads:- 'Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the Lord see it, and be displeased, and turn away His anger from him.'   This proverb shows me that the Lord's correction is not about revenge, and neither should I be revenging.   Just as we must eat the onion to achieve the cleansing so too must we act on the advice spoken to us even if it causes a little discomfort.



Proverbs ch.29 v.19   reads   'By mere words a servant is not disciplined, for though he understands he will not give heed', and sometimes we may be put through trials, as spoken of in James ch.1 v.2.  The Lord understands our weaknesses, and these trials are able to test us on the ability to carry out what we are shown, and know is right, and be strengthened to overcome our spiritual weaknesses, and will sometimes also help others.  The motivation behind correction is always 'repair' when this motivation comes from  God, whether it be for us or for another person in our lives.  The word 'synergy' comes from the Greek word 'synergia' meaning 'joint work and cooperative action', and it is only when we play our part in acting on the word of God spoken to us that we effectively work out our salvation.

Some time ago I wrote a poem called 'The Onion', which portrays to me the fact that what the Holy Spirit speaks to me may appear at first to upset my 'worldly comfort zone' but it can only improve my spiritual life.  When the Lord upsets the apple cart the only thing that comes out of it is fruit.



The Onion

'How pleasant is our garden' the flowers said one day, while basking in the morning sun.  Then they heard the gardener say.    'I think I'll plant an onion, to see if it will grow'.   Then looking round the garden sought a place for it to go.  

'Oh no!' cried out the marigold, 'don't put Onion next to me.  What about beside the pond or under that old tree?' 'And why then should I suffer?' replied the noble oak.

'And neither do we want it here' the frogs began to croak.

And so the gardener scratched his head and said 'What shall I do?'  Somewhere within this garden must be a place for you.'  The onion cried within his heart, the tears began to roll.  He prayed 'Lord, I'm created too, find a place for this poor soul'.  And then the gardener heaved a sigh and said 'The only thing is to put this onion by the fence with the weeds that choke and sting'.

The onion was so happy, at last was found a place. The gardener went and brought his spade,the onion dried its face.  How happy was the little plant once settled in the ground.  He spread his roots and raised his head, began to look around.  A sudden sound of crying began to reach his ears.  'Oh no, what now?' the onion said 'Who's shedding all those tears?'  But mingled with the crying, 'Hip, hip hooray!' was heard.  A sign of hope, and maybe not rejection as he feared.  The sobbing wasn't coming from the marigold or oak, but coming from the nasty weeds, the ones that sting and choke.  By now the weeds were withering, the thistles gasped for breath.  For the presence of the onion could only mean their death.  The flowers now with shouts of glee to the onion did lean and bend, for what was seen as an enemy had now become their friend.  So if in your midst there's an onion, who sometimes makes you cry, put him amongst your thistles and weeds.    Who knows ?........ maybe they'll die.