God is the original horticulturist. But he doesn’t grow the expected fruits. Of course, he is the one who is all-around responsible for the growth of all the pomegranates, avocados, peaches, pears, and plums, but he is also the cultivator of a different and even better fruit, a spiritual fruit.

Certainly, much of what Christ did was miraculous, but it is the underlying compassion, mercy, beneficence, and obedience to the Father that accompany them for which we are called to have as the underlying motivation in our own good works.