Rose Of Sharon

Jesus Christ Our LORD

Blooms Even In Deserts

The wilderness and the wasteland
shall be glad for them,
And the desert shall rejoice and
blossom as the rose;
It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice,
Even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon
shall be given to it,
The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the LORD,
The excellency of our God.
Isaiah 35:1-2

The Rose of Sharon springs out through a good but seemingly dry root. The plant is very drought-tolerant, who can withstand intense summer heat and high temperatures. It loves heat!

There shall come forth a Rod
from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow
out of his roots.
The Spirit of the LORD
shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and
of the fear of the LORD.

His delight is in the fear of the LORD,
And He shall not judge
by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
But with righteousness
He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity
for the meek of the earth;
He shall strike the earth
with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips
He shall slay the wicked.

Righteousness shall be
the belt of His loins,
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
Isaiah 11:1-5

Jesus was born during the times of the Romans. King Herod sent his soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under. But Baby Jesus escaped death.

Jesus lived in very harsh conditions, fleeing to Egypt while He was just a baby. His childhood days were mostly spent in the carpenter’s workplace, in a dry and dusty town called Nazareth. Through trials and tribulations, Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people. He is full of the zeal of God!

Have Resurrection Power

By late spring, the Rose of Sharon may still look dead with bare branches, leafless.

But within life remains! Never ever think that the plant is dead! The Rose of Sharon not only blooms late, but leafs out late as well. When summer comes, it becomes fully alive!

Jesus said to her,
“I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in Me,
though he may die, he shall live.
And whoever lives and believes in Me
shall never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25-26

Jesus died and rose again on the third day! And He lives forever and ever!

Very Fruitful & Abundant

Rose of Sharon blooms bountifully. Its beautiful flowers are full of sweet nectar, attracting all kinds of bees and insects.

And Jesus went about all Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues,
preaching the gospel of the kingdom,
and healing all kinds of sickness and
all kinds of disease among the people.
Then His fame went
throughout all Syria;
and they brought to Him all sick people
who were afflicted with
various diseases and torments,
and those who were demon-possessed,
epileptics, and paralytics;
and He healed them.
Great multitudes followed Him—
from Galilee, and from Decapolis,
Jerusalem, Judea,
and beyond the Jordan.
Matthew 4:23-25

Jesus ministered to all kinds of people, Jews and Gentiles, young and old! He healed all kinds of diseases and sickness!

Long Lasting & Durable

Because of its relatively late period of blooming, sometimes even in August, the Rose of Sharon is able to shine and offer color when other shrubs have long ceased blooming, and their flowers have faded and gone.

“The kingdoms of this world
have become the kingdoms
of our Lord and of His Christ, and
He shall reign forever and ever!”
Revelation 11:15

While other kings and kingdoms come and go, our King of kings reigns forever, shining gloriously and victoriously! Jesus is everlasting!

Living In the Light

Rose of Sharon prefers full sun and well-drained soil. The Rose of Sharon bushes may fall prey to fungal damage if they are grown in areas
without full sunlight.

This is the message
which we have heard from Him
and declare to you,
that God is light and
in Him is no darkness at all.
If we say that
we have fellowship with Him,
and walk in darkness,
we lie and do not practice the truth.
But if we walk in the light
as He is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ
His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:5-7

Jesus lives and walks in the light. He is the Light of the world, in Him is no darkness at all!

Manifold Colors Of Grace

The flowers of the Rose of Sharon can be white, red, lavender or light blue in color. Some have double blooms. Most Rose of Sharon bushes bear small, deeply-lobed, light-green leaves.

To me, who am less
than the least of all the saints,
this grace was given,
that I should preach among the Gentiles
the unsearchable riches of Christ,
and to make all see
what is the fellowship of the mystery,
which from the beginning of the ages
has been hidden in God
Who created all things through Jesus Christ;
to the intent that now
the manifold wisdom of God
might be made known by the church
to the principalities and powers
in the heavenly places,
according to the eternal purpose
which He accomplished
in Christ Jesus our Lord,
in whom we have boldness and
access with confidence through faith in Him.
Ephesians 3:8-12

Jesus is beautiful beyond description, marvelous beyond comprehension and wonderful beyond human imagination! The manifold wisdom and grace of God radiates through Him.

One Main Trunk (Source)

The Rose of Sharon is naturally a multi-stemmed shrub. But it can be trained through pruning to have simply one main trunk. Thus some people call it a tree instead of a shrub.

The easiest way to give the Rose of Sharon its desired shape is by pruning it accordingly during its first two seasons.

The Rose of Sharon can also be trained for espalier. Espalier is the horticultural technique of training trees through pruning and grafting the branches in order to create two-dimensional or single plane patterns.

The espalier technique was popular in the Middle Ages to produce fruit inside the walls of a typical castle courtyard without interfering with the open space. They are used to decorate solid walls by planting such trees near them. Evidence suggests that this technique dated back perhaps even to ancient Egypt.

Do you not believe that
I am in the Father,
and the Father in Me?
The words that I speak to you
I do not speak on My own authority;
but the Father Who dwells in Me
does the works.
Believe Me that I am in the Father
and the Father in Me,
or else believe Me
for the sake of the works themselves.
John 14:10-11

I am the vine,
you are the branches.
He who abides in Me,
and I in him,
bears much fruit;
for without Me you can do nothing.
John 15:5

“..though He was a Son,
yet He learned obedience
by the things which He suffered.
And having been perfected,
He became the author of eternal salvation
to all who obey Him..”
Hebrews 5:8-9

Jesus did nothing unless He has the approval and authority of God the Father. He abides in the Father, and the Father abides in Him.

A Hedge Of Protection

The Rose of Sharon has the ability to be pruned and shaped, and is a good plant to build hedges. It is used effectively to achieve privacy around swimming pools, for instance. However, the Rose of Sharon bush shreds off its leaves annually. It makes an effective privacy hedge only in summer.

The LORD is my rock
and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength,
in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold.
Psalm 18:2

Jesus is eternally evergreen. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever! He protects us 24 hours, 7 days a week without failure.