Resurrection Sunday is traditionally the day of the loveliest of women's outfits – floral pastels, sunshine yellows, passionate purples, and serene blues, each with ruffled, embroidered, sequined, beaded, or pearled accents. One by one, they walk into the church's sanctuary only to be taken back by the surprising beauty of the ultra-white Easter lily, Lilium longiflorum. Just as Jesus' resurrection stunned those who knew of his crucifixion, so the Easter lily greets the congregation with its sudden appearance. A few days earlier, people were talking of his suffering and ultimately his death; now, the song is "He's Alive" – these funnel-shaped pure white lilies symbolize his new life.

A considerable amount of controversy surrounds what is the "lilies of the field" from Matthew 6:28 and Luke 12:27. Some suggest that the Madonna lily, Lilium candidum, is that plant and then use the Easter lily, shown on the opposite page, due to its striking similarity; many Biblical plant scholars rather suspect that the "lilies of the field" refers to a red-flowered anemone that appears far more frequently throughout Israel. Either way, the lilies and the anemones are bulbous plants, and that is the important consideration regarding the teaching on "lilies of the field":

"Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?" (Luke 12:27,28).

The challenge that Jesus was suggesting is "Look again at how the lilies grow."

Lilies, anemones, tulips, and cyclamen each have bulbs or tubers that are built into their root structure that provide a reserve supply of nutrients during drought periods. In a land where a drought can last for multiple years, the ability for a tuberous or bulbous plant to survive in Israel during their difficult times was critical. Therefore, the tubers are not seen by the naked eye yet they provide for the survival of the plant.

The tubers also helped when the plant was "thrown into the fire." The practice in many nations is to build a fire after the harvest is completed, fully consuming the excess plant material in preparation for the next season's planting. Any lilies that were growing above the surface were burned, but to their surprise, new lily plants sprouted quickly because the tubers, located several inches below the ground surface, were deep enough to ensure that the heat of the fire would not harm them.

As Jesus taught this lesson, the drought and fire appear as symbolic representations of trials that people go through:

These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold – though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. ... You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:7,8).

The lesson of the lilies is this – if God so wonderfully provides tubers to lilies and such plants, won't he do even more for us? Trust and love the Lord because he is gushing and overflowing with love for us – that is the lesson of the lilies.