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It was said of Abba John the Short that he withdrew and lived in the desert at Scetis with an old man of Thebes. His abba, taking a piece of dry wood, planted it and said to him, "Water it every day with a bottle of water, until it bears fruit." Now the water was so far away that he had to leave in the evening and return the following morning. At the end of three years the wood came to life and bore fruit. The old man took some of the fruit and carried it to the church saying to the brethren, "Take and eat the fruit of obedience."

Analysis:

Many times in modern society, we find ourselves questioning authority and disobeying the commands given to us, whether from God or from others who have authority over us. In this apophthegm, Abba John the Short illustrates the practice of blind humility. He did not question his abba as to why he was asked to complete this fool's errand. Today, when we receive a request from someone else, we tend to put ourselves in the position of a judge; we think about the request and judge whether that person had the authority to ask us to complete it or whether it is a worthwhile task to complete. Abba John did not do this; he accepted the commandment from his abba with blind humility and obedience, and in the end, the spiritual benefit was great.