Amidst the tragic fires that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina, Maui, there is a story too good to pass up: the banyan tree survived!

Surrounded by near total devastation the tree lives. Having not been to Lahaina (I’ve only sailed into and out of Honolulu as a small boy), I had not heard of the tree. Here is the official description:

Dominating the courthouse square in downtown Lahaina is one of the most remarkable aboreal specimens. One-quarter of a mile in circumference, its octopus-like limbs stretch outward, spreading a vast network of branches, leaves and aerial roots towards the streets and buildings surrounding it. Extraordinary, almost surreal, it seems more like a fantastic prop from a Tim Burton film than an organism in real life. How did this giant come to lay its roots in this tiny port of Lahaina? Here’s the story:

On April 24, 1873, to honor the 50th anniversary of the first Protestant mission in Lahaina, which was started at the request of Queen Keōpūolani, the sacred wife and widow of King Kamehameha the Great, Sheriff William Owen Smith planted the exotic Indian Banyan. At the time it was only eight feet tall.

After settling in, the tree slowly sent branches outward from its trunk. From the branches, a series of aerial roots descended towards the earth. Some of them touched the ground and dug in, growing larger until eventually turning into trunks themselves. Over the years, Lahaina residents lovingly encouraged the symmetrical growth of the tree by hanging large glass jars filled with water on the aerial roots that they wanted to grow into a trunk. In time, what was once a small sapling matured into a monumental behemoth.

It now stands over 60 feet high, has 46 major trunks in addition to the massive original and shades nearly two-thirds of an acre. Maui County Arborist Committee carefully maintains the health and shape of this majestic tree. It is the largest banyan tree in the entire United States. In recent times, the courthouse square was renamed “Banyan Tree Park” in its honor. Lahaina Restoration Foundation takes care of the park grounds. – https://lahainarestoration.org/lahaina-banyan-tree/

I think it’s noteworthy that the tree was planted in honor of Protestant missionaries who first came to Hawaii. I don’t know how big a banyan tree seed is, but this tree was only 8 feet tall when planted. A sapling. But growth occurs over time. In this case extraordinary growth. I’m reminded of Jesus’ story of the mustard seed:

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches. (Matthew 13.31, 32, NIV)

Trees are important in the Bible’s storyline:

Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” (Ezekiel 47.12, NIV)

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22.1, 2, NIV)

And those who follow God are compared to resilient trees – like the banyan!

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1.1 – 3, NIV)

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit. (Jeremiah 17.7, 8, ESV)