What is so glorious as a fine Fall day as the gilding of Autumn makes the broad-leafed trees almost to be aflame in the afternoon sun? How often, as we rejoice in the riot of color, are we made to feel glad to be alive, and able to revel in such a scene?
But at the same time, how thought-provoking it is to realize that this pageant of color is a pageant of death. Those so-vivid leaves only seem to be bursting with vitality. Actually, they are in the process of dying. Soon they will be withered and sere, and then they will fall. But already they have ceased their work, and cut off their life-giving arteries to the branch of the tree.
During the growing season, each leaf is a busy “factory” in microcosm. Its cells convert energy from sunlight into nutrients for the living plant. But the shortening of days of autumn trigger a major change in the leaf. It empties its factory cells of chlorophyll and stored food into the branch, and thence to the tree trunk. At the same time, a barrier layer of cells forms at the stem end of the leaf. When the leaf finally falls, this barrier layer will plug the wound so that the tree will not “bleed” sap.
When the leaf loses its green chlorophyll, its true color is revealed. Most often that color is one of the shades of yellow or orange which are so common in the woods in autumn. This pigment was always present, but was masked by the overpowering green of the chlorophyll while the leaf lived.
In other leaves, however, red pigment of various hues is manufactured during the “shutting-down” process, for reasons that are not yet understood. In every case, however, the emergence of the bright color outwardly signals a transformation of death that already far advanced inwardly.
It should also be noted that the death of its leaves is vital to the continued life of the parent tree or bush. If a broad-leafed plant tried to remain “open for business” through the winter, it would be highly vulnerable to freezing. It would also be without the reserves of food and moisture needed to last out the winter and start up again the next Spring. Thus, in a real sense, the leaves readily give their lives for the good of the whole.
What prompts the self-sacrifice? A plant scientist would no doubt point to certain chemicals which initiate the response. Thus, for example, leaves begin the self-destruction process when they cease to manufacture auxin, the plant growth hormone. It is also believed that the seasonal shortening of the day somehow causes the leaves to stop producing the hormone.
But we do not know precisely how this is arranged, nor how it all began. As with so many of the secrets of nature, leaf-fall had to have been a perfected mechanism from the outset: otherwise the plant species would have quickly perished. (Note: this would not a consequence in the tropics – but neither would there have been any reason for the protective mechanism to have been developed. Thus, the plants either could not – for lack of time – or would not – for lack of need developed leaf-fall by themselves.)
Instead, we are witnessing once again the marvelous handiwork of God, for only He could create the finished wonders we discover. Indeed, the deeper we dig, the more we discover that our world is not filled with life which slowly evolved, but with life which sprang suddenly into its finished state.
But there is another lesson to be learned from the voluntary fall of leaves, and the beauty of their death. Just as they give themselves for the good of the parent plant, so there lived a Man who gave up His life in order that the souls of mankind might be preserved. And this, too, is a wonderful provision of God, who looked upon man and saw that all had sinned, and therefore could not qualify for heaven. A sacrifice was needed as our substitute – one who could take our sins upon himself. But only one who was utterly unstained by sin could be such a sacrifice – for otherwise he also would need a sacrifice! So God sent His own Son, to be the sacrificial lamb without blemish. And truly there was great beauty in His death, though He died in agony upon a cross.
It is for this reason that the Bible urges all to, “Give sincere homage to the Son, lest he be angry… Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.” (Psalm 2:12)
(Scripture is quoted from the World English Bible translation.)