A Tale of Three Trees

INTRODUCTION

Turn in your Bibles to Genesis chapter two, verses eight and nine, followed by verses fifteen to seventeen. Then we will be reading a few verses in Genesis 3 as well.

This is the Word of the Lord:

Genesis 2:8–9 ESV

8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:15–17 ESV

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 3:6 ESV

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

Genesis 3:22–24 ESV

22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Father, what we know not, teach us; what we have not, give us; what we are not, make us. For the sake of your Son, our savior. Amen.

The title of today’s sermon is “A TALE OF THREE TREES”.

I don’t know about you, but I grew up in a Christian family, went to church often, and was very familiar with the story of Adam and Eve. I heard a bit about the tree of life and knew eating from it made you live forever. And I knew that the other tree—the tree of knowledge—was forbidden. But sadly, Adam and Eve ate from it anyway.

Though I was familiar with the story, I don’t think I really understood what the tree of knowledge and the tree of life were all about. It always seemed a bit strange and confusing to me. And I imagine it may be for some of you. In this sermon, I hope to bring clarity to the significance of these two trees and why they matter today and into eternity.

If we are going to properly understand their significance, we must first look to where they were planted: the Garden of Eden.

I. TWO TREES IN THE MIDST OF THE GARDEN

The description of Eden found in Genesis 2:4-17

Sometime before man was made on Day Six, the rest of the world was wild and immature. Verse four and five tell us the plants had not yet fully grown and there was no man to tend to them. So God created a home for humanity. A fully mature, beautiful sanctuary for the first humans to live and enjoy fellowship with God. It would be their home base from which they would go out and subdue the rest of the world in due time.

Verse 10 says that a river flowed out of the garden, and since rivers flow downhill, it is logical to assume the garden was on a mountain or at least a hill. This ties in nicely with the theme of “mountains” in the Bible which are always pictured as sacred meeting places between God and man—just think of mount Sinai or Mount Zion (Jerusalem).

All the trees and vegetation were immediately mature and ready to be enjoyed by Adam and Eve.

It was a land of luxury, with gold, onyx stone and bdellium nearby.

Most importantly for our purposes, in the middle of the garden there were two special trees: the tree of life and the tree of knowledge.

FIVE MINUTE MARK

What was the tree of life?

Though little is said about the tree in chapter two, when we look at the role the Tree of Life plays in the story, we learn that it symbolizes and embodies the eternal life of God.

In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis introduces modern readers two Greek concepts of life: Bios and Zoe. Bios refers to natural, biological and temporary life; like we see in humans, animals and plants. Zoe refers to spiritual, eternal, and essential life; like we see in God.

The effect of eating from the tree of life seems to grant Zoe—eternal life—to the eater, thus confirming them in their present moral condition.

This helps explain why God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden after they sinned: so that they would not be permanently in a condition of moral failure.

Although there was no prohibition on Adam and Eve eating from the Tree of Life until after they sinned, it appears they never got the chance to eat from it.

This may be because God had not yet caused it to produce fruit until Adam and Eve passed his test.

It could also be that Adam and Eve fell into sin very soon after being created and thus never got the chance to eat it due to a lack of time.

It doesn’t seem we can know for sure.

What was the tree of knowledge?

Like the Tree of Life, little is said about it, so we have to infer its meaning and purpose from the role it plays in the story.

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, has something to do with an awareness or experience of right and wrong.

Though there are varying views, it seems to me that the purpose of the Tree and its fruit was to provide moral experience for Adam and Eve

Remember, Adam and Eve have just been created. When they were created, they were made like children. Not physically of course, but their moral reasoning was immature. Not sinful, mind you, but incomplete. In order for them to become wise, they needed to be tested.

Adam and Eve would learn the difference between good and evil one way or the other: either by abstaining from the fruit, and thus experiencing moral good, or by eating the fruit, and thus experiencing moral evil.

If they resisted the temptation, they would have learned what it is like to choose good in the face of evil, and thus learned what both good and evil is in the process.

If they gave in to the temptation, they would have learned what it is like to choose evil in the face of good, and thus learned what both good and evil is in the process.

In other words, God did not want Adam and Eve to remain ignorant of good and evil. He wanted them to grow in moral wisdom. But he wanted them to do it the right way: by experiencing obedience, not disobedience.

Of course, we know which route they chose, but before getting to that, there is another question to briefly consider: what would have happened if Adam and Eve did not eat from the tree of knowledge?

What would have happened if Adam and Eve did not eat from the tree of knowledge?

They would have passed the test that God gave them. They would have been rewarded with eternal life and fixed permanently in that happy and blessed state. And they would have gained moral wisdom through their obedience in abstaining from the tree and resisting temptation.

There is another view that was—as far as I am aware—first proposed by a fourth-century theologian named St. Ephrem the Syrian. He believed that had Adam and Eve passed the test and rejected the Serpents temptation, God would have actually allowed Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge afterward. Listen to what he says “If the serpent had been rejected along with sin, Adam and Eve would have eaten from the tree of life and the tree of knowledge would not have been withheld from them; from the one they would have gained infallible knowledge and from the other they would have received immortal life.”

So, if Adam and Eve had obeyed God, they would have gained moral wisdom apart from the tree, as I argued earlier, or by eating from the tree when it was eventually permissible.

Interesting as it is to consider these things, ultimately it doesn’t do much good to dwell on what might have been. We know how history unfolded. Adam and Eve did not, in fact, obey God. They did not refrain from eating the forbidden fruit.

10 MINUTE MARK

What effect did eating of the tree of knowledge have?

Without theorizing too much about this, the safest way to answer is to look at how the story unfolded.

Genesis 3:6–7 “6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.”

As soon as they ate the forbidden fruit, it says that “their eyes were opened”.

Obviously their physical eyes worked just fine, so this must be metaphorical language.

So one effect eating of the tree had was that Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened to the reality of good and evil. And unfortunately, they were on the wrong side of that reality. They realized that they had sinned.

Another effect is that they “Knew that they were naked.”

Some have mistakenly thought that God intended humanity to remain naked for the rest of their lives and have thus supposed that humans will all be naked again on the New Earth. This is not the case.

The initial nakedness of Adam and Eve symbolized innocence, but not righteousness. Righteousness is always symbolized by clean garments, not nakedness. Nakedness symbolized immaturity, not maturity.

We see this in babies and toddlers. They have no shame in their nakedness. They run around pants-less without a care in the world or a thought about how they may be perceived. This is because they are morally ignorant.

Adam and Eve were like children in this way. But when they disobeyed God, they were no longer morally ignorant. They became Adults in their thinking for the first time.

They had sexual awareness for the first time. They were embarrassed about being naked and found something to cover themselves with.

God then says in Genesis 3:11 “11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?””

This implies that gaining moral knowledge and experience would have eventually taught them that they were naked and should be clothed. But they learned this truth prematurely and by the wrong means.

The last, and most tragic effect was that it made humanity unqualified to share in God’s life

Listen to what we are told at the end of Genesis 3

Genesis 3:22–24 “22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.”

Adam and Eve were not only banished from the presence of God, but the very life of God. Zoe—supernatural life—was removed from them and now they would only have bios—natural life. And because of the curse of death, even bios would slowly be taken away from them and they would eventually die.

The glorious life they were meant to share with God had crumbled before their very eyes.

The walk out of the garden and into the wilderness must have been a tragic sight. They would have felt rejected—and they were indeed rejected. They would have felt scared and alone. Although they had the bodies of adults, they still didn’t have much life experience. They didn’t know how life outside the garden worked. They weren’t accustomed to some animals being dangerous. They weren’t accustomed to being exposed to the elements. In one sense, they were like two lost children with no parents and no idea where to go.

They couldn’t go back home, because the Cherubim were guarding the entrance of the garden, and they would surely be killed if they tried to get past them.

But we know God is a God of mercy, who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He did not leave Adam and Eve without hope and without provision. He still watched over them and sustained them. And given that Cain and Abel knew to offer animal sacrifices, it seems that God must have had further conversations with and revelations to Adam and his descendents to tell them his law and promises.

God would not abandon his people; the crown jewel of his creation.

15 MINUTE MARK

But how would humanity ever be able to eat from the tree of life?

Humanity was in a condition of sin and could therefore never share in God’s life; in God’s Zoe. But God wanted humanity to share in His life—he made them for that very purpose.

So what would God do to change humanity’s condition so that they could partake of His life?

Well, he would plant another tree.

II. A THIRD TREE

God planted another tree

Interestingly, this third tree wouldn’t be like the others. As far as we know, there was nothing particularly unique about it. It wasn’t planted in a sacred garden. In fact, it was likely a tree from the wilderness. And it probably wasn’t even a tree that bore fruit. If you saw it while on a walk, you wouldn’t have given it a second glance. It would have been fairly useless and unimportant.

But one day, some slaves were sent out into the wilderness to chop down trees and this third tree of ours was among the lot. Like the others, it was eventually sawn and fashioned into wooden beams. Some time afterward, these beams were fixed together and brought to a city in the Roman empire called Jerusalem. The Romans were accustomed to nailing criminals to these dead trees and hanging them in public for all to jeer and scorn.

In a curious turn of events, a Jewish man was accused of crimes he did not commit and was handed over to the Romans to be nailed to one of these trees. It happened to be our third tree’s place in the line up so after the Romans beat, whipped, and mocked the Jewish man, they made him carry it out of the city, all the way to the hill on which the dead tree would soon be planted.

When he arrived at the destination, the man fell to the ground in exhaustion, and the wooden beams along with him. This was well enough, because the Romans needed the tree on the ground anyways so that they could nail him to it.

The soldiers dug a hole in order to plant the tree. And after they had fastened the man to it, they lifted it up and placed it in the ground.

Normally when you plant things, you water them after. But no water was spent on this tree, because its roots were being watered with blood.

Yes, the third tree was the cross of Jesus Christ

We might call it the Tree of Death, for it symbolized and embodied sin’s curse and punishment.

Listen to how the New Testament describes the crucifixion of Jesus:

Acts 5:30 “30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.”

Acts 10:39 “39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree,”

Acts 13:29 “29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.”

Galatians 3:13 “13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—”

III.WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THE TREE OF DEATH?

Purpose One: It opened the way back into eden

The Cross—the Tree of Death—would reverse the banishment from Eden.

The Son of God would be forsaken so that humanity could be accepted.

We see this most potently in a curious event that occurs just after Jesus dies.

Matthew 27:51 “51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.”

In the temple, there was a veil or a curtain separating the holy place from the holy of holies. When Jesus died and the curtain of the temple was torn in half.

What is the significance of this? Let’s recall the design of the curtain from 2 Chronicles:

2 Chronicles 3:14 “14 And he made the veil of blue and purple and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and he worked cherubim on it.”

So this veil had cherubim on it. These are the same angelic beings that God stationed at the entrance of Eden, so that humanity could not venture back into it.

Genesis 3:24 “24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.”

But now, through Christ, the curtain was torn in two. The way was made clear. Listen to how the author of Hebrews describes this event:

Hebrews 10:19–20 “19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,”

In other words, Jesus took the wrath of God through the sword of the Cherubim, so to speak. He was killed by God so that we could enter again into paradise; into the very presence and life of God.

Purpose Two: To cure our sinful condition and thus qualify us to eat from the tree of life

Ironically, only those who first eat from the tree of death can eat from the tree of life.

1 Peter 2:24 “24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

Humanity had a tree problem: because they ate of the forbidden tree, we were unable to eat from the Tree of Life. So in order to solve this tree problem, God planted another tree—the Tree of Death—so that those who ate from it would be able to eat from the Tree of Life.

Eating from the Tree of Death means being crucified with Christ. It means dying to our old way of life; to our sin nature.

2 Timothy 2:11 “11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;”

The tree of life still lies in the consciousness of all people. We know we were made for more. So people look for “the tree of life” in all sorts of things that can never satisfy the hunger.

People think that by preserving their life or making it the best it can be, they will find satisfaction and eat from “the tree of life”. But they cannot. They cannot eat from it. They are still barred from the garden.

Purpose Three: To Restore our Priesthood

Adam and Eve were priests in the garden of Eden. The garden was a temple; a sanctuary; a place where heaven and earth—God and man—met.

We failed in our priestly duties to tend and guard the garden. So our priesthood was stripped from us.

But now through Christ, the great high priest, our priesthood has been restored. Listen to how St. Peter puts it:

1 Peter 2:5 “5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

And this temple in which we serve is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The very Body of Christ, which as we already learned, is the true temple, where God and man meet.

This adds a much higher level of significance to what we do as Christians. When we serve our church, we are really serving in God’s temple. When you meet the needs of another Christian, when you encourage them, when you weep with them, when you give to them, you are really acting as a priest in God’s sanctuary.

But this present temple is not in its final form. There is a future form it will take. And for that, we must turn to the last book of the Bible.

IV. THE TREE OF LIFE IN NEW JERUSALEM

The Tree of Life in Revelation

It is very interesting that aside from a few metaphorical references in Proverbs, the only places in the Bible where the Tree of Life is mentioned are Genesis and Revelation: the first and last parts of the Bible.

Amazingly, there is much resemblance between the Garden of Eden and the City of New Jerusalem. Listen to the description found in Chapter 22 of Revelation:

Revelation 22:1–5 “1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

So the Garden of God is upgraded to the City of God. This pictures all of God’s purposes for humanity coming to full maturity. Because city is far more developed than a garden. Yet in the middle of the city there is still a garden where the tree of life sits.

Who gets to eat from the tree of life?

The one whose robes are washed

Revelation 22:14 “14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.”

What must our robes be washed in? The blood of Christ.

Hebrews 9:14 “14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

If you want to share in God’s eternal life, the only way is to first be made clean by the blood of Jesus.

We access this through faith. Through Trust. Through pledging allegiance to Christ.

The one who perseveres to the end in faith

Revelation 2:7 “7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’”

What is the conquering? It is conquering sin and overcoming temptation through the power of the Spirit of Christ. Listen to how conquering is described in the rest of Revelation:

Revelation 12:11 “11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

Revelation 15:2 “2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands.”

So if we are to be granted to eat from the tree of life, we must have faith in Christ and thus be washed. And we must persevere in Christ and thus prove that our faith is genuine.

May the Lord grant that each of us with partake of that living tree someday.

Let’s pray.

Father, though we were banished from paradise, you did not leave us to perpetually roam the wilderness. You have opened the way back into the garden through the body and blood of your only begotten Son. And you are guiding us back to paradise by your Holy Spirit, the true source of comfort and of all delight. For this, we thank you. Glory be to you, Father, and to the Son and and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever more. Amen.