We all died on a tree

Galatians 3:13

¹³ Christ ^sredeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ^t“Cursed is everyone who is hanged ^uon a tree”—

 

At the Garden of Eden, Man fell from the grace of God by biting into the forbidden fruit. A curse was laid at man’s feet for the fruit was produced by one tree that man was forbidden to consume: the tree of good and evil. In at least some capacity here, the tree is perhaps a spiritual tree epitomizing the source of God’s knowledge of the universe.  The consequence for this act, the violation of God’s commandment, eating what God told them not to do, was death.

Upon first notice, neither Adam nor Eve died immediately, but nonetheless, death entered this world and has remained until this day.

Interesting enough, but the Garden of Eden also contained a tree of Eternal Life, and that tree was not approached by Eden’s inhabitants. Yet we discover about two thousand years ago, eternal life was offered, once again by a reference to a tree.

With the death of Christ who hung from a tree, the powerful victory over death was proclaimed.  And in this death, eternal life was granted for those who would believe on the Son of God who was sent to this earth for ransom.

Thus, we see two trees emerge that define history.  The first was the tree that produced sin and a curse, and the second tree produced the gift of eternal life.  In short, Jesus was the mechanism that conquered eternal death.

In the beginning, we find that a fruit, a substance of food cloaked that which was good and instead, install a punishment against man.  Enter Jesus, the Christ and we find another food supplants the initial food, only this time it is good.

Jesus is the living water:  He is the eternal manna.  Jesus’s words are the same as His father’s for Jesus spoke:

“I eat meat which you know nothing about, but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

Here, Jesus becomes a tree:  Jesus was described as becoming a curse, but he was must more than that for he was a tree.  The tree expresses a genealogy: a continuing history of man. For it is because of the curse that was placed on Jesus and the fact he overcame that curse of hanging on a tree, that death was defeated and everlasting life was established.

Then, the first tree involved a spiritual curse.  The first tree was a spiritual food but it spelled the death of man.  The second tree illuminates the Son of the Living God who died for us in order for our own spiritual food to endure forever.

 

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