Tree of Life – Shadows of Cross

Introduction

In the Christian calendar, the Lent season is highly sacred. I pray and wish that this season will be a great blessing in all our lives and help us all to understand the journey to the Cross through the Word of God. In the light of His Word, let’s begin our journey. The scripture portion for today’s devotion is as follows: · Old Testament – Genesis 2:8-9 and Genesis 3:22-24 · New Testament – John 1:14-18 · Epistles – Galatians 3: 13-14

Genesis 2:8-9 – The LORD God planted a garden in Eden, and in this Garden, there were two trees — the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 3: We read about how Adam and Eve sinned and displaced themselves from the Garden. The Bible says that the LORD God placed Cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, a flaming sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life. Galatians 3: 13-14 – God’s promise to Abraham on redemption from the law’s curse so that the blessings given to Abraham are extended to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus (how it is cursed for everyone who hangs on a tree.) John 1:14-18 – When the fullness of time had come, Christ Jesus came into this world — here, the Word that was there from the beginning became a human; instead of sovereignty, He chose servanthood, and through His death, we are redeemed.

The Shadow of Death

William Holman Hunt was an English Painter whose religious painting, The Shadow of Death, depicts Jesus as a young man working as a carpenter before beginning his earthly ministry. In this painting, He is shown as stretching his arms after sawing wood. The shadow of his stretched arms falls on the wooden plank in the background covered with carpentry tools, creating a shadow of death – a foretelling of the crucifixion scene.

This painting is accurate both historically and theologically. Interestingly, the wood that He often used in His workshop was eventually used in his crucifixion.

Shadow of Cross in the Old Testament

St. Augustine said – The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed; the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed. If the prophets of the Old Testament prophesied about Jesus’ birth, something as sacred and powerful as the Cross would undoubtedly have been mentioned. So, it requires great attention and deep study to identify the shadows of the Cross hidden across the Old Testament.

God prepared the world through the Old Testament for His Son’s coming and His death on the Cross. In the New Testament, we see the fulfilment of that promise and how the events unfolded. So, if the death of Jesus on the Cross is pivotal for the world’s redemption, there would undoubtedly be references to Jesus’ coming, His ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection.

Jesus, on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:27), spoke to the disciples, beginning with Moses and all Prophets and explaining concerning Himself in all the scriptures. So, from the first five books to Prophets and all writings about Him, His birth, ministry, and most importantly, His suffering, death and resurrection were explained to disciples. The conversation again explains many instances of the Cross in the Old Testament.

A Bible scholar mentioned that from the Garden of Eden to Mount Golgotha, there are many marks of the Cross underlying Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice so that the world is prepared to receive Him. All such marks are the shadows of the Cross. A man of God quoted that the Bible is a book smeared with blood, which is true, especially when you see the rituals mentioned in Leviticus. 

The Bible often uses images, metaphors, symbols, stories or parables, incidents, and people to illustrate the spiritual truth. In the Old Testament, we see the shadow of the Cross in the lives of people or incidents that occurred in their lives, which foretell about the Cross. In Genesis, many references point to Christ and the Cross, followed by Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and the prophetic books. It is surprising to note that the very first book of the Bible – Genesis, has the maximum number of references to the Cross.

For example –

– When the LORD God says to the serpent that He will put enmity between his seed and the woman’s seed and that his head would be bruised, it points to Jesus’ birth and death on the Cross to destroy the works of the wicked one.

– Later, when the LORD God made garments of skin, the first sacrifice took place, and here we see the shadow of the Cross.

– In Abel’s sacrifice – the offering of the Lamb, we see again the shadow of the Cross.

– A more prominent reference to the Cross is seen in Genesis 22 when Abraham prepares to offer Isaac on Mount Moriah. Through Isaac’s life, his act of carrying the wood, and his willingness to be offered as a sacrifice, we see the shadow of the Cross.

Shadows of Cross in Garden of Eden.

While the above few incidents are vivid, however, few require more attention to detail to understand the shadows of Cross. In the first three chapters of Genesis, the following is a foretelling of the Cross:

– The Tree of Life

– The Tree of Knowledge and Wisdom.

– Ground produces thorns and thistles.

So, Genesis, chapters 1 and 2, and Revelations 21 and 22 are similar as they refer to the Tree of Life, fruit, and living waters. It is beautiful to note that the Bible begins in a garden and ends in Holy Jerusalem — a city that the patriarchs and prophets longed for.

We are all familiar with the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. However, today, I want to draw your attention to the Tree of Calvary (Galatians 3: 13-14) that God planted on Mount Golgotha. 

The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life in the middle of the Garden highlights the truth that God is the origin of life and existence. It talks about the centrality of Adam and Eve’s continual dependence on Him and how being independent can accomplish nothing. They had to depend on Him for everything.

Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

The heavens and earth were a direct result of the supernatural creation of Almighty God. The crown of God’s creation was – man and woman. Eve disobeyed God’s command and ate the fruit and gave it to her husband, who also ate it, and it caused the fall of man and the entry of sin and death into this world.

After their sin, The LORD God placed Cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the Tree of Life. Removing access to the Tree of Life and making them leave the Garden all speak about God’s immeasurable love and grace because if they continued to stay in the Garden and eat from the Tree of Life, they would be doomed for eternity in their sinful state.

Tree of Calvary

Often, we are inclined to think that the Tree of Life is hidden from humankind because, after Genesis, we don’t read about it again and finally see it in Revelation. However, I want to draw your attention to this Tree of Life — In the fullness of time, the Word of God took a human form, full of grace and truth (John 1:14), to dwell among us.

The Tree of Calvary (Galatians 3:14-15) is the Tree of Life that was hidden from us in Genesis and only revealed when it took a human form as Jesus Christ.

In the New Testament, the Cross is referred to as a tree four times in the following verses:

· Acts 5:30

· Acts 10:39

· Acts 13:29

· I Peter 2:24

All the above are related to the Old Testament statement that anyone hung on a pole (or Tree) is under God’s curse. – Deuteronomy 21:23). An interesting word study proves that the Tree of Life is the Tree of Calvary (i.e.) Jesus Christ.

In Greek, in all the above verses, it is called XyloutesZoes. It is interesting to note that the Tree of Life is also called XulonZoes. In Greek, dendron is another word used for living wood. However, when the Tree of Life is mentioned in the New Testament, the Word used is xulon and not dendron.

The dead Tree of Life

The phrase sounds weird to read when we consider how death and life can be used together. Note the words of Apostle Peter in Acts 3:15 – You killed the author of life, but God raised him for the dead. So, Christ, crucified and risen again, offers us life. The dead Tree of Life is Christ Himself – The author of our life who died for us. When Jesus said – I’m the way, the truth and life and no one can come to the Father except through me, He is the author, originator, and source of life.

Bread of Life

He is the originator of life and the Bread of life. The children of Israel ate manna that came from heaven, yet they perished, and here John says that Jesus is the Bread of God. (John 6:32) – For the Bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” And in (John6:53), we read that unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life. Through His death, we live and move from darkness into marvellous light, and we live.

Conclusion

It is evident now that the Tree of Life that was hidden from us after the fall of Adam, only in the fullness of time, appeared in our midst as Jesus Christ – full of grace and truth. He took the curse of humankind and willingly died on the Cross. Note the words of Jesus in Revelation 1:8 – I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.