The Tree

Yesterday in my devotion time I was drawing a picture of the cross and reflecting on it and Jesus' sacrifice. I began to draw branches coming from the cross, but I didn't know why.

This morning I was looking at it and I had a thought. I can't ever remember hearing a sermon on this before, but all of the sudden a few things I never put together before just clicked.

"And the Lord commanded the man saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but if the tree if the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die." Genesis 2:16 As the rest of the story goes, satan tempted Eve and Adam and they ate the fruit and though they did not physically die, their sin cause separation from God and a spiritual death. "Therefore, as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned-" Romans 5:12 With Adam sin entered the world through the fruit of the tree, because of mans pride and desire to be like God, sin entered the world. You could say it was on the tree that sin entered and all born of Adam were born into sin.

1 Peter 2:24 says about Jesus, "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." Are you seeing what I saw? Just as we know that sin and death entered the word through one man, Adam. We know that through one man, Jesus, all sin was paid for in full and all people can receive eternal life. In the same way that it was through the fruit that hung on a tree sin entered, it was through Jesus being hung on a tree sin was atoned for. I don't believe this was a mistake or a coincidence.

Furthermore we see that sin entered through a man's act of pride, Adam decided that he wanted to be like God as the serpent said to entice them, "You will be like God, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:5. But we see that Jesus who was God acted in the most perfect picture of humility, "who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even on a cross" (tree!) Philippians 2:6-8. What a painful and beautiful contrast. Adam was man but wanted to be like God, was disobedient, sinned by taking fruit from the tree which brought separation from God.

Jesus was God but chose to be come man, was obedient though it meant excruciating pain, embarrassment and separation from God, took on the sin of the world on the tree, which brought reconciliation with God and man.

It was through the fruit of a tree that sin entered the world and as Jesus Christ was hung on the tree all the sin of mankind was placed upon him.

"For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God." Romans 6:10

Maybe you had thought of this already or have had someone point it out to you in a sermon or bible study, but I had never put the two together before. For me it was a fresh look at the cross this Easter and inspired awe at how God works. He is amazing! Everything he does is perfect and has a purpose, His glory. I love that.

He has Risen!