Participating in the Tree of Life series: Two trees in the garden
This is the 9th post in the Tree of Life series. Here are links to the first and most recent posts.
The story of the Tree of Life begins in Genesis
Until now, the focus of this series of posts has been an
explanation of the tree of life, primarily using Revelation 22, verses
1-3. This post addresses the tree of
life as described in the creation stories in the Book of Genesis, chapters 2
and 3. The first mention of the tree of
life is in Genesis 2, verse 9. Here is
Genesis 2, verses 8 and 9:
Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
These two trees are specifically mentioned by name. God gives specific instruction concerning
humankind’s interaction with the trees in the garden. Genesis 2, verses 15 through 17 reads
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
We learn from this passage that humans can freely eat from any tree in the garden except one – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This presumably indicates that humans can partake of the tree of life. As the creation story unfolds, we learn that man eats of the forbidden tree and is banished from the garden. Man dies spiritually that day, which can be seen from a careful study of Genesis 2:17. Here is a resource which provides a helpful explanation of the text of Genesis 2:17.
Humans were created as spiritual creatures; their spiritual
nature so apparent that Adam and Eve didn’t even realize their nakedness
(Genesis 2:25) until they became spiritually disconnected from
God, a consequence of their disobedience, and became fully aware of their
physical reality (Genesis 3:7). Can you imagine not having awareness of being naked?
The second time the tree of life is mentioned is in Genesis
3:22-24
22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Man has lost access to the tree of life, as a consequence of
disobedience. Man is spiritually
disconnected from the Creator. Yet, God
made a way for His creation to be reconnected through the sacrifice of His son,
Jesus, as John 3:16 so concisely states
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The tree of life was made off limits to Adam and Eve when
they committed the sin of disbelief in what God told them. However, the very last Bible reference to the
tree of life clearly indicates the tree of life is for believers in Jesus. Revelation 22, verse 14 states
Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.
This declaration refers back to a passage in Revelation,
chapter 7 (The Great Multitude in White Robes) demonstrating that
those who “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”
(Revelation 7: 14) have the right to the tree of life. Do you believe that Jesus is the son of God,
who died as a sacrifice for your sin, so that you can be in relationship with
God, through His righteousness? Then
your robe has been washed, and you have the right to the tree of life.
Which tree do you choose?
If you had to choose between the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil, and the tree of life, which would you choose?
What if the creation story applies to all of humanity, and we have a choice, just
like Adam and Eve did? What if God
designed the tree of life for us, and the knowledge of good and evil was
something God did not intend for His creation?
What if the complexities of reality are such that we – the creation –
are not capable of truly comprehending and seeing good and evil in all
circumstances? If the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil was off limits in the beginning, and we know that we
are invited to be participants in the tree of life, should we not focus all of
our attention on being part of the tree of life, regardless of how attractive
knowledge of good and evil might appear?
There have been times I’ve stated in conversation with others, “Sorry, I don’t participate in that tree”. It always seems to puzzle those I’m interacting with. But I say it, when conversations head down unfruitful paths involving knowledge we simply don’t have, and are making judgments we ought not be making. I like to remind myself which tree I’ve chosen to be a part of. The tree of life has never failed me. Which tree do you choose?
Interesting thought. Surely, though, we must be able to discern and point out good from evil and evil from good. What about circumstances involving the persecution and killing of Christians because of their religious beliefs? (Which is akin to the killing of Jewish people by the Nazis prior to and during WW2.) In this situations, should Christians not identify and name the evil for what it is? Or do you feel that is part of the "tree" that we were all told to not participate in, and therefore we should say nothing? We're called to be peace makers, so at times, I think we need to name and call out evil. What say you, Dr. Timothy?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment and question. It’s a very good question, and I can only suggest a possible answer. I see the creation stories conveying broad truths. One of them is that the realm of truly knowing good and evil belongs to God, and that this wasn’t intended to be part of humankind’s experience. Christians are called to reject evil and flee from evil, and not to delight in evil. It would seem that in order to do so, we must recognize evil, and I think we have that ability, in certain circumstances. I think of the ten commandments given to Moses for the Israelites as guides to humankind to help discern good and evil. Do we apply the terms ‘good’ and ‘evil’ too freely, and in too many circumstances? Maybe. I feel we can misperceive good and evil, or fail to recognize good or evil in a broader context. The complexity of reality precludes certain information. I feel part of the creation stories indicate what should be our focus – where do we spend our time? Clearly, humankind was given a choice in the garden – eat from any tree, but one. Constrained freedom – yet we are tempted to choose that which we know we should not. When I ask myself where would I rather be, now with a clearer understanding of the Tree of Life, I’ll choose to make that choice, and leave other trees in the garden alone.
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