Unlimited: Calvary Has Given Us The Tree of Life
Oct 21, 2021 1367
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God (Revelation 2:7).
On numerous occasions, Scripture refers to the Cross as a tree. This is most appropriate since trees provide food and shelter; they are places of rest and beauty, and have, in themselves, the seed of continued life. In all these ways, every good tree points to the Cross of Christ.
Concerning both the tree of life in Paradise, and the tree of Calvary, we find that they are located “in the midst” (Genesis 2:9; John 19:18; Revelation 1:13; 5:6; 22:2). By this repeated phrase we are reminded of the centrality of Christ and his sacrifice. The Saviour at Calvary stands between God and man, between the Father and the Spirit, between life and death, between time and eternity, law and grace, judgment and mercy. The tree of life in the midst of Paradise also symbolised his Cross, since to find Christ as one’s sacrifice is to find paradise. Only if we can keep him in the centre of all beliefs and practices can all be well.
The Tree of Life points us to the Cross of Jesus.
While a thief stealing from the tree in Eden was expelled from Paradise, another thief, millenniums later, was promised entrance into Paradise because he partook of the second tree. Calvary has transformed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil into a tree of life for all who believe. – Des Ford (adapted)
Reflection: It’s wonderful to see how all of Scripture, rightly understood, points us in one way or another to Calvary. We’ve just seen how the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden points us to the Cross of Jesus. Select another symbol or event from the Old Testament and set aside some time this week to study how it points to the Cross.
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