Chapel Blog
The Tree
by John Bishop, Director of Spiritual Formation
There seems to be something wrong with our hearts (that is, our will, motivations, thoughts, and decision-making centers). This shows up in our life all the time. For example, we struggle to follow through, even when it’s something we want to do. Then when we give it our best effort, we often fall short. We love things we shouldn’t and resist things that are good. We get angry, tired, distracted, bored and then instead of taking ownership and doing better, we blame, get bitter and resentful and multiply hurt to ourselves and others. The Bible calls this sin, and we all must deal with its effects!
Instead of being wholehearted we are hole-hearted.
The Bible gives us a helpful image to understand both the problem and the solution to our hole-heartedness: “the tree.”
Consider how the image of a tree works its way through Scripture. There are no wasted words in the Bible.
There was a tree planted in the garden of Eden. In Genesis 2:17 it says, “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.” The obvious question you might want to ask is, “Why did God put it there?” It’s a good question! But be careful, asking it can quickly become a way to blame God for our behavior. Here’s another question to ask, after God made the consequences so clear, why did Adam and Eve do exactly what He told them not to? Why do we?
There are many times in our lives that we know full well the consequences of the decisions we’re about to make. We’ve made the same decision before and suffered the same way every time. Yet, when faced with the decision again, we ignore the consequences and do it anyway. Then we get mad at God and others for putting the “tree” there.
Maybe, we think, God could have created a world where we didn’t have to deal with the tree, but that would mean we didn’t have free will. Is that better? Choosing good because it’s the only option is not goodness. And, not choosing badness because it doesn’t exist isn’t goodness either. The only way to have genuine goodness is to have the option for evil and choose good anyway. God’s decision to give us free will is the only way to experience the fullness of His goodness, and that means there’s got to be a tree to reject.
So, what do we do about the tree? Well, we don’t do anything! God does something about the tree. Consider Acts 5:30 which says, “The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead-whom you killed by hanging Him on a cross (a tree).” It’s no accident that the problem of sin that started on a tree in the garden of Eden, is resolved by Jesus on another tree at Golgotha.
At the end of Genesis, God banishes Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden saying in Genesis 3:22, “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.” In that profound act of grace, God left us with free will and gave us time so we could discover Jesus.
Look to the cross of Jesus and receive eternal life this Easter and become like the final tree described in Psalm 1:1-3, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”
Westminster Christian School, located in Palmetto Bay, Florida, is a private, college-preparatory school for children from preschool through twelfth grade.