Abba's Dearly Beloved

“He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.”

Jeremiah 17:8

There is something so glorious and beautiful in witnessing the vibrant annual autumnal transformation of town streets, wooded paths and country lanes that become awash with blends of golden orange, yellow and fiery red. I love seeing this sea change in colour even if it does signal the end of the summer season with my park being the convenient destination of choice to enjoy this view! It really is breath taking. Trees add so much to our world and not just in what they convey in beauty or provide in material value but what they symbolise. They occupy a significant place in God’s Word appearing in visions, prophetic verses, as part of worship in psalms or as descriptive visual aids from the prophetic proclamations of Isaiah to the parables if Jesus. However more significant than this, they point us to Jesus Christ himself.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus was crucified on a cross, two beams of wood crossed together, which scripture sometimes refers to as a tree?

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’”

Galatians 3:15 (NIV)

The answer was that not only was the death of Jesus as the Lord’s messiah or anointed one staged on a tree, but Jesus himself embodied in resemblance another tree: The Tree of Life. This tree produces the fruit of righteousness, wisdom, and life in those who eat of it. As strange as it might sound, when we feed off Jesus every time we turn to him, whisper his name, cry out in prayer, partake in communion, share his loving kindness or extend forgiveness with others, we are receiving and imparting the life giving living water and the seeds of life giving fruit, the fruit of the Spirit (John 4:14; Galatians 5:22-23).

Christ’s death on a tree which in Mosaic law judged him to be cursed was the most profound act of love since the creation was birthed. What it achieved was to supplant the fruit of the tree that Adam and Eve ate from, described in the book of Genesis chapter 3 that caused death, shame and separation from God and replace it with seeds planted in human hearts that brought life by Jesus and originating from Jesus as the True Vine (John 15). The result was restoring life and reinstating fellowship where there was none with a Heavenly Father whose loving desire for you and me was there before we were even born! Jesus is the Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end. Like the Tree of Life, Christ always was and always is and will be. He was there at the beginning in the Garden of Eden; he is the perfect incarnation of the tree exuding confidence and trust in the Lord described by Jeremiah:

“a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)

Finally, until the end the fruit of His finished work stands permanently planted along the banks of the river of God flowing from the throne of Father God and of himself as the Lamb and it is by his finished work that people from all nations come brought to life by Christ in them. Now people joyfully enter through a torn curtain that once held back the Holy, loving presence of God and find an “eternal rest” of salvation, healing and eternal loving relationship with God.

“On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

Revelation 22:2 (NIV)

Next time you glance at the kaleidoscope of colour offered by the trees you pass and the leaves carpeting the floor and think on Christ whose leaves are ever green with faithfulness and whose fruit is sweet with the goodness of God bringing life to all who receive it. Abundant praise to you and to you alone beloved saviour, who first loved us!