A tree of death and life
Lord our God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his back to be whipped and did not hide his face from shame and spitting: Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(Collect for Tuesday of Holy Week – Anglican Book of Common Prayer)
Genesis 3:1-7 NKJV
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
Deuteronomy 21:23 NRSV
. . . anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse.
Luke 23:32-33 NRSV
Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.
The first tree is overthrown by the second. The shame of our futile fig leaves is placed on Christ and the robe of his righteousness is held out to become our seamless covering . . . The cross of Jesus is the New Tree planted and watered with his own blood. It has borne the fruit of redemption like no other tree ever has or ever will.
(Justin D. Clemente, “At the Cross,” p. 99)
Christ took all sin upon himself, in obedience to his Father’s will. By the Cross we are redeemed, set free from bondage to sin and death. The Cross is a sign of God’s never-ending love for us. It is a sign of life, in the midst of death.
(Anglican Book of Common Prayer – “Concerning Good Friday”)
Was it for crimes that I have done He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! Grace unknown! And love beyond degree! At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart rolled away; it was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day!
(Isaac Watts, Ralph E. Hudson)
Embrace the Cross
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
