When I set up a Christmas tree this year, I started to wonder where is the Biblical reference to it and why we do this. There is a legend which says that the Protestant reformer, Martin Luther was wonder struck with the beauty and magnificence of the stars in the sky one night and he set up a tree to remember this splendor. Also it is said that it was a pagan tradition somehow crept into the Christian world. Personally, I started to have a tree since my son as a child longed for it. I justified that it shows to the world that we are Christians and we celebrate the birth of Christ. If it is not Biblical should we adopt a pagan tradition? But a tree has so much significance in our life that our children and the church members should know this in connection with a Christmas tree.
Death and sin entered in to the world through Adam because of a tree and Life was given by Jesus through a tree. There were two important trees in the garden of Eden. One was the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the other was the tree of life. There were plenty of other trees in the garden and God allowed Adam and Eve to eat of the fruits of all other trees except that of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Why God forbid this is His eternal wisdom. But Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and because of this disobedience death and sin entered into the world and the sinner lost the presence and the communion with the Holy God. If he ate the the fruit of the tree of life in this sinful state, he will live for ever as a sinner and will belong to devil who made him disobey God's command, and hence will be doomed for ever. The loving God did not want to condemn man for ever. He planned a way of salvation and wanted man to come under this plan. Till then man should not eat the fruit of the tree of life. and so God chased man out of the garden of Eden and placed a sword on the entrance to the garden.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. Gen 3:24.
More than five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Zechariah prophesied that a shepherd will be slain by this sword.
“Awake, sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who is close to me!”.
declares the Lord Almighty. Zech 13:7
Jesus is the good shepherd and He refers to this prophecy about Him just on the night previous to His death. Mathew 26:31
Death and sin entered in to the world through Adam because of a tree and Life was given by Jesus through a tree. There were two important trees in the garden of Eden. One was the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the other was the tree of life. There were plenty of other trees in the garden and God allowed Adam and Eve to eat of the fruits of all other trees except that of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Why God forbid this is His eternal wisdom. But Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and because of this disobedience death and sin entered into the world and the sinner lost the presence and the communion with the Holy God. If he ate the the fruit of the tree of life in this sinful state, he will live for ever as a sinner and will belong to devil who made him disobey God's command, and hence will be doomed for ever. The loving God did not want to condemn man for ever. He planned a way of salvation and wanted man to come under this plan. Till then man should not eat the fruit of the tree of life. and so God chased man out of the garden of Eden and placed a sword on the entrance to the garden.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. Gen 3:24.
More than five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Zechariah prophesied that a shepherd will be slain by this sword.
“Awake, sword, against my shepherd,
against the man who is close to me!”.
declares the Lord Almighty. Zech 13:7
Jesus is the good shepherd and He refers to this prophecy about Him just on the night previous to His death. Mathew 26:31
Thus Jesus was slain by the sword that kept man away from God's garden and opened the way to the tree of life.
Because of the disobedience of one man Adam in connection with a tree , the whole of mankind was affected unto sin and death. Because of the obedience of one man Jesus even unto the death hanging on a tree, the tree of cross, whole mankind is offered forgiveness of sins and Eternal life! We have to only believe that Jesus came into the world to save the sinners and His death on the cross is offering us forgiveness of our sins and eternal fellowship with God.
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