"Trees" - Lesson 5

Overview

The Tree of Trees: The Cross of Christ

Among all the trees of Holy Scripture, one towers above the rest: the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The familiar Christmas hymn What Child Is This? startles us with the line, "Nails, spear shall pierce him through, the cross be borne for me, for you." That jarring note is no mistake. Christ was born to go to the cross, to bear our sin upon its wood. From a human vantage point, the crucifixion of the sinless Son of God between two criminals is the height of injustice. But from God's perspective, Friday is good. As Hebrews 12:2 tells us, Jesus "for the joy that was set before him endured the cross"—the joy of winning our salvation. Isaiah 53:10 goes further still: "The Lord was pleased to crush him," because grace and redemption would flow from that wounding.

The First Adam and the Second Adam

Suffering began in a garden surrounded by trees. In Genesis 2–3, our first parents reached for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and through that one act sin, death, and curse entered the world. Centuries later, the Lord Jesus knelt in another garden full of trees—Gethsemane—where his greatest suffering began Matthew 26:36–46. Scripture deliberately draws this parallel. Adam is called a "type of the one who was to come" Romans 5:14–19. Adam was a son of God Luke 3:38; Jesus is the beloved Son Luke 3:22. Adam was tempted by Satan and fell into disobedience and death; Jesus was tempted by Satan and answered every assault with "It is written," obeying unto life Luke 4:1–13. Where the first Adam brought condemnation, the second Adam brings the free gift of righteousness to all who trust in him.

Paradise Regained

Jesus carried on his back the very wood upon which his blood would soon be spilled, and was crucified at Golgotha, the Place of the Skull John 19:16–18. An old church tradition—not Scripture, but a meaningful reflection—held that Golgotha was the burial place of Adam's skull, so that the second Adam died over the grave of the first. Luther mused along similar lines: that Calvary, where Christ offered himself for the sins of the world, may have stood where the tree of the knowledge of good and evil once grew. "Death and destruction through Satan would be matched by life and salvation through Christ." Just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man was lifted up on the cross—what Luther called "the serpent of salvation"—that whoever believes in him should have eternal life John 3:14–15.

The Empty Tomb and Our Living Hope

The story does not end with Jesus dead upon the tree. On the first day of the week the women found the stone rolled away and heard the angels ask, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen" Luke 24:1–7. The resurrection is God's validation that the sacrifice for sin has been accepted. Without it, as Paul warns, our faith is futile and we are still in our sins—but in fact Christ has been raised, the firstfruits of those who have died, "for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ" 1 Corinthians 15:12–22. From the trees of Eden, to the burning bush, to the pole that bore the bronze serpent, to the family tree of Jesse, our heavenly Father has used wood and trees to bless his people. And the tree of trees—the cross—is where paradise is regained. Look to him, give thanks, and live in the freedom of forgiveness purchased there.

Transcript

Welcome back to our class on trees. We have been examining various trees in 2s

Holy Scripture and their meaning and how God used them and we come today to the 9s

concluding class in this series and I'd like to examine with you the tree of 15s

trees the cross itself. Before we begin let's pray together please. Almighty 21s

and everlasting God who has willed that your Son should bear for us the pains of 29s

the cross that you might remove from us the power of the adversary. Help us so to 36s

remember and give thanks for our Lord's passion that we may obtain remission of 44s

sins and redemption from everlasting death through the same Jesus Christ your 50s

Son our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit ever one God. 57s

Amen. Just a little review of where we were last week we took a look at the 65s

subject of the root and the shoot of Jesse the root and the shoot of Jesse and we 71s

examine the family tree of our Lord. You recall that Jacob in the Old Testament 79s

had 12 sons they became the 12 tribes and the tribe that receives the most 87s

attention is the tribe of Judah because from this branch would come the Messiah the 96s

Lord Jesus Christ. The promise comes to the family line of David and David's 105s

father was a man by the name of Jesse the Bible says of Jesus that he's the 114s

root and the shoot of Jesse he's the root in the understanding that all things 124s

have been created through the Lord Jesus Christ he's also the shoot we saw 133s

last week that that really points to the two natures of Christ divine and human. 142s

Well today we conclude this series on the tree of trees the cross itself. I think 149s

of Christmas I mentioned that in my sermon today we took a look at a portion of 160s

the great great hymn joy to the world so it's not surprising that perhaps 167s

Christmas was on my mind as I came to prepare this class there are there are so 174s

many great hymns aren't there and remember great hymns are those hymns that preach 181s

one of the great hymns associated with Christmas is the hymn what child is this just a 190s

beautiful rich hymn lifting up the imagery of Mary and the infant Jesus it's so 200s

beautiful there's a tranquility and a peacefulness about it but one of the 209s

stanzas that you sing some of the words are nails spear shall pierce him through 218s

the cross be born for me for you hail hail the word made flesh the babe the son of 227s

Mary it can be almost a shock when one comes to those words you surrounding the 240s

services of Christmas Eve it's such a beauty and the and the scene of the birth of the long 250s

anticipated Messiah of the world seen Mary and Joseph and the baby and there's this beautiful 258s

beautiful tranquility that surrounds that service service ending with silent night and the 268s

candles reminding us that Jesus Christ is the light of the world and so when you have a hymn 278s

associated with Christmas and oftentimes sung on Christmas Eve that talks about nails and 285s

spear piercing him through the cross be born for me and you it is almost a shock isn't it but 292s

that hymn is so helpful for us because it reminds us of why Jesus Christ came why there was 306s

the incarnation why there was the inflection of the second member of the Trinity Jesus came 315s

he was born to go to the cross he was born to bear our sin upon the wood of the cross that tree 322s

towers above all other trees in Holy Scripture is one was through the seasons of the church here I 337s

think also not only of Christmas I think also of a particular week holy week and one of the 350s

services of holy week is good Friday such a contrast isn't it the service on Christmas Eve the 358s

gradual extinguishing of lights the removal of the linens and the paramins the draping in terms of 367s

the black cloth that goes upon the pulpit and upon the altar we leave in silence we leave in 378s

darkness having been reminded in a special way of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ that service 387s

called good Friday which begs the question what what's good about it it is just as an incredible 397s

event that happens it is so unfair to the Lord Jesus Jesus never sinned and yet there he is 409s

receiving the death penalty on a cross between two guilty criminals looked at it from the human 422s

point of view one would have to say what is good about that how one how unjust is that that's why 433s

Friday has to be understood from the vantage point and the perspective of God because when we see 447s

it from God's perspective that's why we call that day good turn over please to the book of Hebrews the 457s

12th chapter good way to find Hebrews is just a turn to the last book revelation start working your 470s

way slowly back towards Matthew you're going to cross over the Johns Peter James and then you come 477s

to the book of Hebrews Hebrews chapter 12 please verse 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and 486s

perfector of our faith who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross 499s

disregarding its shame and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God the joy that 509s

was set before our Lord was the joy of winning salvation for us remember when the Lord Jesus Christ 521s

went to the cross he took our sin upon him he took the wrath of God that should fall upon us he 530s

took it upon himself he paid the penalty he cried out to tell the story paid in full the sin death 536s

paid and the joy that was set before him was the end result then of the cross forgiveness reconciliation 548s

redemption turn please to Isaiah the 53rd chapter good good way to find Isaiah is open up to the 564s

middle of the Bible you'll find Psalms and then start moving right Psalms Proverbs ecclesiasties 572s

song of Solomon and then Isaiah Isaiah chapter 53 verse 10 Isaiah 53 verse 10 577s

yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain 594s

I like how the N.A.S.V the new American standard version translates that it says but the Lord was 602s

pleased to crush him and so this verse here that looks ahead to the Messiah on the cross 610s

the Lord was pleased to crush him because it's pleasure that which is born of what would come 620s

about because of the cross this incredible incredible act of God born of grace 627s

turn it with me now please to Matthew chapter 26 because I'd like to explore this with you 641s

this the greatest tree the cross of the Lord Jesus let's go to Matthew chapter 26 649s

the first book in the New Testament Matthew chapter 26 and picking up in verse 36 657s

then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane and he said to his disciples sit here while I 668s

go over there and pray he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebede and began to be grieved 675s

and agitated then he said to them I am deeply grieved even to death remain here and stay awake with me 683s

and going a little farther he threw himself on the ground and prayed my father if it's possible 696s

let this cup pass from me yet not what I want but what you want 701s

then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping and he said to Peter so you could not stay 710s

awake with me one hour stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial the spirit 717s

indeed is willing but the flesh is weak again he went away for the second time and prayed my father 726s

if this cannot pass unless I drink it your will be done again he came and found them sleeping 736s

for their eyes were heavy so leaving them again he went away and prayed for the third time saying 745s

the same words then he came to the disciples and said to them are you still sleeping and taking 751s

your rest see the hour is at hand and the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners get up 760s

let us be going see my betrayer is at hand the very beginning of that reading is the reference 767s

to the place called Gethsemane to the garden Gasemani Gasemani had trees they were all of 778s

trees so here in a garden surrounded by trees there we find the Lord Jesus 788s

with that image in mind think back to what we studied in Genesis with the two trees in the garden 803s

for there in the garden our first parents Adam and Eve there they were surrounded by trees and it 811s

was there that all suffering began let's turn back there please to Genesis chapter 2 Genesis chapter 2 822s

verse 16 Genesis 2 verse 16 841s

and the Lord God commanded the man you may freely eat of every tree of the garden but of the tree 848s

of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat for in the day that you eat of it you shall die 855s

then now please to Genesis 3 picking up in verse 16 to the woman he said I will greatly increase 863s

your pangs and childbearing in pain that you shall bring forth children yet your desire shall be 873s

for your husband and he shall rule over you just a little to side on that this of course is after 880s

the fall the desire here your desire shall be for your husband that word there in the Hebrew it 890s

means a hungering intent upon in other words because of sinfulness the the woman will want to 899s

dominate the man but notice the the same sin here that dominates the man it says yet your desire 907s

shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you so born out of sinfulness what can so often 918s

manifest is a husband and a wife trying to trying to dominate the other that's all the result 929s

of the fall that is it that's the opposite of submitting to one another as servants back then again 939s

please to Genesis 3 verse 17 to the man he said because you've listened to the voice of your wife 948s

and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you you shall not eat of it curse it is the ground 954s

because of you in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life thorns and 960s

thistles it shall bring forth for you and you shall eat the plants of the field by the sweat of your 967s

face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground for out of it you were taken your dust 976s

and to dust you shall return jumping out of verse 22 then the Lord God said see man has become like 983s

one of us knowing good and evil and now he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree 994s

of life and eat and live forever therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to 1001s

till the ground from which he was taken he drove out the man and at the east of the garden of Eden 1008s

he placed the cherubim and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life 1015s

in the garden surrounded by trees there is Adam and Eve and there is the beginning of suffering 1026s

born out of the fall into sin the second Adam the Lord Jesus Christ came to undo what the first Adam 1039s

did let's go to Romans chapter 5 Matthew Mark Luke John Acts and then Romans Romans chapter 5 verse 14 1056s

yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses even over those whose sins were not like the 1074s

transgression of Adam who is a type of the one who was to come so you've got the first Adam 1082s

and you've got the second Adam the second Adam is the Lord Jesus the first Adam is considered a 1092s

a type in other words he said a pattern that in some way would be followed by Christ let's examine 1101s

that let's go to Luke the third chapter Matthew Mark and then Luke Luke chapter 3 verse 38 1111s

Luke 3 verse 38 1122s

here you have a long genealogy with regard to Jesus notice the last phrase son of enus son of 1132s

Seth son of Adam son of God so you've got God and then by God's creative touch there is Adam 1139s

now let's go to Luke the third chapter verse 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily 1153s

form like a dove and a voice came from heaven you are my son the beloved with you I am well pleased 1165s

so there's the reference to Adam son of God notice the small letter S there of course and then 1174s

you have reference to the son of God my beloved the father says Adam was created as a son of God 1181s

God is or Jesus is God's beloved son he's a type Adam was tempted by Satan 1194s

back into Genesis the third chapter again Genesis chapter 3 verse 6 so when the woman saw that the tree 1208s

was good for food that it was a light to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise 1222s

she took of its fruit and ate and she also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate 1228s

Adam was tempted by Satan a type pointing ahead to the second Adam the Lord Jesus Christ 1236s

and the Lord Jesus Christ is tempted by Satan let's go to Luke chapter 4 Matthew Mark and then Luke 1245s

verse 1 1256s

Jesus followed the Holy Spirit returned from the Jordan was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 1260s

where for 40 days he was tempted by the devil and remember with every temptation what Jesus did 1264s

he kept saying it is written it is written it is written oh that is such a powerful word for us 1275s

when we face temptation to say it is written in other words what is God's will for us 1281s

Adam created as a son of God Christ is God's beloved son Adam was tempted by Satan the Lord Jesus 1290s

was tempted by Satan Adam's response to the temptation was sin which led to death 1302s

Jesus's response to the temptation obedience which leads to life through the cross 1314s

let's go to Romans the fifth chapter Matthew Mark Luke John 1326s

Acts and then Romans Romans chapter 5 1332s

verse 15 1338s

but the free gift is not like the trespass for if the many died through one man's trespass there's 1341s

the first Adam much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one 1352s

man Jesus Christ abounded for the many and the free gift is not like the effect of one man's sin 1359s

for the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation but the free gift following many 1371s

trespasses brings justification if because of the one man's trespass death exercised a minion 1377s

through that one much more surely were those who received the abundance of grace and the free 1386s

gift of righteousness exercised a minion in life through the one man Jesus Christ here's the point 1394s

the second Adam began his greatest suffering in the garden surrounded by trees 1404s

and in the garden of Gethsemane surrounded with trees there we find the Lord Jesus Christ 1421s

who has come to deal with the sin and death and misery that is a result of the sin of humankind 1430s

it's really Genesis 3 all over again isn't it but now the outcome has a joyous joyous ending 1449s

turn please to Isaiah 53 Isaiah 53 verse 7 1458s

he was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he did not open his mouth like a lamb that is led to 1471s

the slaughter and like a sheep that before its shears is silent so he did not open his mouth 1478s

oh the love of God for us in the Lord Jesus Christ Romans the 8th chapter verse 32 Matthew 1489s

Mark Luke John Acts and then Romans he who did not withhold his own son but gave him up for all 1498s

of us will he not with him also give us everything else it is the picture and the reality of the 1509s

Lord Jesus Christ carrying on his back the very wood that his blood would soon stand 1520s

to John 19 now please Matthew Mark Luke and then John John the 19th chapter 1537s

picking up with verse 6 and halfway through that verse John 19 picking up in verse 6 1547s

all right let's just start right at the beginning when the chief priests and the police saw him 1563s

they shouted crucify him crucify him Pilate said to them take him yourselves and crucify him 1573s

I find no case against him and now to verse 16 1579s

then he handed him over to them to be crucified so they took Jesus and carrying the cross by 1593s

himself he went out to what is called the place of the skull which in Hebrew is called golgotha 1601s

there they crucified him and with him two others one on either side with Jesus between them 1608s

Pilate also had an inscription written then put on the cross it read Jesus of Nazareth the king of the 1615s

Jews 1623s

golgotha golgotha typically is identified today because of this rocky outcropping near Jerusalem 1627s

that resembles a skull interestingly tradition says that golgotha was so named because it was the 1636s

place of Adam's skull or his grave now let me underscore that is not scripture that is tradition 1647s

in the church so we can't say with any scriptural authority that that is the case but that is the 1655s

tradition in the church therefore according then to this tradition the second Adam the Lord 1663s

Jesus Christ was crucified over the grave of the first Adam Luther talked about it this way 1671s

quote thus the center of paradise was where Jerusalem Bethlehem and Jericho were located later on 1683s

the places where Christ and John spent the greater part of their life it is possible Luther says 1691s

that later on Calvary where Christ offered himself for the sins of the world was located 1699s

where the tree of the knowledge of good and evil had been while paradise was still standing 1704s

thus so far as the place is concerned death and destruction through Satan would be matched by life 1713s

and salvation one through Christ and when Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world on the cross 1720s

paradise was regained go to John the third chapter please John chapter 3 verse 14 1736s

Matthew Mark Luke and then John John 3 will pick up in verse 14 1752s

and just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the son of man be lifted up 1759s

that whoever believes in him may have eternal life remember we had studied about that wooden pole 1766s

upon which that bronze serpent was placed Luther referred to the Lord Jesus Christ as the serpent 1775s

of salvation what he was drawing on was was this verse that on good Friday a new serpent was lifted 1784s

up Luther said it was the serpent of salvation the Lord Jesus Christ and we look unto him 1794s

for salvation well of course the story does not end with Jesus dead on the cross does it look turn 1802s

with me please to Luke the 24th chapter Matthew Mark and then Luke Luke chapter 24 1813s

picking up in verse 1 1822s

but on the first day of the week at early dawn they came to the tomb taking the spices that they 1828s

had prepared they found the stone rolled away from the tomb and when they went in they did not find 1833s

the body while they were perplexed about this suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside 1841s

them the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground but the men said to them 1848s

why do you look for the living among the dead he is not here but has risen remember how he told 1855s

well he was still in ghettily that the son of man must be handed over to sinners and be 1866s

crucified and on the third day rise again then they remembered his words and returning from the 1872s

tomb they told all this to the 11 and to all the rest the resurrection is the validation that the 1882s

sacrifice for sin had been accepted look with me please at 1 Corinthians the 15th chapter Matthew 1894s

Mark Luke John, Acts and Romans 1 Corinthians 1 Corinthians chapter 15 beginning with verse 12 1903s

now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead how can some of you say there is no 1915s

resurrection of the dead there is no resurrection of the dead than Christ has not been raised and if 1920s

Christ has not been raised then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain 1926s

we are even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified of God that he raised Christ 1933s

when he did not raise if it's true that the dead are not raised 1942s

for if the dead are not raised then Christ has not been raised if Christ has not been raised your 1948s

faith is futile and you're still in your sins and those also who have died in Christ have perished 1954s

if for this life only we've hoped in Christ we are of all people most to be pitied 1961s

but in fact Christ has been raised from the dead the first fruits of those who have died 1969s

for since death came through a human being the resurrection of the dead has also come through a 1977s

human being for as all die in Adam so all will be made alive in Christ the gospel 1984s

what a glorious glorious word from the trees of Eden's garden to the burning bush on Sinai 1999s

to a wood pole lifted up that had a bronze serpent upon it to which the people were called to look 2013s

from the tram family tree of the Lord Jesus all the way to the cross our heavenly Father uses 2024s

trees and wood to bless his people and the tree of trees the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ 2036s

I pray these weeks of study have been a blessing to you the Lord be with you 2054s