Whether or not you believe in a literal interpretation of these scriptures, it is clear that the Tree of Life is significant. It represents harmony with God and creation. The return of the Tree in the final chapter of the Bible implies a restoration of our relationship with God, repairing what we have broken, and bridging the separation. The Tree of Life is not unique to the Abrahamic religions. It appears in art, myths, and sacred texts around the world. It is the thing which connects all life and stands at the center of creation. If you’re not familiar with how the Tree is represented in other religions, I highly recommend you read up on the significance of the symbol for people around the world.
If I had to name the goal of Christianity, I would say it is reconciliation. We work to bring about reconciliation of God and humanity, of humans to each other, and of humanity to creation. Although I’m not one who takes a literal stance on the interpretation of Genesis and Revelation, I do believe that they teach us something very important about this reconciliation. The purpose of Genesis is to teach us that God created a perfect heaven and earth. As humans we have misused our free will, causing the fall, which led to the brokenness and pain of today’s world. The purpose of Revelation is to assure us that God will restore creation and bring about reconciliation.
However I often encounter people who believe that we don’t have to worry about what we do to the earth, because God will eventually come along to “fix” it in the end. But I disagree. We can’t just wait around for the day that God comes back and fixes all the problems of the world. Jesus didn’t just preach about salvation and reconciliation and what will happen after we die or in the “end times.” He didn’t tell people who were suffering to just hold on until they got their reward in heaven. He taught us to work to bring about God’s kin-dom here on earth, now. He taught us, through word and deed, to work to end suffering and bring about justice now. Jesus didn’t speak much about the need to care for creation, but he also wasn’t living in a time when humans were causing so much damage to creation. We need to protect creation and fix the damage we have done because it is God’s, not ours. God entrusted it to us, and we misused it. We betrayed God’s trust with how we have destroyed creation, and it is our responsibility to fix what we have broken. Not to mention that the more damage we do to creation, the more people we hurt, as people are already suffering and dying from climate change. Working for reconciliation means not only restoring people’s relationship with God, but also restoring our relationship with creation and repairing the damage we have done before it is too late.
The Tree of Life in the Bible is a symbol of harmony and the unity of creation. Let us work to bring about a figurative Tree of Life today. Let us work to end our habits and practices which are destroying the earth, and reverse the damage we have already done. Maybe it’s impossible, but I dream of one day living in a Tree of Life world, where all forms of life are nurtured and protected, living in harmony with one another as God intended.
The Presbyterian Peacemaking Program provides a daily lectionary of scriptures based on themes of peace and peacemaking. Over the course of 2019-20 I’ll be basing my blogs on one or more of the scriptures from each week’s lectionary. If you would like to follow along in the lectionary with me, here are next week’s scriptures:
Sunday – Exodus 12:37-42
Monday – Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Tuesday – Daniel 3
Wednesday – Psalm 133
Thursday – Acts 2:43-47
Friday – 1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Saturday – 2 John