The Cross is the New Testament Tree of Life

In the book of Genesis, we learn about two trees in the Garden of Eden:  The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, with its forbidden fruit and the Tree of Life, with its fruit of eternal salvation.  As with most things or events in the Old Testament, these two trees are foreshadowings (types) of things to come in the New Testament. In this article, we will examine how the cross of Christ is the New Testament Tree of Life.

Whereas eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Old Testament allowed sin and damnation to enter the world, eating the fruit of the tree of life in the New Testament (the Eucharist) allows salvation and eternal life to enter into us, the partakers of the “hidden manna” (Revelation 2:17). This analogy of the Eucharist being the fruit of the cross takes on even more meaning when we realize that Elizabeth called Jesus “the fruit of Mary’s womb,” in Luke 1:42.

The cross has both a horizontal beam (symbolizing man reaching out to man in love), and a vertical beam, signifying Jesus reaching down to us with his love and us reaching up to Jesus in prayer.  Together, they form a huge plus sign, a plus sign in our life that adds eternal life in heaven to our earthly life now.

Evil Fruit Leads to Insufferable People

So many people today seem to have taken huge bites out of the fruit of the trees of knowledge of good and evil. They constantly spout their personal opinions as facts, and they lord their knowledge of worldly and spiritual information over the rest of us, the “uninformed.” These know-it-alls seem to believe that knowing a lot of stuff about science, church history, the Bible, current events, and so on is what will save them.  Being around these insufferable people who spout out every thought that they have about whatever pops into their mind is like having talk radio on all hours of the day and night and not having an “off” switch.  Being the smartest person in the room is their pride and glory. Winning every discussion as if in a debate seems to be their game plan.

Being informed and knowing a lot of facts is great but not at the expense of loving God with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength and loving your neighbor as yourself, Jesus’ two great commandments.  We (myself included) have to be on guard  against wanting to show everyone just how smart we really are by always speaking out braggadociously. This is a poisonous fruit for sure, cleverly disguised as the sin of pride, the devil’s great sin. In fact, the Bible warns us against boasting, in Romans 1:30. Conversely, love not only is Jesus’ command to us, but love forgives our sins (Luke 7:47).

The Cure for the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

So what’s the cure for this great sin of boastfulness and pride? The cross, of course. When I meditate on the “Carrying of the Cross” mystery during the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, I envision Jesus carrying the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil to Calvary. After all, that tree has been the monkey on our back for 6,000 years or so. When he gets to Calvary, I believe that Jesus sanctifies this horrible tree with his precious body and blood (what we partake of in Holy Communion) during the Crucifixion, thus turning it into the New Testament Tree of Life. Without Jesus dying on the cross for us, none of us would have eternal life.

So for me to see the evil tree morphing into the holy Tree of Life is easy, as the tree becomes the fulfillment of the Old Testament type and shadow of the tree in Genesis. The more we partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life, the Eucharist, the more humble and pure and less boastful and prideful we become over time.  When we say the “Our Father” prayer, we say, “Give us this day our DAILY bread,” which is a prayer to receive the Eucharist daily in Holy Communion. After all, Acts 2:46 says that the apostles met DAILY for the breaking of the bread (a first century euphemism for Holy Communion). Whereas the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8), Jesus, the Lion of Judah, says that if we devour Him the devil hasn’t got a ….prayer… against us.

What the Bible says about the Cross

Mark 8:34: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

1 Corinthians 1:18: For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Colossians 2: 13-14: And you, who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Romans 6:6: We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.

1 Corinthians 1:23: but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,

Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 5:24: And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Revelations to St. Gertrude about the Crucifix

In the Revelations of St. Gertrude, Jesus told her this about her holy habit of staring at the crucifix often:

“It is very agreeable to Me to see thee thus honoring the Crucifix. It is always an effect of Divine grace when men’s eyes meet the Image on the Cross, and never once do they rest upon It, but their soul is benefited. The oftener they do this here on earth with reverence and love, the greater will be their reward in heaven.”

“Every time one kisses the Crucifix, or looks at it with devotion, the eye of God’s mercy is fixed upon his soul. He should then listen within himself to these words of tenderness from Me: ‘Behold how I, for love of thee, hang on the Cross—naked, despised, My while Body wounded, all My limbs distended. And still My Heart is enkindled with such glowing love for thee that if it were beneficial for thy salvation and thou couldst not be saved in any other way, I would for thee alone endure all that I suffered for the whole world!”

What Other Saints Said about the Cross

“Whoever wishes to live perfectly should do nothing but disdain what Christ disdained on the cross and desire what he desired, for the cross exemplifies every virtue.” – St. Thomas Aquinas, priest (1225-1274 A.D.)

“God grant that our hearts may find no rest and seek no other food in this world, save in hardship and suffering beside the Lord’s cross.” – St. John of Avila, priest (1499-1569 A.D.)

“How marvelous the power of the cross; how great beyond all telling the glory of the passion: here is the judgment seat of the Lord, the condemnation of the world, the supremacy of Christ crucified.” – St. Leo the Great, pope (400-461 A.D.)

“You have observed Christ’s outstanding triumph, the splendid achievement of the cross.” – St. John Chrysostom, bishop (347-407 A.D.)

“The cross of Christ’s passion is his invitation to you who are the members of his body.” – St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr (35-98 A.D.)

“What is water without the cross of Christ? Only an ordinary element without sacramental effect.” – St. Ambrose, bishop (340-397 A.D.)

 

“My spirit is given over to the humble service of the cross which is a stumbling block to unbelievers but to us salvation and eternal life.” – St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr (35-98 A.D.)

 

“By the cross we, the sheep of Christ, have been gathered into one flock, destined for the sheepfolds of heaven.” – St. Theodore the Studite, bishop (759-826 A.D.)

“No one, however weak, is denied a share in the victory of the cross.” – St. Leo the Great, pope (400-461 A.D.)

“It was clear through unlearned men that the cross was persuasive, in fact, it persuaded the whole world.” – St. John Chrysostom, bishop (347-407 A.D.)

“No one should be ashamed of the cross of Christ, through which the world has been redeemed.” – St. Leo the Great, pope (400-461 A.D.)

“Anyone who refuses to admit the testimony of the cross is of the devil.” – St. Polycarp, bishop (69-155 A.D.)

“The cross stands for Christ’s suffering because on it he freely suffered unto death. But it is also his trophy because it was the means by which the devil was wounded and death conquered.” – St. Andrew of Crete, bishop (650-712 A.D.)

“The cross is honorable because it is both the sign of God’s suffering and the trophy of his victory.”  – St. Andrew of Crete, bishop (650-712 A.D.)

“The cross was the tree on which Christ, like a king on a chariot, destroyed the devil, the Lord of death, and freed the human race from his tyranny.”  – St. Theodore the Studite, bishop (759-826 A.D.)

 “The cross is our trophy raised against the demons, our sword against sin, and the sword of Christ used to pierce the serpent.” – St. John Chrysostom, bishop (347-407 A.D.)

Summary

Everyone who is having problems in their life should stare at a crucifix on a regular basis with loving devotion for Jesus, who suffered and died for each one of us personally. One gets a lot of graces for reflecting on His passion and death. Kissing the crucifix is yet another way to obtain grace from Jesus. After all, there is no time in eternity, where Jesus exists, and he can see you doing this now, while he is on the cross at Calvary then. You are thus giving Jesus great honor, comfort, and love while he is suffering on the cross. He is God, after all, and knows everything, even the future.

By honoring the cross with our love and our lives, we are telling Jesus that we love Him, and that we want to be in heaven with Him one day. And besides that, the efficacy of our prayers skyrockets when we honor His cross as our devotion. When we stare at a crucifix with love, we are also imitating Mary, who did exactly that at Calvary. And her love for us acts as a protective shield against the wiles of the devil, not only for us, but for our families as well. So start getting more cross training in your spiritual workout today!